CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2009 - 15 JANUARY - 1 FEBRUARY, GLASGOW | FLY

Note: Unfortunately, Dr. John has had to withdraw from all concert performances for the next three months due to ill health. He was due to appear in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 19th January with Allen Toussaint, who will perform in the Old Fruitmarket that night instead. Full details of this gig are included in the listings below.

Thursday 15 January

Celtic Connections Torchlight Parade with the ScottishPower Pipe Band
Thu 15 January, 4:45pm
Free
George Square

Every year, Celtic Connections launches in spectacular style with a torchlight parade through Glasgow city centre.

The ScottishPower Pipe Band lead a mass of blazing torches from George Square to the Concert Hall steps, as Glasgow lights up for the first day of the festival.

Celebrations commence inside the Hall, as torch-bearers are invited to the Lord Provost’s Drinks Reception, and the festival is pronounced officially open!

Celtic Connections Opening Concert “The Cape Breton Connection”
Thu 15 January, 7:30pm
£20, £18
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium

As Scotland’s Year of Homecoming begins, what better way for Celtic Connections to launch its festivities than by welcoming an array of top artists from Cape Breton, the beautiful Canadian island where Scots and their music have long found a second home.

Performers include the revered godfather of Cape Breton fiddle music, Jerry Holland accompanied by Kimberley Fraser (piano) and Ross Kennedy (guitar), the outstanding singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist J.P.Cormier, and erstwhile enfant terrible Ashley MacIsaac, whose iconoclastic fiddle playing nowadays vies with his rock-oriented original songs. He will perform with our own multi-talented musician Phamie Gow. Gaelic singer Mary Jane Lamond, who guested on MacIsaac’s 1995 hit single Sleepy Maggie, performs with her trio, while six-piece family band The Barra MacNeils return to Scotland after celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2007.

Our Cape Breton visitors will be joined by some of the many Scottish musicians who have appeared there at the Celtic Colours festival, including harpist/singer Corrina Hewat, Gaelic singer Margaret Bennett and pianist David Milligan.

Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Thu 15 January, 10:30pm
£5
Quality Hotel

Get ready for some late-night music!

Our late-night club ensures there is even more music to enjoy after all the gigs are over. Join local and international artists as they make special unbilled appearances or join in one of many sessions happening in the bars.

With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning while witnessing some of the best musical collaborations of the festival.

Master of ceremonies, Gibb Todd returns to present each act on stage and Doris Rougvie hosts The House of Song in a peaceful oasis away from the main stage.

Friday 16th January

Iain Anderson in Conversation
The Cape Breton Connection
Fri 16 January, 12:30pm
£3.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Iain Anderson chats to a selection of artists fresh from their appearance in last night’s Opening Concert, The Cape Breton Connection.

Celtic Music Radio 1530AM Live
Gordon Hotchkiss Hotchpotch Afternoon Session
Fri 16 January, 2pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Gordon Hotchkiss presents his show live from the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, featuring all the latest festival news, as well as concert previews and interviews with festival artists.

Danny Kyle’s Open Stage
Opening Night Showcasing Danny Kyle Open Stage Winners 2008
Fri 16 January, 5pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Hosted by Danny Kyle’s good friends Gibb Todd and Liz Clark, the Open Stage is a chance to see new musical talent as they try to win a coveted support slot at next year’s festival – and all absolutely free!

Sponsored by the Evening Times

J.P. Cormier
Fri 16 January, 6pm
£10
City Halls, Recital Room

Some fans rave first about J.P. Cormier’s prodigious instrumental prowess, others his ruggedly soulful voice and eloquent songwriting. One of Cape Breton’s best-loved musical ambassadors, he’s accompanied here by Hilda Chiasson-Cormier on piano.

Sharon Shannon Big Band with Cara Dillon
Fri 16 January, 7:30pm
£20, £18
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium

Right from her earliest collaborations with the Waterboys some 20 years back, Sharon Shannon has taken the Irish accordion to places few suspected it could go. Her breathtakingly virtuosic, intensely expressive playing has joyfully mixed it up with reggae, rap, Latin, hip hop, country, world and classical sounds, all the while remaining deeply rooted in her native Clare traditions. Featured among her star-studded guest-list is platinum-selling singer-songwriter Mundy, whom Shannon accompanied on his recent smash-hit version of Steve Earle’s Galway Girl.

Matching a sublimely honeyed voice with an uncanny ability to inhabit a song, Irish singer Cara Dillon has captivated the folk world ever since her teenage days with the band Oige, subsequently followed by three increasingly acclaimed solo albums. She’ll be previewing tracks from her forthcoming release Hill of Thieves (which is released on January 26th) in company with Sam Lakeman, James O’Grady, Ed Boyd and a surprise guest or two.

Sponsored by the Evening Times

The Scottish World
Sat 17 January, 6pm
£10
City Halls, Recital Room

In this year of homecoming Billy Kay, chronicler of Scottish culture, joins Rod Paterson, Norman Chalmers and Derek Hoy to present an evening of history, music, poetry and song celebrating the influence of the Scottish Diaspora around the world.

