ALICE ALLEN
Bass Culture - Live at Celtic Connections 2024

Having some knowledge of the cello virtuoso’s varied musical outings, from her Strathspey Queens duo with Patsy Reid to her guesting with notorious bon viveurs and Indie darlings, The Libertines, your intrepid reviewer did not know what to expect from this CD. Recorded live at Celtic Connections with an 8-piece band, after a mere 1 day of rehearsal, the 9 tracks, all but one written by Alice are a testament to the exceptional talent she has gathered around her, and which the music deserves.

While track 1 gives an introduction to the level of musicality within her ensemble, not least through giving the cello a chance to shine, the following near 9 minutes of Madeline Rose is an extended, exuberant and joyous version of a single previously released with her trio ‘Lyre’, the additional instrumentation giving it an impetus and drive that is wonderful to experience. The power that the nonet offer gives a depth to the experience that makes one hanker after having been there for the original performance, though the recording quality of the event is of the highest order.

Having chosen the CD as an accompaniment to a long drive, the first run through begged an immediate second listen, which was enjoyed every bit as much as the first, the repeated listening meant that a 2 hour stint was considerably less of an imposition than it may otherwise have been.

There is a broad cinematic feel to several of the tracks, they have a blockbuster feel to them and the interplay and shifting of the instruments generated sufficient interest that even my prog rock loving companion was moved to positive commentary.

For a performance that happily straddles the folk/classical worlds, it came as a hugely unexpected yet pleasant surprise to discover that the overall takeaway feel of the album is one of deep grooviness. That is, until the illuminating sleeve notes revealed that Alice is herself a devotee of the groove, not just in terms of its modern application, but also in uncovering the contribution of the cello to the danceability inherent in historical tunes, a subject that is only recently become a topic exciting historians and devotees of traditional Scottish music and has given rise to Alice’s musical passion as well as generating a title for the album. Her composition, ‘Fury Of A Stag’ pays homage to her experiences mixing classical performance with Ibiza style rave rhythm and feel. Anyone listening not driven to at least approximating a dance would surely require the application of a defibrillator.

The degree to which Alice is rooted in tradition as a base for her experimentation and exploration is demonstrated by the final track, William Marshall’s reel ‘Strathbogie Toast’, revelling in what she refers to as a ‘banging bassline’ and you can only wonder whether audiences of the 18th Century would embrace the very 21st Century reprise.

Expectations confounded, grooviness experienced, musical soul delighted – an hour of anyone’s time very well spent!

Bass Culture

Bass Culture - Live at Celtic Connections 2024

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