BBC - Celtic Connections Festival 2011

Transatlantic Sessions

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Richard Bull reports

The Transatlantic Sessions, falling each year at the end January, has become a Glasgow institution, easily selling out two nights at the Royal Concert Hall. The sound – and the rapport – are well worn-in now, perfectly natural and familiar. In a way these Sessions have established a new genre of music: a mixture of Scottish, Irish and American, topped by the resonant sound of Jerry Douglas’s dobro.

Tonight Tim O’Brien set the tone by explaining that he’d tried to get home to support his family at a time of loss, but weather and transport not permitting, he was here to celebrate life among friends.

The list of friends in full was: Aly Bain, Jerry Douglas, Phil Cunningham, John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick, Donald Shaw, Danny Thompson, Tim O’Brien, Russ Barenberg, Dirk Powell, Julie Fowlis, Paul Brady, Kenny Greenberg, Ashley Cleveland, John Doyle, James Mackintosh, Buddy Greene, Mollie O’Brien and Allison Moorer.

Wow!

Paul Brady, a previous guest, fitted back in with no problems, and gave us one of the night’s most memorable moments, when he led the band in a tribute to Gerry Rafferty. They fearlessly took on the monster hit – Baker Street – and pulled it off, with the famous sax brilliantly replaced by dobro, uilleann pipes and fiddles.

Another tremendous moment was Carrickfergus, sung dramatically by Allison Moorer. Though only after she’d assured us that “John Henry’s decided to hush”, referring to her (and Steve Earle’s) baby, who’d previously been heard “singing” (i.e. crying) backstage.

Ashley Cleveland was the night’s unknown quantity but she made quite an impact with a set of big folk/gospel songs which asked questions like “When does the world come to an end?”

Other highlights included a puirt-a-beul, transatlantic style, by Julie Fowlis, and a pair of Cajun two steps led by Aly Bain and banjoist Dirk Powell.

It was Phil Cunningham’s birthday too, so – when he was off for a break – Jerry Douglas instructed the whole audience to stand and sing Happy Birthday, which we duly did. And at the end of the night Phil’s parting words were: “Thank you to all these guys for coming over and playing for me on my birthday.” “We do anniversaries too,” added Jerry Douglas.