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Shetland Fiddler Jenna Reid released her second album ‘Laughing Girl’ on FootStompin records at Coda music on top of the mound in Edinburgh on Saturday. Her new release showcases music and song from Shetland and Scotland featuring Kevin Mackenzie, Bethany Reid, Duncan Lyall, James Thomson, Iain Sandilands and Martin O’Neil. She was joined by Kevin Mackenzie only on Saturday, where they performed a live set in the shop. Jenna Reid has worked with many of the great and the good of the folk scene including Deaf Shepherd, Filska and the Dochas Crew. Hailing from Shetland, Jenna grew up immersed in the islands rich fiddle tradition. At the age of nine, she began to learn the fiddle, and was taught by the late Dr Tom Anderson. When fiddle tuition became available in schools, Jenna studied with the late Willie Hunter and was under his direction until the age of 13; during that time she was a prominent prize-winner in the 'Shetlands Young Fiddler of the Year Competition' and by the age of 14 had won both the intermediate and open sections of this annual competition. Through this success she was subsequently invited to compete in the Glennfiddich Fiddle Competition. Whilst still at school Jenna also took lessons from Trevor Hunter and Margaret Scollay. In addition to playing the fiddle, she also studied classical piano. On leaving school, Jenna went on to study a BA in Traditional Scottish Music at the Royal Academy of Music & Drama in Glasgow. Whilst studying fiddle, she also played piano and piano accordion, as well as being introduced to singing.
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Emily Smith's new album 'Too Long Away' was launched on Saturday at Edinburgh's Coda Music on the Mound to a packed shop floor of folkies eager to hear the follow up to Emily's previous albums 'A Different Life' & 'A Day Like Today'. After a short set with her long time musical partner and co-producer of 'Too Long Away', Jamie McClennan - Emily told the Garden Sessions "I guess I've just come atep further on in terms of my own songwriting, on this album there's five self penned tracks and maybe not in quite as traditional genre, there's maybe a step away from that, but also there are five traditional tracks on there as well. I guess the main difference is that there are no instrumental sets..." 'Too Long Away' was Iain Anderson's 'album of the week' on BBC Radio Scotland, it recieved the same accolade from channel4.com, Emily Smith was also the BBC Young Traditional Musician Of The Year 2002 and was one the Garden Sessions 'songs of the year' 2006 for her rendition of Robert Tannahill's 'Lay Me On the Wintry Lea'. And, some exclusive news for fans of Emily Smith's work on Dr. Freeman's 'Complete Songs Of Robert Tannahill' - after having worked the song into her own live sets, she intends to record her own take on 'Fle We Tae Some Desert Isle' when work begins on her next album. more info at emilysmith.org
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Edinburgh Folk Club held it's annual songwriting competition last week, and as ever, saw a packed house eager to hear the latest offerings from the Edinburgh songwriting circuit. John Haldane's 'Fields Of France' performed by Leslie Hale took the top prize, Haldane told the Garden Sessions "...the sentiments are, while not as blatent, similair to what's going on now - men are serving, and not getting treated as they should." John Barrow, who - on top of his work with the Stoneyport agency, Edinburgh Festival's Acoustic Music Centre and various other folkie ventures - was one of the judges at this year's competition. He told the Garden Sessions "...everyone has a song to sing, the question is - are they brave enough to stand in front of an audience, and that's another story." Bob Knight's 'Twa Hearts Entwined' and Hugh Hoffman's 'DIY Song' took 2nd and 3rd place, whilst the audience made their traditional diversion from the judging panel, picking Anne Renshaw's 'The Slender Tree' as their favourite song of the evening.
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