Béla Fleck with Oumou Sangare, Toumani Diabaté and Bassekou Kouyate
Sat 17 January, 7:30pm
£20, £18
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium

US banjo legend Béla Fleck journeyed through Africa in search of his instrument’s roots. This unique musical odyssey was chronicled by his filmmaker brother, Sascha Paladino, and released in 2008 as the award-winning documentary Throw Down Your Heart. For his first ever concert based on this project, Fleck is joined by three of his star collaborators from Mali: the stunning singer Oumou Sangare, pioneering kora maestro Toumani Diabaté and Bassekou Kouyate – a contemporary virtuoso of the ngoni, an ancient, lute-like antecedent of the banjo. A recent collaboration of these artists was described by The Guardian as “one of the events of the year”.

Completing this magical reunion of kindred spirits and cultures will be Scotland’s own highly acclaimed Gaelic singer Kathleen MacInnes and Ireland’s Liam Ó Maonlaí. Liam strongly believes every country has its own séan nos, “when in the company of other cultures, the singing of this style opens a window into what it is that connects us”.

Conflict and Resolution featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Sat 17 January, 7:30pm
£16
City Halls, Grand Hall

The centrepiece of tonight’s programme will be the world première of Conflict and Resolution by David Heath, which celebrates the life of the pioneering architect, designer and painter Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and is the fruit of a two-year collaboration between musicians from Scotland and Catalonia.

Transcending the boundaries between traditional and classical music, the piece is strongly influenced by the great Spanish cellist/composer Pablo Casals, while rooted in Celtic and Catalan folk idioms, making innovative use of orchestral space to reflect Mackintosh’s experience of both cultures during his lifetime.

Variously inspired by modern jazz, rock, rap and Celtic music, David Heath has been described by The Herald as “the UK’s most outrageous yet accessible contemporary composer”. Performing with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will be Scottish soloists Mary Ann Kennedy (clarsach), Shona Mooney (fiddle) and Rory Campbell (bagpipes), with Catalan musicians François Ragot (cello), Vincent Vidalou (tenora), Frédéric Guisset (tible, tamborí) and Francesc Sans (sac de gemecs).

Jackie Leven and Doghouse Roses
Sat 17 January, 7:30pm
£12.50 (over 14s only, under 16s with an adult)
Òran Mór

Likened by his number one fan, crimewriter Ian Rankin, to “the Scottish Bob Dylan”, ex-Doll by Doll frontman Jackie Leven is one of the UK’s most prolific singer-songwriters. His 31st solo release, 2008’s Lovers at the Gun Club, saw him hailed by The Independent as “perhaps our greatest musical poet of loss”.

Named for the classic remorseful lovers’ offering, Doghouse Roses are guitarist Paul Tasker — originally inspired by a Bert Jansch gig — and singer Iona Macdonald, who’s been likened to both Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson, artfully blending these vintage folk influences with shades of alt.country and pop.

Shoeshine Showcase featuring Attic Lights, Norman Blake and The BMX Bandits
Sat 17 January, 7:30pm
£15 (over 14s only, under 16s with an adult)
ABC

Teenage Fanclub drummer Francis MacDonald has had his fingers in an inordinate number of Glasgow’s musical pies over the last 20-odd years. Two of his more recent ventures are the successful boutique label Shoeshine Records, and the producer’s credit on Friday Night Lights, the much-fêted 2008 debut from tonight’s closing act, Attic Lights, hailed by The Guardian as purveyors of “rapturous melodic joy” and of “blasphemous trash” by the Free Church of Scotland. The rest of the bill includes a characteristically diverse and distinctive selection of Shoeshine talent, including the original Bellshill anti-heroes of the now-legendary C86 scene, the BMX Bandits, and MacDonald’s Fanclub bandmate Norman Blake, in his new collaboration with ex-Gorky’s Zygotic Minci vocalist Euros Childs, with other acts to be announced.

Malinky 10th Anniversary Celebration
Sat 17 January, 8pm
£12.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite
Having launched their career as winners of an inaugural Danny Kyle Open Stage Award, at Celtic Connections back in 1999, Malinky are now firmly established among today’s top song-based folk acts, with four acclaimed albums to their credit and an ever-expanding tour schedule on both sides of the Atlantic. To celebrate their tenth anniversary, the current line-up of Steve Byrne, Mark Dunlop, Fiona Hunter, Dave Wood and Mike Vass will be joined by all of the band’s former members — Karine Polwart, Kit Patterson, Jon Bews, Leo McCann and Ewan MacPherson — with the set-list ranging from their debut Last Leaves to their new release Flower & Iron.

Jerry Holland & Friends and Maggie Adamson
Sat 17 January, 8pm
£12.50
St Andrew’s in the Square

Legendary fiddler Jerry Holland, a mainstay of Cape Breton music since the 1970s, hosts an intimate gathering of musical comrades from over the decades including Kimberly Fraser (piano), Ross Kennedy (guitar, bouzouki), Archie MacAllister (fiddle), Bruce MacGregor (fiddle), Gillian Frame (fiddle), Ruaridh MacMillan (fiddle), Rebecca Brown (fiddle) and Dan Thorpe (fiddle) performing a selection from his vast repertoire of Scottish, Irish and self-penned tunes.

Support comes from Shetland fiddler Maggie Adamson, a Danny Kyle Award winner in 2008.

Damian Helliwell & The Mainlanders with Fraser Fifield: Stereocanto
Sat 17 January, 8pm
£12.50
The Classic Grand

All the way from the Isle of Eigg, the brilliant banjo and mandolin player Damian Helliwell leads a new but seasoned instrumental sextet – fiddler Gabe McVarish, accordionist John Somerville, guitarist Ross Martin and percussionist Donald Hay – performing his own dynamic, colourful tunes.

