I recently received this CD as a gift from Amanda Peart (thanks Amanda!). It was published by RSCDS Belfast Branch and apparently goes with a dance book of the same name, which I don't have (yet). Just briefly, this is a very nice CD and the kind of rock-solid work you would associate with a seasoned professional like Marian Anderson (with Graham Bell on 2nd box, Isobelle Hodgson on piano and bass, and Max Ketchin on drums). I'm looking forward to using it in my class!
The CD contains 12 tracks – 4 jigs, 3 reels and 5 strathspeys –, and what struck me immediately was that none of the strathspeys are more than 4 times through (there are two 4-times-32 and three 3-times-32 strathspeys) and they are all to slow-air music. Which to be sure is something that Marian and her band handle very well. Many of the tunes are Marian's own compositions and she does write a nice slow air! So if you like that sort of thing you could do a lot worse than getting this CD – but it still feels a little strange to have no traditional 8-by-32 strathspey at all on a SCD CD. Also of course this CD goes with a dance book, and the publishers of the dance book obviously selected the dances and presumably the tunes to go with them, so it isn't Marian's “fault” (if “fault” is even the correct term to use here). The recent apparent trend away from 8-times-through strathspeys is probably something for a different blog post at another time. Anyway, pending the arrival of the After the Rain book I'll keep this CD in mind if I need short(ish) slow-air recordings, and I'll find a good use for the quick-time tracks as well!
As an aside, this is all somewhat late because I wasn't at home when the parcel service arrived to deliver the CD two weeks ago and I had to go and pick it up at the post office, which I almost forgot about for several days (I was too busy with work and other things and it just slipped my mind). Then at the post office I had to pay €1,12 import duty and €6 to DHL for the privilege of being able to pay the other €1,12. Thanks for nothing Brexit!