Mac Ìle CD with Fraser Shaw’s Islay tunes

Islay MusicAs I’m writing this The Islay Sessioners will be playing some beautiful tunes at Bruichladdich Hall on Islay, for today is the Fraser Shaw Islay tunes CD launch I mentioned back in May. Sadly I can’t be there myself as my recent holiday didn’t last long enough, so I’m doing the next best thing, listening to the CD.

Picture of the outside of Mac Ìle – The Music of Fraser Shaw
The outside of Mac Ìle – The Music of Fraser Shaw

I picked up my copy from the Ardnahoe distillery shop in Islay House Square last week, it will also be available at Bruichladdich distillery and I assume at the Port Charlotte Hotel, a big supporter. Probably also other places on Islay. And if you can’t get to Islay to get your copy you can of course order it online from The Fraser Shaw Trust website.

I can’t share any tunes here, so for now the beautifully designed CD (artwork by Somhairle MacDonald) is all I can give you.

Picture of the inside of Mac Ìle – The Music of Fraser Shaw
The inside of Mac Ìle – The Music of Fraser Shaw

But of course the music is the most important part. Of course I’m not a music critic, my knowledge of music extends to ‘I love it’, ‘I like it’ and ‘No, thanks, that’s not for me’. This CD is firmly in the first category, I love it. My favourites are the Pipe Set (#5) and Cairn’s Set (#9), I’m going to quote Ciara MacTaggart from her review in The Ileach:

There is a pipe set on track 5 that is powerful and toe-tapping with harmonious piping riffs. The type of tunes that fill you with energy and tunes as a musician you want to learn immediately. Track 9 Cairn’s Set does something similar. It has the power to turn stressful worries into a positive, lifting your mood immediately. In fact, the entire album has this contagious air about it.

It should be obvious that I highly recommend it. A fantastic job by all the musicians and everyone else involved in this project. I had the pleasure to see many of them during the Islay Sessions over the last few years and hope to see and hear them again in November.

Author: Armin Grewe

I blog about Islay.

13 thoughts on “Mac Ìle CD with Fraser Shaw’s Islay tunes”

  2. Just a short update on yesterday’s post about the Mac Ìle CD with Fraser Shaw’s Islay tunes. Yesterday I wrote I couldn’t share any tunes, but I’ve since found out that the album is actually available online to listen to (to get you interested) and more importantly to buy. You can find it on Bandcamp:

    While you can buy the download I would highly recommend buying the physical CD, Somhairle‘s artwork is as beautiful as the music.

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