Fraser Fifield’s new project Stereocanto sees the gifted Scottish multi-instrumentalist and composer playing Highland pipes, soprano sax, low whistles and Bulgarian kaval over dynamic, richly textured layers of pre-recorded beats, live looping and laptop effects, in company with two of Scotland’s leading young jazz musicians: guitarist Graeme Stephen and drummer Alyn Cosker.

Seaquins with Lo Còr de la Plana
Sat 17 January, 9:30pm
£16
Old Fruitmarket

Uniting twelve leading female folk artists from countries linked by the North Sea and North Atlantic, the Seaquins gave their debut performances at the 2008 Tønder Festival, winning a standing ovation twice over. Instigated by Danish fiddlers Ditte Fromseier Mortensen and Kirstine Sand, the line-up also features Scots Inge Thomson (accordion), Emily Smith (vocals/accordion), Shona Mooney (fiddle), Anna Massie (guitar/mandolin), Jenn Butterworth (guitar/vocals) and Mairearad Green (accordion/bagpipes), with Finland’s Kukka Lehto (fiddle), Sweden’s Emma Johansson (flutes/vocals) and Cape Breton fiddler/pianist Kimberly Fraser. Their sumptuously layered arrangements interweave songs and tunes from all five countries’ traditions, celebrating their connections and forging new common ground.

Anticipated to be one of the most exciting debut acts of this year’s festival, Lo Còr de la Plana are an all-male vocal group based in Marseille, who reinvent the ancient Occitan traditions of southern France, drawing on sources from medieval times to the present day. Their exhilarating blend of powerful polyphonic harmonies and dynamic rhythms is accompanied by hand-drums, tambourines and body percussion.

Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Sat 17 January, 10:30pm
£7.50
Quality Hotel

Get ready for some late-night music!

With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning while witnessing some of the best musical collaborations of the festival.

Master of ceremonies, Gibb Todd returns to present each act on stage and Doris Rougvie hosts The House of Song in a peaceful oasis away from the main stage.

Sunday 18th January

Public Workshops
Women’s Samba Workshop
Sun 18 January, 11am
£7
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

What a great way to start a Sunday! A wonderful, releasing, therapeutic class of samba drumming. Big Groove have designed this workshop specially for women to liberate their inner percussionist. Have fun exploring samba rhythms, energising, invigorating and empowering. If you’ve never tried it before – make it this year!

Public Workshops
come&try Whistle
Sun 18 January, 11am
£7
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Buchanan Suite

The multi-talented Hamish Napier returns with a day of whistle tuition at the festival. You will learn the basics of this popular and versatile instrument. Whistles in the key of D will be provided but if you have your own, bring it along.

Public Workshops
come&try Burns Song
Sun 18 January, 11am
£7
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Lomond Foyer

In this workshop Ali Burns will be taking you on an excursion back to the 18th century to explore a treasure trove of well and lesser-known gems from Scotland’s greatest bard. The workshop will be interspersed with background stories and historic narrative. Songs will be taught by ear but music will also be available.

Public Workshops
come&try Bodhran
Sun 18 January, 11am
£7
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Clyde Foyer

Andy May is a well-known performer and tutor of the bodhran and he will show his students how to achieve some really good basic rhythms so that you will always be welcome at a session. Drums and beaters are provided so all you need is a sense of rhythm.

New Voices
Rick Taylor
Sun 18 January, 1pm
£10.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite

Having previously worked with Elton John, Robbie Williams, Tom Jones and Johnny Mathis, Rick Taylor is in constant demand on the Scottish folk scene as a trombonist, composer and arranger. His unique wealth of experience is now brought to bear on this new vocal suite, The Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart: Songs from the Wayward Boys, featuring radically reworked versions of Scottish songs from authors as diverse as William Ross, Tony Cuffe and The Blue Nile. Taylor’s hand-picked ensemble includes Ewan Robertson and Hughey Dowling (both vocals/guitar), Ryan Quigley (trumpet), Paul Brown (banjo/mandolin), Laura Sillitoe (accordion/piano), Alex Higgins (harmonica), Laurence Cottle (bass) and Stu Haikney (drums).

Sponsored by the Evening Times

Eddi Reader Sings the Songs of Robert Burns and Robby Hecht
Sun 18 January, 7:30pm
£22, £20
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium

Celtic Connections’ celebration of Robert Burns for Homecoming Scotland 2009 would hardly be complete without Eddi Reader, whose latter-day love-affair with the ploughman poet was launched right here in the Concert Hall, back in January 2003. Later that year, the album Eddi Reader Sings the Songs of Robert Burns was hailed as another landmark in her wide-ranging career, which began with 1980s chart-toppers Fairground Attraction and has since seen her recognised as one of Scotland’s all-time great song interpreters. Along with several friends from the folk world, Eddi is joined tonight by the Orchestra of Scottish Opera, reprising the acclaimed arrangements created for that original concert by the late Kevin McCrae.

Crafting melodies and lyrics reminiscent of classic 1970s acoustic pop, Tennessean singer-songwriter Robby Hecht has already won comparisons with early James Taylor and Paul Simon, while Hooked on Music praised his 2008 debut album, Late Last Night, as “elegant and sublime…nothing less than a timeless jewel.”

