Comparisons aren’t always fair to musicians. But it’s the only way I can think of to explain the Scottish harper Catriona McKay. If the Swiss New Age harpist Andreas Vollenweider and the Indie rock guitarist Kaki King were to have produced a love child … ah, but that doesn’t really quite work, either.
And it’s weirding me out.
Catriona McKay is pretty much her own baby.
I don’t play Celtic harp, but I know enough harpers to say … some of you might not like her latest offering, “Starfish.” It’s not the pure traditional stuff. Nothing like it, actually. Like the harper itself, most of this recording (from Compass) is hard to classify. Part jazz, part Celtic …part all kinds of things. However, the whole of this lithe and lively little recording—just 10 tunes—is greater than the sum of its parts. You’ll wonder how two hands can produce such lush, complex and original sounds and rhythmic patterns, all served up with astonishing clarity. One explanation is that she’s playing a Franken-harp of her own creation. You harpers will recognize that it has some really weird tuning. But the more meaningful explanation is that Catriona McKay is just that scarily good, with some truly dazzling left-hand work on the faster numbers, including the title track, the jazzy “Greenman,” and a wild set of tunes called “Lums O’Lund.”
Oh yes, she can play the fast stuff. But she also plays the slower pieces with extraordinary feeling.
A particular favorite is a gorgeous piece with the inscrutable title, “Swan Lk243.” (Harp teacher alert: Your kids will want to learn it.) McKay performed the piece as part of the BBC series, “Transatlantic Sessions.” She is backed up by the great Jerry Douglas on dobro and Scottish fiddler Aly Bain. If this doesn’t melt your heart, you probably don’t have one. Here it is on YouTube.
McKay has some very able backing on “Starfish,” including Fionan De Barra (guitar), Alistair MacDonald (fiddle, guitar and strings), Séamus Egan (nylon guitar), Donald Grant (fiddle), and Matt Baker (double bass). The Red Skies string ensemble also figures prominently. The pairing of McKay with Egan on “Aval Moon” is especially lovely.
You can hear a sneak preview on McKay’s MySpace page.
Then, run right out and buy this one.
