Skyedance: Labyrinth Alasdair Fraser (fiddle, viola) "Alasdair Fraser, and his trusty ensemble, have produced yet another amazing album of virtuoso music. Skyedance is a group that excels with talent, warmth and joy. They play together as if they are speaking to each other, with a combination of affection and aggression. Full of contemporary style and romanticism, they are unique and original in their approach to arrangements of original as well as traditional compositions. It is stunning to hear a group of such caliber. The recording itself is highlighted by an extreme spectral clarity and separation of instruments. It is very much as if you were sitting with the ensemble around you." Labyrinth from the band Skyedance, whose members feature on soundtracks such as Titanic,Braveheart and Last of the Mohicans, interweaves Scottish roots with influences from around the world, threading the path of discovery with melodic, harmonic and rhythmic interplay. Labyrinth has been selected by Public Radio's Echoes music program as #4 of "Twenty-five essential albums of 2000."
Eric Rigler (Great Highland Bagpipe, uilleann pipes, Scottish small-pipes)
Chris Norman (wooden flute, piccolo)
Paul Machlis (piano, organ, keyboards)
Mick Linden (fretless bass)
Peter Maund (percussion)
—Ben Kettlewell, Alternate Music Press
Dedicated to the memory of poet Donnie Campbell of Breakish, Skye, inventor of the gravity-defying Breakish Two-Step and the life and soul of many a great ceilidh.
(pronounced "fitya fooitya) is an Irish Gaelic phrase meaning "woven into and through each other."
The Iron Ring/ The Boxwood Reel (Chris Norman)
"The Iron Ring" draws it's name from rings that Canadian engineers wear symbolizing professional pride and civic responsibility. The rings were originally crafted from the steel of a bridge that collapsed near Quebec City. This tune is dedicated to Arthur Norman (Chris' father), a retired Canadian engineer, who still wears the iron ring and epitomizes the values of humility and responsibility. "The Boxwood Reel" is named for the annual flute school that Chris directs each July in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
The Other Side of Sorrow (Alasdair Fraser)
Inside the Shadows (Paul Machlis)
When She Drives (Mick Linden)
Into the Labyrinth (Alasdair Fraser)
Ariadnes's Thread (Alasdair Fraser)
The Pentz Road (Chris Norman)
Evensong (Paul Machlis)
All compositions arranged by Skyedance.
All compositions administered by Culburnie Music (BMI)