Supported by Homecoming Scotland

“Hallaig” — A Celebration of Sorley MacLean
Sun 18 January, 7:30pm
£16
City Halls Grand Hall

Somhairle MacGill-Eain (1911-1996), better known to the wider world as Sorley MacLean, was the pivotal modernising figure in contemporary Gaelic poetry. Commissioned by the Sorley MacLean Trust, which seeks to celebrate his artistic legacy and bring his work to a wider audience, tonight’s performance comprises new settings of MacLean’s poems, along with instrumental pieces inspired by his life and work, composed by leading traditional and classical musicians. As well as material originally premiered as part of the Highland 2007 programme, the concert will feature a brand-new composition, Hallaig, by Stuart MacRae -known for his astonishingly original and powerfully expressive works, often inspired by aspects of the natural landscape.

Performers include some of today’s finest Gaelic singers, including James Graham, Jenna Cumming, Alasdair Whyte and Kirsteen MacDonald, along with the Glasgow Gaelic Musical Association Choir and an all-star house band, comprising Mary Ann Kennedy (clarsach), Gordon Gunn (fiddle), Dougie Pincock (pipes), Brian McAlpine (accordion), Christine Hanson (cello), Jack Evans (guitar) and James Ross (piano).

Liam Ó Maonlaí with Lo Còr de la Plana
Sun 18 January, 7:30pm
£12.50 (over 14s only, under 16s with an adult)
Òran Mór

While he’s still best known as lead singer with Celtic soulsters the Hothouse Flowers, Liam Ó Maonlaí’s earliest apprenticeship was in traditional music, and he remains an impassioned devotee of sean-nós singing, subtly interweaving this material with drones, grooves and world-music flavours on his most recent solo album, Rian.

Based in Marseille, Lo Còr de la Plana are an all-male vocal group who reinvent the ancient Occitan traditions of southern France, drawing on sources from medieval times to the present day. Their exhilarating blend of powerful polyphonic harmonies and dynamic rhythms is accompanied by hand-drums, tambourines and body percussion.

Maírtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden & Séamie O’Dowd with Karan Casey Band
Sun 18 January, 7:30pm
£15 (over 14s only, under 16s with an adult)
ABC

An all-star encounter between some of Ireland’s most revered musicians, this powerhouse trio first began collaborating in 2001, and recently recorded their first album together, Crossroads. Former De Dannan accordionist Maírtín O’Connor weaves a magical mesh of tradition and invention in both his playing and his superb original compositions. Fiddle and banjo ace Cathal Hayden’s uniquely incendiary style is best known via Irish/Americana heroes Four Men and a Dog, while ex-Dervish singer/guitarist Séamie O’Dowd has also worked with Liam O’Flynn, Matt Molloy and Mary McPartlan. Special guest Jimmy Higgins completes the line-up on bodhrán.

Karan Casey – “one of the great voices in contemporary music” (Sing Out!) – showcases material from her recent fifth solo album, Ships in the Forest, with Caoimhín Vallely (piano), Kate Ellis (cello), Ross Martin (guitar), and Niall Vallely (concertina).

Homebound and Margaret Stewart
Sun 18 January, 8pm
£12.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite

Masterminded by German multi-instrumentalist Thomas Zöller, this exciting cross-cultural encounter unites him with musicians from India, Portugal, Russia, the US and Scotland, and draws on sources as diverse as Indian raga, Gaelic song and medieval melodies. The common thread is provided by the bagpipes, played here by Zöller and our own Allan MacDonald, with harp, cello, hurdy-gurdy, low whistle, guitar, tablas and drums completing the ensemble.

Lewis native Margaret Stewart is one of Scotland’s foremost Gaelic singers, whose latest album, Togaidh mi mo Sheòlta, features some of the great bardic songs alongside lesser-known treasures, meanwhile celebrating her close cultural and personal connections with the Irish Gaeltacht.

Supported by Homecoming Scotland

Banjaxed! featuring Enda Scahill, Marcus Maloney and Angelina Carberry
Sun 18 January, 8pm
£12.50
St Andrew’s in the Square

Premiered at the Glór Irish Music Centre in Ennis, Ireland and showcasing three top Irish and UK banjo players – Enda Scahill, Angelina Carberry and Marcus Maloney – tonight’s programme includes both solo and ensemble numbers, backed by the dream-team rhythm section of Ed Boyd and John Joe Kelly. A certain multi-Grammy winning American banjo player may also drop by for a tune!

Songs of Scotland
Fighting Scot
Sun 18 January, 8pm
£10
Universal

The Songs of Scotland series has become an important part of the Celtic Connections programme, helping to maintain the festival’s link with Scotland’s love of song and is enjoyed equally by its audience and performers.

We will feature ten themes, which provide a common thread throughout each night. Songs from the Gaelic and Scots traditions, as well as more contemporary songs which have entered into the tradition over recent years, will take audiences on an entertaining journey into Scotland’s song tradition.

Tonight will be hosted by Ishbel MacAskill and features Alistair Hulett, Arthur Watson and Norrie MacIver.

