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March 23, 2007
Fraser on new ground: Cape Breton
fiddler enters into jazz territory on latest CD
By Stephen Pedersen, Halifax Herald
Twenty-four-year-old Cape Breton fiddler Kimberley Fraser’s
second CD, Falling on New Ground, might well have been
called "breaking new ground."
It follows
the conventions of many such fiddle CDs in having 11 sets of
tunes. But the grouping of tunes within those sets contains
some surprisingly fresh ideas, and the transitions between
tunes are given a shot of musical adrenalin from piano
players like Troy MacGillivray and Stephanie Wills, and
especially Tracey Dares MacNeil, by way of unexpected and
occasionally startling changes of harmony.
Two solo
piano tracks provide a change of pace and a freshening of
the musical ambience. Sheumas MacNeil plays an affecting air
called Aberdeen (written by Fran Gray), and Fraser herself
switches to piano to play The Braes O’Auchtertyre, a
traditional air, arranged by St. F.X. jazz piano teacher
Dave Restivo and herself, which skirts the grittier harmonic
territory of jazz.
And maybe
that is one aspect of the future for this accomplished
player whose tone is rich and full, whose fingers are
fluent, and whose sense of style is derived, as are all good
fiddle styles, from the toes of dancers.
Speaking
from her home in SydneyMines, Fraser said: "What makes me
excited about the fiddling tradition here is that it is more
than 200 years old — and you can still hear that in a lot of
the styles (of current players).
"The piano
accompaniments here are unique because of the chord
structures, a lot of jazz influence, a lot of very chromatic
bass lines, and a lot of chord substitution and very complex
rhythms.
"In jigs,
for example, the piano rhythm mimics step-dancing. It really
lifts up the music."
Fraser has
often played at ceilidhs and kitchen parties and dances in
Cape Breton, Europe and the U.S., but not yet in
Halifax/Dartmouth. Friday night from 9 to 1 p.m. she plays
for the Cape Breton Club Dance at the Shriners’ Hall on
Connolly Street, Halifax. Allen Dewar from Antigonish will
accompany her on piano.
Fraser
graduated from St. F.X. in 2005 with an honours degree in
Celtic Studies and a minor in Jazz. "I never went in with
the intention of becoming a jazz musician," she explained.
"But jazz players have so much skill. I was never good at
improvisation, but I thought it was a skill I should have."
Fraser
will enter Berklee College of Music in Boston in the fall to
extend her understanding of jazz. Jazz, she says, is a good
way to learn music theory of the kind she wants for her
career as a Cape Breton fiddler.
Growing up
just a few doors down from the Barra MacNeils in Sydney
Mines proved a big advantage for Fraser. She began fiddle
lessons with Kyle MacNeil and learned step-dancing from his
mother.
"When Kyle
got so busy with the Barra MacNeils I went to Dan MacDonald
in North Sydney and studied classical violin. I enjoyed the
technique but it was never something — at the age of 10 — I
willingly wanted to practise. I think (classical) can make
me a better player. In Berklee I would like to play in an
ensemble."
The
training, supplemented by competition at Kiwanis festivals,
gave her enough classical technique, she said, to be able to
play most J. F. Skinner tunes. On her CD she tears through
Skinner’s Tullochgorm variations with a brilliant flair. She
also makes a meal of Irish icon The Mason’s Apron (with
variations) in a set of tunes she plays with Danish fiddler
Harald Haugaard and guitarist Morten Alfred Hoirup — two
players she teamed up with during a Celtic Colours
after-hours party.
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Above photo:
Margaree (by Victor Maurice Faubert)
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Kimberley Fraser: