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Author Topic: Who was best After Jimmy Shand  (Read 4927 times)

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Fungusface

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Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« on: September 26, 2009, 12:31:58 PM »

Many say Jimmy was best but who was after he died,
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graememackay

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2009, 12:43:39 PM »

All depends on style etc.  If you were looking for a strict Scottish Dance Band sound, let by a button box, Bruce Lindsay & Ian Cruickshanks are level pegging.

Sandy Linsday is pretty handy on the continental stuff.  Norman Mackay is very good at twiddly stuff, Robert Nairn is good at pipe music, Brandon McPhee is an up and coming player from Caithness & a contender very soon.

I like to think I can play a tune or 2 too (at risk of blowing my trumpet here)
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HallelujahAl

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2009, 01:36:20 PM »

I agree very much with Graeme, though unlike him I'm no expert. I really like Ian Cruikshanks style of playing (DRUMKILBO of this forum) - he's a superb craftsman on the button box, I would love to emulate his technique as it all appears so simple and self-restrained, gives one the appearance and sound of ease. I've a number of his CD's and they are a permanent feature on my mp3 player.  I was also incredibly impressed with Sandy Lindsay at the Button Box Gathering in Aviemore last week, did things on an Italian button box I never thought possible. And obviously our own Graeme Mackay is up there in a small group of extremely talented and fine button box players.
AL
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sCANdanADIAN

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2009, 03:46:17 PM »

Many would say that Will Starr was best until his death.Will died much too young and was still in top form just weeks before he succumbed to cancer.Unfortunately those great video clips of him have been removed.
 
I love these recordings http://www.raretunes.org/performers/will-starr/
 
Chris
« Last Edit: September 26, 2009, 09:56:45 PM by sCANdanADIAN »
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HallelujahAl

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2009, 04:55:12 PM »

Quote
Many would say that Will Starr was best until he died.Will died much too young and was still in top form just weeks before he succumbed to cancer.Unfortunately those great video clips of him have been removed.

Chris
Agreed Chris - even Sir Jimmy used to call Will Starr the 'King' on the BB.
AL
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DRUMKILBO

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2009, 08:20:04 PM »

You're bringing back memories for me Chris [SCANDANADIAN]
My Dad and I went to see Will Starr in Kirkcaldy in August 1975, unfortunately he was too ill to perform so I never saw him live and only once or twice on TV. Tho' I'm an out and out Shand fan I was just as much a fan of Starr and indeed of all the great button box players on the Scottish scene, Jimmy Blue, Fraser McGlynn,Bill Powrie and many more including young Mackay of this forum, as one who took the direction of the strict tempo dance stuff to provide my bread and butter, I can only marvel at his ability at such an early age.I've worked with quite a few who worked with and knew Will Starr  and they all admired him as a gentleman as well as an outstanding player.Shand and Starr basically pursued 2 different careers with the same instrument, Shand as the Victor Sylvester of the Scottish Dance world  and Starr as the dazzling solo performer. I totally agree with Al about young Sandy Lindsay and his abilities as well, he just seems able to play anything perfectly as does Bruce Lindsay. But for me the main man in the scene here is Ian Holmes from Dumfries, plays 5 row mainly now but also Shand Morino, various melodeons, Orgeli, Steirischer etc and occasionally back to PA and so distinctive on that as well. I saw him locally a few weeks ago and tho' in his early '70s he seems to be playing as well as ever.
Ian.
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Stiamh

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2009, 09:26:32 PM »

And thank you Chris from me, for a different reason. Your link to Will Starr's page has shed some light on a long-standing mystery for me (see http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,1461.0.html)

Graeme

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2009, 05:05:44 PM »

All depends on style etc.  If you were looking for a strict Scottish Dance Band sound, let by a button box, Bruce Lindsay & Ian Cruickshanks are level pegging.

Sandy Linsday is pretty handy on the continental stuff.  Norman Mackay is very good at twiddly stuff, Robert Nairn is good at pipe music, Brandon McPhee is an up and coming player from Caithness & a contender very soon.

I like to think I can play a tune or 2 too (at risk of blowing my trumpet here)


Dare I mention the west coast stalwart Fergie MacDonald who I believe has given Robert Nairn some tuition over the years? I know he now mostly plays his two row but he can still do a bit of damage on the three row. Young John MacDonald (two and a half row BC) is no slouch either. During one episode of Phil Cunningham's series "Scotland's Music" there was a comparison between east coast (portrayed as more strict tempo) and west coast (portrayed as more ceilidh sound) without there being a right or wrong, more whatever floats your boat.

Graeme
« Last Edit: September 28, 2009, 05:10:33 PM by Graeme »
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HallelujahAl

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2009, 05:12:29 PM »

Yes undoubtedly Fergie's a great player - though I seem to remember that he rated his good friend Iain McLachlan over himself on the Shand Morino.
Coming up with some names aren't we?
 ;D
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Graeme

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2009, 05:36:17 PM »

Yes undoubtedly Fergus's a great player - though I seem to remember that he rated his good friend Iain McLaughlin over himself on the Sh and Morin.
Coming up with some names aren't we?
 ;D

Your quite correct Al. Fergie held (and still holds) Iain McLachlan in high esteem, but not being one to give too much away Fergie qualified this as seeing Iain as the best guy around for marches (and the Dark Island of course)  whereas Fergie sees himself as the main man for jigs, reels and anything else played at speed. How about throwing the man from Tobermory's name in too, another guy Fergie rated, Bobby MacLeod (who was also a dab hand on the pipes).

Graeme
« Last Edit: September 29, 2009, 07:40:41 PM by Graeme »
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DRUMKILBO

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2009, 06:31:52 PM »

and of course the Great McLeod from Tobermory started off on the melodeon !
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Graeme

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #11 on: October 01, 2009, 12:14:08 PM »

and of course the Great McLeod from Tobermory started off on the melodeon !

Am I mistaken in thinking that Bobby MacLeod played BCC# or did he end up playing the CBA?

Graeme
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DRUMKILBO

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2009, 01:08:11 PM »

Bobby McLeod started on the melodeon, I think through hearing William Hannah live in Tobermory, and then dare I say, progressed, onto the PA, and thank goodness he did as he rapidly became a trailblazing creative dance band leader recording 78s in the fifties which are still outstanding today. Bobby then went onto the 5 row continental chromatic in the late 50s and there is a bit of footage on You Tube  Bobby and his band playing on the White Heather Club. He stuck with the 5 row making a comeback in the 70s then went back to the PA in the early 80s. This is when I knew him as the fiddler that I played with at that time was Jimmy Ritchie who played with McLeod on those great 78s, I'm proud to say that the Great McLeod sat in and played 2nd box with me and Jimmy one night.
Bobby went back to the 5 row and his last album " Simply Solo" was just him and the 5 row played acoustically.
And of course he played the pipes at one time.
Ian
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Graeme

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Re: Who was best After Jimmy Shand
« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2009, 04:54:51 PM »

Thanks for that Ian. I had one of Bobby's LP's on last night and, grand sound as it was, it just didn't have the BCC# sound. You have indeed been lucky! Quite a memory to have.

Graeme
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