Eric Bibb with Ruthie Foster
Sun 18 January, 9:30pm
£16
Old Fruitmarket

Raised amid the musical ferment of New York City in the 1950s and 60s, Eric Bibb combines a bone-deep mastery of Delta and Chicago blues with an equal love of gospel, soul and country, resulting in a uniquely expansive sound that’s been dubbed ‘new world blues’ or ‘African-Americana’. His 2008 album Get Onboard continues masterfully to explore and develop the common ground between these styles, while Bibb’s rich baritone voice, exceptional guitar work and warmly engaging stage presence have established him among the most sought-after acts on the live roots circuit.

Texas-born Ruthie Foster – one of Bibb’s guests on Get Onboard – had already won widespread critical and popular acclaim as a contemporary folk/blues artist, before returning to her gospel-inspired roots with 2007’s The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, an aptly-titled album of classic yet contemporary soul, matching potent songcraft with an enthralling voice that’s been likened to such greats as Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.

Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Sun 18 January, 10:30pm
£5
Central Hotel

Get ready for some late-night music!

With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning while witnessing some of the best musical collaborations of the festival.

Master of ceremonies, Gibb Todd returns to present each act on stage and Doris Rougvie hosts The House of Song in a peaceful oasis away from the main stage.

Monday 19th January

Iain Anderson in Conversation
Tom Shields, Viv Lumsden and David Belcher
Mon 19 January, 12:30pm
£3.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Journalists Tom Shields and Viv Lumsden discuss the media with The Herald’s TV critic David Belcher.

Celtic Music Radio 1530AM Live
Gordon Hotchkiss Hotchpotch Afternoon Session
Mon 19 January, 2pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Gordon Hotchkiss presents his show live from the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, featuring all the latest festival news, as well as concert previews and interviews with festival artists.

Danny Kyle’s Open Stage
Mon 19 January, 5pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Sponsored by the Evening Times

“Throw Down Your Heart” Film Screening with Béla Fleck
Mon 19 January, 6:30pm
Free but ticketed
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Buchanan Suite

This award winning film is being shown as part of our celebrations of the great overlap between cultures. Throw Down Your Heart follows American banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck on his journey through Africa to explore the little known African routes of the banjo and record an album. Béla’s boundary-breaking musical adventure took him to Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia and Mali, and provides a glimpse of the beauty and complexity of Africa. Using his banjo, Béla transcends barriers of languages and culture, finding common ground and forging connections with musicians from very different backgrounds.

Béla Fleck will be taking part in a Q & A session after the screening.

See Béla Fleck in a concert inspired by this trip on Saturday 17th January in the Main Auditorium.

Allen Toussaint and Support
Mon 19 January, 8pm
£16
Old Fruitmarket

One of the most influential figures in New Orleans rhythm and blues, many of Allen Toussaint’s songs have become familiar through their numerous cover versions, including Working in the Coalmine, Ride Your Pony, Brickyard Blues, Get Out Of My Life Woman, Southern Nights and Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky.

Although better known as a hugely influential hitmaker for other artists — including Lee Dorsey, Otis Redding, Bonnie Raitt and our own Frankie Miller, among umpteen others, he makes a rare live appearance here singing his own material, accompanied by the peerless piano-playing learned from his legendary mentor, Professor Longhair.

Michael Marra and Kim Edgar
Mon 19 January, 8pm
£12.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite

By turns wise and whimsical, pawky and poetic, Michael Marra’s uniquely eloquent songcraft has won him a devoted following far outwith his native Scotland or, more specifically, his beloved Dundee, whose distinctive history, topography and accents have always centrally informed his work. With his warm, gravelly voice, jazz-tinged piano style and quietly compelling stage presence, he is justly regarded as one of our greatest musical treasures.

A winner of the inaugural Burnsong songwriting competition in 2005, Kim Edgar launched her debut album, Butterflies and Broken Glass, at Celtic Connections 2008, winning praise from no less an authority than Karine Polwart for her “literate, timeless and hooky contemporary songwriting.”

Songs of Scotland
Love, Loss and Relationships
Mon 19 January, 8pm
£10
Universal

Tonight will be hosted by Ishbel MacAskill and features James Graham, Kirsteen MacDonald and Nancy Nicolson.

Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Mon 19 January, 10:30pm
£3.50
Quality Hotel

Get ready for some late-night music!

With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning while witnessing some of the best musical collaborations of the festival.

Master of ceremonies, Gibb Todd returns to present each act on stage and Doris Rougvie hosts The House of Song in a peaceful oasis away from the main stage.

Tuesday 20th January

Iain Anderson in Conversation
Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham
Tue 20 January, 12:30pm
£3.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Folk legends Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham speak about their musical partnership and careers.

Celtic Music Radio 1530AM Live
Gordon Hotchkiss Hotchpotch Afternoon Session
Tue 20 January, 2pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Gordon Hotchkiss presents his show live from the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, featuring all the latest festival news, as well as concert previews and interviews with festival artists.

Danny Kyle’s Open Stage
Tue 20 January, 5pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Sponsored by the Evening Times

Linde Nijland
Tue 20 January, 6pm
£10
City Halls, Recital Room

Flemish singer Linde Nijland, formerly half of harmony duo Ygdrassil, has won high praise for her sensitive interpretations of Sandy Denny’s repertoire, as well as her finely-crafted original material. She’ll be performing with multi-instrumentalist Bert Ridderbos.

