Last night Susan MacLean came in to fill in for Marion Dewar on piano, joining Jennifer Bowman for the first time in a few years. A happy reunion! Jennifer and Susan played many Baddeck Ceilidhs together over the years, but haven't had the opportunity recently.
Susan's experience chording for many in her family, including her grandfather, Michael Anthony MacLean, and her uncles Carl and Hector MacKenzie and many many others, have given her a broad knowledge of the tradition and has armed her to sit ready, full of music, with any fiddler who finds themself in her company. Her sensitive style and solid timing provide a great support and foundation for the fiddler, and her humility allow the music to shine in its own natural beauty and worth, without flash or flaunt.
Two bright faces in the crowd turned out to be two very talented young people: sister and brother, Elizabeth and Ben Anderson, aged 15 and 11 respectively. Elizabeth and Ben were visiting Nova Scotia with their parents from Westborough, Massachusetts. Both violinists, they are regular attendees at the Boston Harbor Fiddle School, and are learning the Scottish fiddle style as well as becoming accomplished in their classical music studies. They played a medley together for the crowd, including Cape Breton tunes Dusky Meadow and Mortgage Burn, the first of which is purported to have been composed by Donald MacLellan, and the latter by local pianist Gordon MacLean. Susan accompanied them.
Also in the crowd were a couple from Dublin, Ireland, and the lady sang us a humorous song in Irish Gaelic, An Poc Ar Buile, about a cranky billy goat.
Go raibh maith agat as d'amhráin, a Bhean Uasal!
See you at the ceilidh!
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