Vincular

Over the last decade, Scottish fiddle, piano and guitar player Ron has become something of a go-to accompanist and arranger, as well as working as a duo with Rachel Hair and as part of the Scott Wood Band. Although Vincular is indisputably his solo project, its premise from the outset, he insists, “was to create a record coordinated, arranged and drawn together from the viewpoint of an accompanist.”

Throughout its mixture of traditional, contemporary and self-written pieces, he's joined by several of the artists he's worked with before, including step-dancer Joy Dunlop on a spirited set of strathspeys and reels dubbed ‘From the East’, which makes for quite a one-two punch after the muscular Celtic rock of opener ‘Trouble’. It's not all quite so furious, though, with a couple of the quieter tracks ‘Mairead Nan Cuiread’ and decidedly radio-friendly closer ‘A Place Called Home’ featuring vocals from Ainsley Hamill. Other notable guests on a well-balanced set that can be either fiery or delicate include his Scott Wood Band pals Mhairi Mackinnon on fiddle and Mark Scobbie on drums, plus the Red Hot Chili Piper himself Scott Wood on bagpipes and whistle.