Mariza and Na Seòid
Tue 20 January, 7:30pm
£20, £18
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium

In just seven years, Mariza has rocketed from local renown at home in Lisbon to global stardom. With her extraordinary voice and unforgettable live performances, she has transported Portugal’s uniquely soulful fado song tradition out of working-class tavernas onto some of the world’s most illustrious stages, including Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. While faithfully honouring its rich and vibrant history, Mariza has also reintroduced fado to a new generation of listeners, often working with younger musicians and poets. Her acclaimed new album Terra casts the net yet further, incorporating subtle shades of jazz, Latin and African music.

Opening the show – by special request from Mariza herself – will be the all-male Gaelic supergroup Na Seòid (The Heroes). Comprising seven of contemporary Gaeldom’s most accomplished singers and instrumentalists, including several Mòd gold medallists, plus musical director Mary Ann Kennedy, they earned glowing reviews for their self-titled debut album in 2008.

Show of Hands and John Langan
Tue 20 January, 8pm
£12.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite

Officially anointed as today’s Greatest Devonians by popular vote in 2006, Steve Knightley and Phil Beer – aka Show of Hands – are widely acknowledged as England’s premier roots duo. As underlined by their repeated ability to sell out the Albert Hall, they command a remarkably large and devoted following, combining muscular contemporary balladry with equally expert instrumental work.

2008 Danny Kyle Award winner John Langan, a contemporary singer-songwriter whose eclectic style is rooted in traditional Celtic music, opens the show.

Songs of Scotland
Work and Industry
Tue 20 January, 8pm
£10
Universal

Tonight will be hosted by Ishbel MacAskill and features Danny Couper, Janet Weatherston and Margaret Callan.

BBC Scotland TV Special from the Festival
Tue 20 January, 8pm
Free but ticketed
Old Fruitmarket

BBC Scotland will feature some of the top acts appearing at this year’s festival in a special free highlights show from the Old Fruitmarket. This programme will be broadcast at a later date on BBC Two Scotland.

BBC Radio Scotland 92-95FM & 810MW Live Radio Broadcasts
Mary Ann Kennedy’s Global Gathering
Tue 20 January, 8pm
Free but ticketed
BBC Scotland, Pacific Quay

A handpicked selection of festival artists – from both home and abroad – play live in BBC Scotland’s stunning new building. Live on BBC Radio Scotland and hosted by Julie Fowlis.

Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Tue 20 January, 10:30pm
£3.50
Quality Hotel

Get ready for some late-night music!

With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning while witnessing some of the best musical collaborations of the festival.

Master of ceremonies, Gibb Todd returns to present each act on stage and Doris Rougvie hosts The House of Song in a peaceful oasis away from the main stage.

Wednesday 21st January

Iain Anderson in Conversation
Harry Reid and Alf Young
Wed 21 January, 12:30pm
£3.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Journalists Harry Reid and Alf Young discuss print media and politics.

Celtic Music Radio 1530AM Live
Gordon Hotchkiss Hotchpotch Afternoon Session
Wed 21 January, 2pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Gordon Hotchkiss presents his show live from the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, featuring all the latest festival news, as well as concert previews and interviews with festival artists.

Danny Kyle’s Open Stage
Wed 21 January, 5pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Sponsored by the Evening Times

Brian Peters and Mary K. Burke
Wed 21 January, 6pm
£10
City Halls, Recital Room

A leading expert on the great ballad canon collected by Francis James Child in the 19th century, English singer Brian Peters brings this classic material vividly to life, accompanying himself on guitar and variously-sized squeezeboxes. He is joined tonight by Mary K. Burke, an Irish singer-songwriter and whose recent album was released to great acclaim on Greentrax Records.

Classic Album: Richard Thompson — 1000 Years of Popular Music
Wed 21 January, 7:30pm
£22, £20
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium

When asked by a well-known publication, back in 1999, to nominate his favourite songs of the last millennium, Richard Thompson took this request rather literally. While his list never made it into print, it did inspire this unique, unanimously acclaimed musical history-lesson, originally performed at LA’s Getty Museum in 2000, and subsequently released on CD and DVD.

Thompson’s brilliantly idiosyncratic survey of songcraft leads audiences on a journey from the Middle Ages to the 21st century, taking in medieval ballads, Jacobean opera and Victorian music-hall before sampling modern songwriters as diverse as the Beatles, Squeeze, Prince and Abba.

Spanning the centuries with Thompson’s trademark bone-dry wit and astounding guitar mastery, the show features accompaniment from Judith Owen (vocals, piano) and Debra Dobkin (percussion, vocals).

“Only Thompson, surely, could successfully tackle such a daunting, dizzying diversity of songs, simultaneously capturing their individual essence and minting them afresh, all the while making them unmistakably his own.” (Sunday Herald)

Please note that there will be no support act for this performance.

Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet and Leon Hunt and The Special Consensus
Wed 21 January, 7:30pm
£15 (over 14s only, under 16s with an adult)
ABC

Bluegrass and traditional Chinese music may seem an unlikely fusion, except when in the gifted hands of Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet. Singer and banjo player Washburn – last seen at Celtic Connections with Uncle Earl – fell in love with China’s music and culture during her student travels. Banjo legend Béla Fleck, fiddler Casey Driessen and roots/classical cellist Ben Sollee, complete the quartet, drawing on many diverse influences such as jazz, classical and 60s pop.

Schooled by Béla Fleck, the outstanding British banjo player Leon Hunt creates a brilliant fusion of bluegrass, jazz and Celtic influences with special guests.

