Alasdair Fraser

Fiddling Around with
Alasdair Fraser
By Kristi Kates 11/2/09

Music is something that can be passed from generation to generation - and it’s also something that can help an individual communicate. Both of these qualities are what master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser found drew him to the instrument, and his musical talents on the fiddle proved to be the skill that would define much of his life.
“My grandfather played, and I took to his fiddle early, as I was inspired and challenged by it,” Fraser explains, “I was also very shy and introverted, and the violin gave me a voice. I think it came fairly naturally to me, and I enjoyed playing.”
Fraser’s playing style on the fiddle is known for being very expressive; he’s been lauded as a “major force” behind renewed interest in Scottish fiddling in both his homeland and the U.S., having landed performance spots on everything stateside from NPR’s Morning Edition, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Thistle and Shamrock to CBS’ Sunday Morning show and The Kennedy Center Honors, at which he helped laud fellow countryman Sean Connery.
He credits his music’s appeal to the fact that he approaches it as more than just music - he feels it’s also a vehicle by which to communicate and find common ground.
“I am interested in the point at which music reaches people,” he says, “I don’t just play the violin - I like to invite people to join me in a journey of discovery, and in so doing I try to be as vulnerable and open as I can be. I love to share not only the music but the potential for a musical gathering to create community and to share in creating something bigger than the sum of its parts.”

ESTEEMED COLLABORATORS
The proficient Fraser has performed with a wide range of famous talent as well, including The Chieftains and Itzhak Perlman, among others - and he considers himself fortunate in being able to participate in these collaborations. But for Fraser, it’s not about celebrity as much as it’s about people who, again, work to communicate through the notes and sounds that the instruments convey.
“The people I want to work with are people who are interested and open enough to have an intense musical conversation and who are available and playful in the moment as well as deeply connected to the music,” Fraser explains, “I have been very fortunate over the years in finding such people; these are some of the great rewards of playing music with others.”
His film soundtrack work - which you’ve most likely heard without even knowing it - is another source of kudos for Fraser, who’s worked with some of the best. His latest film music project even references one of the legends of his homeland.
“I love soundtrack work,” he enthuses, “there are extremely talented people working in this field – like James Horner, with whom I did Titanic, and James Newton Howard, with whom I did Wyatt Earp and Treasure Planet. I have also just completed work on a wonderful Canadian film called Stone of Destiny – a great heist movie. The story dramatizes a very famous Scottish incident in the 1950s when a bunch of students decided to take back the famous Stone of Destiny on which the Scottish Kings were crowned for centuries, and which had been taken and kept in Westminster Abbey in London, England. The movie was very near and dear to my heart.”

FUTURE PLANS
Now in the planning stages for his next CD, Fraser suggests that his latest music will likely welcome a few guests, as well as some surprisingly Spanish influences, as he’s just returned from a fiddle and music camp that he founded in Spain.
“The camp is called Crisol de Cuerda - Crucible of Strings,” he explains, “it was a great success, and I feel very inspired. I am intrigued by the commonality of the struggle of the various regions of Spain to find cultural identity and that of my own Scottish journey.”
Touring continues to be on Fraser’s schedule; his current slate of U.S. live shows this fall will take him through Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, and Washington state, in addition to his Northern Michigan show this November. Not one to wait around, the in-demand Fraser actually already has dates booked into July 2010.
“We tour a lot, and we love it,” Fraser says, “we meet lots of great folk, and we love performing together. I look forward to sharing some of the joy and depth of the music we play, and I look forward to returning to Michigan.”

Alasdair Fraser performs Thursday, November 5 at the Interlochen Center for the Arts; tickets and details at 800-681-5920. More info on Fraser’s music may also be found online at www.alasdairfraser.com.
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