Search - Ashley MacIsaac :: Fiddle Music 101 (Import)

Fantastic Unplugged & (Mostly) Seated Folk Fiddler

Peter Walenta | Long Island, New York | 05/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kick up your feet, knock over your chair and dance a jig or two or three. Immensely talented Cape Breton, Nova Scotia fiddler, Ashley MacIsaac as a young man, deservedly earned himself a checkered bad-boy reputation for playing highly energetic punk influenced fiddle jams in the Cape Breton style that were often overshadowed by his erratic and often bizarre stage antics. Having seen Mr. MacIsaac live, I can attest to his unpredictable behavior as I watched him perform an extended medley of fiddle reels and jigs punctuated by some improvised rocking and jazzy fiddle riffs that lasted well over 28 minutes only to witness him kick over his chair after a few of his fiddle strings broke and promptly stomp off stage...and not return for an encore or even to take a bow with his hard working band for the stunningly beautiful and lively fiddling that he had just performed.



Ah, but that was August 2000 and now ten years later, as I was rummaging through my record collection to play some music I hadn't heard in awhile, I stumbled across Ashley's "Fiddle 101, Special Edition" by MacIsaac & MacIsaac, (Linus/Factor, c.2000, 2004, total running time 38:55). Originally released in 2000, "Fiddle 101" is just Ashley and acoustic guitarist David MacIsaac playing ten traditional but very complex instrumental songs that nicely showcase MacIsaac's phenomenal technical mastery of his fiddle. Apparently recorded all in one take in one day with no pre-rehearsals or over dubs, this is fluidly melodic folk dance music that you might hear if you walked into a pub in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This record was independently released by MacIsaac shortly after he had left A&M Records. It obviously wasn't promoted well, as I ended up buying his more commercially accessible record "Hi How Are You Today?" after the 2000 concert. The Canadian Linus label reissued "Fiddle 101" in 2004 with the subtitle "Special Edition". I'm not sure why it was called a special edition, as the same songs sequenced on the 2000 release are contained on the 2004 re-issue. No matter, do check this one out, as stripped of all the hype, bad reputation and poor marketing, "Fiddle 101 Special Edition" is one of the best Scottish influenced traditional Cape Breton fiddle records you're likely to hear this year or anytime, as it features one of Canada's best fiddlers doing what he does best albeit sounding more relaxed than his frenetic stage shows but still coming across quite lively and with lot's of drive."