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Fergus McCreadie
With his second album, Cairn, released by leading European label Edition Records and picking up great early feedback (5 stars from Mojo and tipped as one of the jazz albums of 2021 by prominent radio presenters) Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie continues to excite listeners across the UK and Europe. A phenomenal technician, McCreadie has developed a deeply personal style that captures Scotland’s musical traditions and landscapes while honouring his American and Nordic influences. His trio with David Bowden (double bass) and Stephen Henderson (drums) has developed into a formidable, superbly cohesive unit. They won the coveted Peter Whittingham Jazz Prize in 2016, and their debut album, Turas, won Album of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2019 and Best Album at the Scottish Jazz Awards 2019.
Awards
Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2019 - Album of the Year Scottish Jazz Awards 2019 - Best Album Scottish Jazz Awards 2018, 2020 - Best Instrumentalist Peter Whittingham Jazz Award 2016 Guy Jones Prize The Joe Temperley Prize (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) The Linda Trahan Memorial Prize (St Andrews University)
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Geno Thackara's Favorites of 2022
by Geno Thackara
As with most years, the list could have easily been twice as long (and that's still without getting into an especially rich trove of archival discoveries, particularly from Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Esbjörn Svensson and Ahmad Jamal). Still, these are the staples that have just resonated the most. Fergus McCreadie Trio Forest Floor Edition Records This young trio is becoming a one-of-a-kind phenomenon, both in their picturesque blend of jazz with Scottish ...
read moreMatt Carmichael: Marram
by Chris May
The first thing to register, within the opening few bars of Glaswegian tenor saxophonist Matt Carmichael's sophomore album, is how remarkably similar his sound is to that of New York's emerging saxophone colossus Oded Tzur. In an interview with All About Jazz in summer 2022, the Israeli-born Tzur named his primary formative influence as the great Dexter Gordon. Whether Carmichael cut his teeth on Gordon's Blue Note albums of the 1960s is not known, but it sounds well possible. Like ...
read moreGraham Costello's Strata: Second Lives
by Gareth Thompson
A top German physiologist once compared the brain's nerve fibres to a piano's keys, on which our thoughts play or strike. Scottish drummer and composer Graham Costello might relate to this, given how well he writes for the piano, as he explores themes of mental challenges on this second album with his excellent band Strata. How we face inner hurdles to reach the other side preoccupies Costello here, though he also toys with notions of heritage and identity. ...
read moreMatt Carmichael: Where Will The River Flow
by Ian Patterson
Unless it dries up, the river will flow to the sea. A more intriguing question might be: where will the flow take Matt Carmichael? At twenty-one, in his final year at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the tenor saxophonist--a BBC Young Jazz Musician Finalist in 2020--is only starting out on his musical journey. But his assured debut as leader suggests that Carmichael will travel far. These nine originals, which draw heavily on Scottish folk traditions, herald the emergence of an ...
read more3x3: Piano Trios: February 2021
by Geno Thackara
It's a European batch of trios for this month, showing all kinds of local roots and with a fascinating knack for subverting expectations. Fergus McCreadie Cairn Edition Records 2021 Scotland's tourist organization could do a lot worse than hire Fergus McCreadie for a little PR. The Jamestown-born pianist offers a completely irresistible sonic picture of his country on his second recording, full of natural beauty and delightful as the first day of summer. ...
read more“Think Erik Satie running on Islay Malt rather than Absinthe” – The Scotsman