Chicago-based quartet The Special Consensus remain among the hardest-driving outfits on the bluegrass scene, drawing on gospel, Celtic, swing and Broadway influences.

Brian McNeill and Allan Yn Y Fan
Wed 21 January, 8pm
£12.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite

With 2009 marking the 40th year of his multifaceted career, Brian McNeill has long been a key pillar of traditional and contemporary Scottish music. A hugely compelling performer, both solo and with some of his era’s most influential bands, he is equally influential as a songwriter, composer, producer, teacher, musical director and bandleader. Join him at Celtic Connections, with a host of musical friends made over those first four decades, to see where this great innovator might go next. They include singer of the muckle sangs and bothy ballads of his native Aberdeenshire, Jock Duncan, and Sylvia Barnes, the vocal nucleus of the influential Glasgow band Kentigern, an elite group of female vocalists to sing the with the Battlefield Band.

The vocal/instrumental five-piece Allan Yn Y Fan perform a lively mix of traditional and original material, mostly from their native Wales.

Songs of Scotland
Generations of Change
Wed 21 January, 8pm
£10
Universal

Tonight will be hosted by Ishbel MacAskill and features Jimmy Hutchison, Scott Gardener and Margaret MacLeod.

Lúnasa with Lau
Wed 21 January, 8pm
£16
Old Fruitmarket

Bringing together two of Celtic music’s most formidably accomplished and daringly inventive acts, tonight opens with the Scottish-based trio Lau, whose Best Group title at the 2008 Radio 2 Folk Awards set the latest seal on their justly meteoric progress. Combining superlative traditional musicianship with all the adventurousness of a free-jazz outfit, fiddler Aidan O’Rourke, guitarist/singer Kris Drever and accordionist Martin Green will be previewing new material from their second studio album, due out in March.

Having celebrated their tenth anniversary with 2008’s retrospective compilation The Story So Far…, Lúnasa continue to lead the Irish field with their stunningly virtuosic, all-instrumental sound, which delves deep into the rhythmic heart of traditional tune forms with a verve described by fRoots as “moving, pulsating, and thrilling to the very marrow”. Layering exquisitely-played flute, whistles and uilleann pipes over powerhouse double-bass and guitar grooves, a Lúnasa performance will leave you shaken and stirred.

Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Wed 21 January, 10:30pm
£3.50
Quality Hotel

Get ready for some late-night music!

With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning while witnessing some of the best musical collaborations of the festival.

Master of ceremonies, Gibb Todd returns to present each act on stage and Doris Rougvie hosts The House of Song in a peaceful oasis away from the main stage.

Thursday 22nd January

Iain Anderson in Conversation
Gavin Reid and Owen Dudley Edwards
Thu 22 January, 12:30pm
£3.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Gavin Reid, Director of the BBC SSO and Owen Dudley Edwards, writer, historian and raconteur, discuss the merits of UNESCO Creative Cities.

Celtic Music Radio 1530AM Live
Gordon Hotchkiss Hotchpotch Afternoon Session
Thu 22 January, 2pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Gordon Hotchkiss presents his show live from the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, featuring all the latest festival news, as well as concert previews and interviews with festival artists.

Danny Kyle’s Open Stage
Thu 22 January, 5pm
Free
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Exhibition Hall

Sponsored by the Evening Times

Ceol’s Craic Workshops
Thu 22 January
Free but ticketed
CCA

4 — 6pm: Creative Writing (Gaelic)
6 — 8pm: Puirt-a-Beul (mouth music)

Skerryvore
Thu 22 January, 7:30pm
£12.50 (over 14s only, under 16s with an adult)
Òran Mór

Dubbed the boy-band of Scottish traditional music, Skerryvore’s driving sound fuses bagpipes, accordions and fiddle with kicking guitar, bass and drums. Over the past three years, Skerryvore’s explosive music has seen them touring and performing at festivals worldwide, including Italy and the Netherlands. In 2008 they made their debut in the USA in 2008, accompanying Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond for performances at the Ryder Cup in Kentucky, before blasting their sound to crowds in Chicago. With a highly anticipated 3rd album due for release in 2009, and tours to Canada, Portugal and Spain, catch them now before they get any bigger!

Deaf Shepherd and David Munnelly Band
Thu 22 January, 7:30pm
£15 (over 14s only, under 16s with an adult)
ABC

Approaching their fifteenth anniversary, Deaf Shepherd remain one of Scotland’s most sought-after traditional acts, despite their all too rare live appearances nowadays. Combining the white-knuckle excitement of full-throttle instrumentals with the masterly ballad singing of John Morran, the rest of tonight’s line-up comprises Clare McLaughlin, Jenna Reid (both fiddle), Finlay MacDonald (pipes, whistles), Malcolm Stitt (bouzouki) and Mark Maguire (bodhrán), plus a surprise special guest or two.

By Heck!, the title of the David Munnelly Band’s last album, certainly sums up audience reactions to their uproarious mix of traditional West Mayo wildness with romping swing and ragtime rhythms. Their powerhouse instrumental line-up, led by Munnelly on accordion, is now complemented by the magically dark-hued voice of Shauna Mullin.

