BLAS PREVIEW: Chloe Bryce turns to The Summer Walkers to inspire this year's commission music piece premiering on Friday (September 2)
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When young Highland fiddle-player and composer Chloe Bryce spoke a couple of weeks ago about The Summer Walkers – a new piece centred on the lives and stories of the Gaelic-speaking travellers of Sutherland and Ross-shire – she was just writing final small parts of music for it.
It is quite a tall order to fulfill both the honour and the test of completing a new piece of work in time for the Blas Festival which launches on Friday (Sept 2) and which chose Chloe’s proposal to commission as a centrepiece this year.
But Chloe sounds excited as well as admitting she is a little bit nervous.
The premiere will be at the Carnegie Hall, Clashmore, on Friday (Sept 2) in the presence of one of the people who has been most important in helping Chloe find out all she needed to know to complete her work.
Essie Stewart, one of the travelling people of East Sutherland and East Ross-shire – who used to travel across the north tinsmithing, horse-trading and telling stories – are at the centre of Chloe’s work. And Essie is being treated to a celebration night by Blas as she is 80 this year.
The Summer Walkers will be premiered that night, before being performed in Plockton, Roybridge and Nairn (dates below).
Mostly The Summer Walkers is composed of Chloe’s new music which has also drawn on a few old melodies and some Gaelic songs.
Chloe spoke about how she went about writing the piece: “I have taken a couple of old melodies that are woven in, but the vast majority is brand new for this project.
“There are a couple of things that gave me a little bit of a framework – the piper Brighde Chaimbeul is playing these gigs. She is an old friend and I am chuffed to have her. She plays C pipes that is quite an unusual key that is not so traditional.
“Writing for pipes is not restricting, but limiting in a way, with the keys the pipes can play, so I started there.”
But where did the melodies come from?
Chloe explained: “For me, it is playing about and improvising with melody, I don’t very often write 'This is what I want to write in this key’, and set out to write like that, maybe occasionally.
“At this stage of the writing there are a couple of little gaps to fill and I know exactly what I need for that.
“But generally it would start with me playing about on my fiddle and letting myself wander through melodies and see what comes to mind.
“It takes time. If you go down a rabbit hole with one melody and think ‘I’m not sure about that, actually’, but occasionally little gems come out, I suppose.
“But it is a lot of figuring out and it is a time-consuming process!”
Before the opportunity for the Blas commission came up, Chloe from Tain says she had been exploring music from her home region.
She said: “I have been spending time reconnecting with the music of my own area, the stories and the tradition-bearers.
“I do feel with the West Coast, the Western Isles and the Hebrides, that they are maybe better at celebrating their culture, whereas quite often Gaelic-speaking and music in East Sutherland and Ross-shire – we are more quiet about it.
“When I grew up I had amazing opportunities playing in Gizzen Briggs [a traditional music line-up based in Tain Royal Academy] so we were out playing in the community and I was out singing at Mods.
“But I didn’t really feel connected to people in the generation above me and the generation above that who were embedded in the community and who had the stories.
“I just feel there was a disconnect in terms of that kind of passing down of culture, so I’ve been interested in connecting for the first time with people who are close to home, who have these stories and this culture and this knowledge.
“Looking for older recordings from my area, I first came across Ailidh Dall [also known as Alec Stewart] who Hamish Henderson regarded as the best storyteller on the mainland – and was recorded extensively by Hamish Henderson.
“When the Blas commission came up – and knowing it was Scotland’s year of stories – I thought it was a good opportunity to look into this, the stories of the Travellers, more, and to write some music based on their lives. It just captured my attention.
“I have also been reading The Summer Walkers book by Timothy Neat. It’s so well done and it really feels it is from the perspective of the Traveller people themselves.
“I was in Glasgow through the lockdown and I just missed home a lot, I missed the landscapes of home. And seeing the placenames that were so well-known to me and hearing about the landscape was great – and they were so connected to the landscape, obviously, because they were out in the wilds for six months of the year.
“This commission kind of covers all the areas that Blas asked for in their proposals, actually.”
Chloe admits, modestly, that she wasn’t sure whether her Summer Walkers proposal for the Blas commission could be successful.
“I know they get quite a lot of interest for their commissions and, to be honest, musicians in the past have been quite high-profile and I just feel I’m at the beginning of my career, I guess!
“In the past it has been Kim Carnie – Kim did the last one, I think, Mischa Macpherson did the one before and Mike Vass has also done one as well.
“So I wasn’t sure, but it just felt like such a good opportunity for me to do this project and luckily Blas were really keen to go with it!”
The piece will also feature extracts from archive recordings of prominent figures from the Travellers’ community.
The musicians joining Chloe for the performances of The Summer Walkers – apart from previously-mentioned piper Brighde Chaimbeul – are: Alastair Ian Paterson – the piano-player will also be playing harmonium. Alastair also plays with Mischa Macpherson and teaches at RCS (the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland).
Juliette Lemoine – a cellist, with folk, classical and jazz influences, and who studied with Chloe at RCS. Juliette has been recording her debut album.
Innes White – will be on guitar for some the performances, others will have guitar from Gillie O’Flaherty studying at RCS, a Highlander from Ullapool
Chloe explained: “There are so many areas of traveller life, so in my proposal I had initially said the music was inspired by the stories Ailidh Dall [Alec Stewart, also known as Blind Sandy] who was Essie’s grandfather and the travelling community told themselves.
