Semblance of a Whole

Fiddler Envy

We decided kind of at the last minute to go see Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster in concert last night at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. I had heard sometime last week that she'd be in town, but since we're a bit short on cash these days and I'd seen her before (at the Cedar Cultural Center, one of the best, most intimate settings to see folk artists in the Twin Cities, I might add), I thought I'd pass. Then two things happened to change my mind.

Last weekend, we drove out to Madison, Wisconsin to attend a Scottish country dance ball. The featured musician for the dance was Hanneke Cassel, a fantastic young upstart whom I've had the pleasure of hearing at several Scottish country dance events around the country. She did a concert on Friday night, which was outstanding, or as she might say, "wicked awesome." Not only did she whet my appetite for more, she actually plugged MacMaster, who was coming to play in Madison the day before her St. Paul date.

Tuesday morning on my way to work, I was listening to the Morning Show on The Current, when suddenly I heard the opening bars of one of my favorite sets of tunes played by MacMaster. I don't actually know what it's called, but it's a set of jigs from her album Fit as a Fiddle which we use for a fun little dance in my Scottish step dance group. It turned out they had MacMaster in the studio for an interview. All signs seemed to be pointing in the direction of the Fitzgerald Theater.

This concert was quite different from the one I saw several years ago at the Cedar. She had five-piece band accompanying her much of the time, including electric guitars and bass, and a full drum set. Of course, there were traditional instruments, such as bagpipes, but even the piper switched over to some kind of electric bagpipe (looked like just a chanter with a cord coming out of it. Look ma! No bags!) for part of the time. Though she did a few sets of tunes unaccompanied or with just piano, most of the time she went with this huge, rock 'n' roll-infused sound.

My immediate reaction to this innovation was of skepticism and annoyance was that it less "pumped up" than "pimped out." I came to hear some Cape Breton fiddling, after all. But it grew on me and by the end of the evening she had me on my feet along with the rest of the mostly full hall. I am pretty reserved about standing ovations and the like, but this concert really blew me away. To again quote Hanneke (and some Swedes she once entertained), otrolig!

Hopefully, this inspiration will be enough to get me regularly practicing my own fiddle again. People are starting to look askance at me when I describe myself as a beginner and then explain that I have been "playing" (the term is used loosely here) for four years. Violins are definitely not the right instrument for someone who needs instant gratification. *sigh*