Heartstring Sessions: Arty McGlynn & Nollaig Casey with Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman and Bethan Nia
Thu 22 January, 8pm
£12.50
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Strathclyde Suite

Bringing together two of folk music’s most revered duos, the Heartstring Sessions is a long-planned but newly-realised collaboration between Irish fiddler/singer Nollaig Casey, her harpist/singer sister Máire Ní Chathasaigh, and guitarists Arty McGlynn and Chris Newman. Both individually, and in their respective partnerships, all four rank among today’s most influential traditional musicians, each having pioneered new techniques and interpretative approaches, balancing fidelity and innovation with extraordinary virtuosity. Performing a mix of sparkling dance tunes, lyrical slow airs, classic ballads and superb original material – with a dash of bluegrass, rockabilly and ragtime thrown in – this is probably the classiest Celtic string band you’ll ever hear.

Opening the show is Bethan Nia, winner of a Danny Kyle Award in 2008, who has gained recognition as a Celtic harpist and singer who pushes the boundaries of traditional Welsh music.

Emily Smith with Bella Hardy
Thu 22 January, 8pm
£12.50
St Andrew’s in the Square

A delectable double bill featuring Dumfriesshire-born singer Emily Smith, who recently earned glowing reviews for her third album, Too Long Away, with Derbyshire singer/fiddler Bella Hardy, a double nominee in the 2008 Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Songs of Scotland
Protest Songs
Thu 22 January, 8pm
£10
Universal
Protest Songs

Tonight will be hosted by Ishbel MacAskill and features Brian McNeill, David Ferrard and Gillebride MacMillan.

Nick Harper with Duke Special
Thu 22 January, 8pm
£12.50
The Classic Grand

Variously dubbed “the acoustic Hendrix”, “the English Jeff Buckley” and “Dylan for the iPod generation”, latter-day troubadour Nick Harper – son of hippy legend Roy – commands equal devotion among fans for his prolifically articulate songwriting, his fiercely virtuosic guitar work and the exhilarating passion of his live performances.

The music of Belfast singer-songwriter Duke Special weaves between melancholy and melodrama, demi-monde desolation and carnivalesque extravagance, drawing on influences that range from Gershwin-style swing to East European folk. He recently followed up 2006’s multi-platinum-selling Songs from the Deep Forest with the darker-hued, boldly adventurous Never Thought This Day Would Come.

Flight of the Arctic Tern with Iain Anderson & Mark Sheridan
Thu 22 January, 8pm
£12.50
The Tall Ship

The arctic tern migrates farther than any other bird, leaving its breeding grounds in October to migrate to the other end of the world – to the southern pack ice of Antartica and as far as Australia.

Alexander Gunn left his home in Durness in 1854 and found himself en route to Australia, one of the many tens of thousands of Scots who left these shores during the Highland Clearances. These journeys were long and hazardous and often ended in tragedy. 155 years later a letter turns up in Durness addressed to his family descendant, Iain Anderson, postmarked Bendigo, Australia.

This is the story of Alexander’s journey narrated by Iain Anderson, written and composed by Mark Sheridan and performed by Anderson, with Bethany and Jenna Reid (fiddles), Tom Dalzell (soprano saxophone), James Lindsay (bass) and Mark Sheridan (keyboards and percussion).

BBC Radio Scotland 92-95 FM & 810 MW Live Radio Broadcasts
Travelling Folk with Archie Fisher
Thu 22 January, 8pm
Free but ticketed
BBC Scotland, Pacific Quay

Archie Fisher presents a special live show featuring some of the best music from this year’s festival, from BBC Scotland’s new headquarters at Pacific Quay. Live on BBC Radio Scotland.

Ceòl’s Craic
Thu 22 January, 8:30pm
£12.50
CCA

Kathleen MacInnes and Stevie Jackson (Belle & Sebastian) — one of the most talented and unique traditional Gaelic singers of recent years teams up with leading a Glaswegian contemporary musician.

Norrie MacIver and Quest — Puirt-a-Beul (Gaelic mouth music) is seamlessly merged with beat-box in a novel and surprising way.

The Tempus Fugitives — a mixture of North American song-driven country folk-rock with an occasional Gaelic phrasing or two!

Máire Ni Choilm — fantastic Sean-nós singing direct from Ireland.

Asturian Night with Llan de Cubel and Anabel Santiago
Thu 22 January, 9:30pm
£16
Old Fruitmarket

The mountainous northern Spanish region of Asturias, a close cultural cousin to neighbouring Galicia, nonetheless nurtures its own distinct traditions, strongly informed by the Celtic heritage of Europe’s Atlantic seaboard. Those age-old connections with Scotland, in particular, have been vibrantly rekindled in recent decades, not least by the pioneering band Llan de Cubel, without whom no Asturian gathering at Celtic Connections would be complete. Celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2009, the group are justly regarded as godfathers of the current Asturian folk revival, combining carefully-researched traditional material and instrumentation with deft contemporary touches.

Tonight’s other acts include rising star Anabel Santiago, a dazzling young singer in the ancient Asturian style of tonado, a distant relative to flamenco characterised by its intense, powerful delivery. Her most recent album, 2007’s stunning Desnuda, allies her mesmerising voice with specially written songs by her close collaborator Ismael Arias, amidst a bold mesh of influences from tango to country.

Celtic Connections Festival Club hosted by Gibb Todd
Thu 22 January, 10:30pm
£5
Quality Hotel

Get ready for some late-night music!

With food and drink in plentiful supply you can happily keep going into the early hours of the morning while witnessing some of the b