“But looking into their lives, the people are so interesting – and their lifestyle. They had so many stories of their own, that the music is inspired broadly by everything – the routes they took, the places they visited, their way of life, the stories they told, the songs they sang,
“So the piece follows the route they took. For the summer walkers, tin-smithing was their main trade and horse trading.
"Many of the other Travellers across Sutherland and Ross-shire did pearl fishing.
"They dotted about from place to place, where the tin-smithing had this route they took when they would visit clients, and friends and people in the community.
“These travelling people were so welcome in these communities. People were delighted to see them and wherever they went they were welcomed and people would come and visit their tents and Essie speaks so fondly of the communities they visited.
“I just think that is so much in contrast with the way we view Travellers now.
"I just think it is so beautiful, that culture of welcoming one another and having time to sit down and listening to stories - really were valued members of the community.”
Chloe Bryce’s Summer Walkers Blas Commission will premiere at Carnegie Hall, Clashmore, Dornoch, on Friday, September 2 at 7.30pm Hall, as part of celebration event Essie Stewart At 80; Roybridge Memorial Hall on Saturday, September 3 at 7.30pm; Plockton High School on Monday, September 5; Nairn Community and Arts Centre on Tuesday, September 6 at 7.30pm. Check the Blas website to find out the different support artists each night. There is also a workshop on September 10 at 3.30pm via Zoom, where Chloe will be teaching her tunes from The Summer Walkers, presented in English but with “plenty of Gaelic” and all instruments welcome. All details: www.blas.scot
More info on the Blas Festival and line-up:
The Highlands & Islands will see a flurry of musical and cultural activity from Friday (September 2) until Saturday, September 10 as the Blas Festival hits the road for the 18th year, visiting village halls and concert venues across the region, as well as an extensive online programme of events.
Musicians and singers including Norrie MacIver, Rachel Walker, Gillebrìde MacMillan, Mànran, Mary Ann Kennedy, Kim Carnie, Paul McKenna and Sian will take to the stage in venues from Stornoway to Ballachulish as the Blas Festival returns with its annual celebration of Gaelic music and culture.
Highlights include Staran, a formidable collection of some of Scotland’s most sought after artists, who will play at the impressive Dornoch Cathedral on Sunday, September 4; Shinty aficionados, Gary Innes and Hugh Dan MacLennan, will be at the Highland Cinema, Fort William on Friday, September 9 to celebrate 100 years of the West Highland Museum, home to important shinty artefacts, with stories, songs and craic; and Julie Fowlis, Anna Murray, Christine Primrose, Catriona Macdonald, Allan Macdonald, Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and many more will join forces with singer and tradition bearer, Mary Smith, to celebrate her 80th birthday in style at An Lanntair in Stornoway on the final night of the festival, Saturday, September 10.
Nine of the concerts will also be livestreamed including Essie Stewart @ 80 and Chloë Bryce’s commission, The Summer Walkers; Tomhas, a new collection of Gaelic songs by Calum Munro performed by Kim Carnie and Norrie MacIver; Capercaillie’s Charlie McKerron with his Badenoch Suite; and A’ cuir seinn ri seanchas featuring Allan Henderson, Margaret Stewart and others.
On the final night of the festival, Welsh youth group, AVANC, will be joined by Cèilidh Trails from across Scotland.
These livestreamed events can also be booked via the Blas website – www.blas.scot
With 43 concerts and cèilidhs taking place in venues across the Highlands & Islands, there is also a full programme of online workshops and livestreamed events, for all members of the family. The youngest members of the family, age three to six, will be able to take part in Action Songs with singer Clare Frances MacNeil (in Gaelic & English) on Saturday, September 3; on Monday, September 5, Skipinnish front man, Norrie MacIver, will be teaching favourite Runrig songs; Dàimh piper, Angus Mackenzie, will lead an adults workshop, teaching tunes from the new Coigach & Assynt Collection on the 10th September; a children’s Puirt a Beul workshop with Mànran singer, Kim Carnie, also takes place on the September 10 as well as an opportunity to learn some of the music from Chloë Bryce’s commission, The Summer Walkers.
All of the workshops are taking place online and are free of charge, but must be booked on the Blas website.
In addition, Fèisean nan Gàidheal has organised music sessions and drama performances in Highland primary schools.
Blas, which means ‘taste’ or ‘sample is organised by Fèisean nan Gàidheal in partnership with Highland Council with funding from Creative Scotland, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund.
Councillor Calum Munro, chair of the Highland Council Gaelic Committee said: “The council is delighted that the Blas Festival is returning in full swing, after the pandemic restrictions.
"The online programme is extremely exciting as it includes many events which will be live-streamed, workshops, and Gaelic song sessions.
"A number of the events will be taking place in halls and centres across the Highlands from Kilmuir to Boat of Garten.
“It will be great to see so many talented musicians and artists performing live in venues and also virtually.
"I hope the performers receive warm greetings from audiences from both across the Highlands and internationally, I also look forward to seeing some of you at the festival.”
Shona MacLennan, Ceannard, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said: “The Blàs Festival is a highlight of the Gaelic year and this year’s programme demonstrates the range and quality of musicians and artists working in Gaelic.
"We recognise the importance of Gaelic song and music in attracting people to the language and to increasing the use of Gaelic through enjoyable events, and the contribution that these make to people’s wellbeing after the challenges of COVID-19.
“Fèisean nan Gàidheal is to be congratulated for organising such an attractive programme and for creating opportunities to participate in a packed programme.”
The full programme of events can be found at www.blas.scotalong with details of how to buy tickets.
