Kōterana
by Iain Fraser
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumCD comes in a 6 panel full colour sleeve with 12 page booklet insert. Front and back cover images are of Achmelvich and Waipu beaches.
Includes digital pre-order of Kōterana. You get 3 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.shipping out on or around April 14, 2023£12 GBP or more
You own this
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Digital Album
Streaming + DownloadPre-order of Kōterana. You get 3 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
When the Rev. Norman McLeod set sail from Ullapool heading to Cape Breton in 1817, he couldn’t have known that he would end his long life in New Zealand having led one of the nineteenth century’s largest privately organised emigrations. I came across his story while visiting the town of Waipu on New Zealand’s north island and was struck not only by the scale of the endeavour but also by the commitment of this Gaelic speaking community of some 800 people. They had already spent 33 years in Cape Breton when they invested immense time and money building 6 ships to follow McLeod to New Zealand. The full story of the journey and the eventual settlement of the community in Waipu is full of adventure and some tragedy. For me, seeing the objects and artefacts that came with them such as a pair of moccasins, or a Gaelic Hymn book, left a lasting impression and a thirst to learn more about the people, their lives and their culture.
The 150th anniversary of the death of McLeod was reached in 2016 and I started work on a new piece of music inspired by the story and the sense of place evoked by each of the main communities and countries he and his congregation lived in. Working with the Auckland Scottish Fiddle Club, we performed this new piece, named Kōterana, in Waipu in December 2016 and in 2018 it was also performed at the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in Aberdeen, in partnership with the Scottish Culture and Traditions organisation. Fast forward to now, and thanks to some very welcome financial support from Creative Scotland, I’ve been able to extend the original piece and record it with an amazing group of musicians based here in Scotland as well as in Canada and New Zealand. ... morePurchasable with gift card
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Chagair, Chagair, Chagair a' Ghruagach
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McLeod's Sextant
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The Sunday Gathering
02:27
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Sandy Cameron/My Brother's Letter
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From Capes Breton to Good Hope
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The Gazelle
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Canvas Town
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Litir bho Iain MacGillìosa á New Zealand
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Aotearoa/Reel of the Flying Fish
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about
The McLeod Story in Summary
Norman McLeod was disaffected by the Church in Scotland and left, sailing from Ullapool to Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1817. After 3 years, he moved to St Ann’s and built a large congregation over a period of 30 years. By many reports, he was a man who was both respected and feared and some commentators draw a comparison with a typical clan chief of the time. He grew increasingly disappointed by what he saw as liberal tendencies moving into the area and, having received word from one of his sons that the prospects in Australia or New Zealand might be more suitable for his congregation, he suggested to them that they should move to a new land en masse. Ships were built and they set sail from St Ann’s in 1851, arriving in Adelaide after spending 164 days at sea. Unfortunately, their arrival in Australia coincided with the gold rush and they were forced to live in tents in an area of Melbourne known as Canvas Town due to the sudden dramatic increase in the city’s population. After a period of 2 years in crowded Australia, they eventually obtained land in New Zealand and settled in Waipu in 1854.
Gaelic continued to be spoken in the town as a mother tongue until the late 1950’s and obvious cultural connections with Cape Breton and Scotland are still celebrated there; whether it’s the annual Highland Games held on New Year’s Day, the welcoming ‘Ceud Mile Failte’ signs as you drive into the town or the local museum where many artefacts are displayed, brought with the settlers both from Canada and Scotland.
For further information, a good place to start is www.waipumuseum.com
Norman McLeod was disaffected by the Church in Scotland and left, sailing from Ullapool to Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1817. After 3 years, he moved to St Ann’s and built a large congregation over a period of 30 years. By many reports, he was a man who was both respected and feared and some commentators draw a comparison with a typical clan chief of the time. He grew increasingly disappointed by what he saw as liberal tendencies moving into the area and, having received word from one of his sons that the prospects in Australia or New Zealand might be more suitable for his congregation, he suggested to them that they should move to a new land en masse. Ships were built and they set sail from St Ann’s in 1851, arriving in Adelaide after spending 164 days at sea. Unfortunately, their arrival in Australia coincided with the gold rush and they were forced to live in tents in an area of Melbourne known as Canvas Town due to the sudden dramatic increase in the city’s population. After a period of 2 years in crowded Australia, they eventually obtained land in New Zealand and settled in Waipu in 1854.
Gaelic continued to be spoken in the town as a mother tongue until the late 1950’s and obvious cultural connections with Cape Breton and Scotland are still celebrated there; whether it’s the annual Highland Games held on New Year’s Day, the welcoming ‘Ceud Mile Failte’ signs as you drive into the town or the local museum where many artefacts are displayed, brought with the settlers both from Canada and Scotland.
For further information, a good place to start is www.waipumuseum.com
credits
releases April 14, 2023
Tune Credits
All compositions by Iain Fraser except Chagair, Chagair, Chagair a’ Ghruagach found in the Patrick McDonald Collection of Highland Vocal Airs, Sandy Cameron, My Brother’s Letter: Traditional, Australian Ladies by William Fergusson, Aotearoa by Jimmy Young, Annie Aitken, Willie McBride: Traditional, and the Kiwi Reel by Willie Hunter.
Acknowledgements
I’m very thankful to my family for putting up with me as I waxed lyrical about this story, for the support of Creative Scotland without which this album would not have been possible. Also, many thanks to Anne-Marie Forsyth and the Auckland Scottish Fiddle Club for supporting this project at the very beginning, to Barry Reid @rosecroftstudio and to all the musicians involved in the recording.
Recorded and mixed by Barry Reid at Gorbals Sound, GloWorm and Rosecroft Studios, Scotland. Additional recording by James Stephens in Quebec, Canada and Noah Page at Depot Sound, Devonport, New Zealand. Mastered by Gordon Gunn. Design and print by Birnam CD.
Thanks to the following musicians who appear on the album
Fiddles
Emilia Bartellas
Gillian Boucher
Pete Clark
Doug Dorward
Iain Fraser
Gordon Gunn
Sarah Wilson
Violas
Anne-Marie Forsyth
Bernadette Kellerman
Cellos
Seylan Baxter
Wendy Weatherby
Signy Jakobsdottir: Percussion
Donald Knox: Guitar
Lorne MacDougall: Pipes
Calum Alex Macmillan: Gaelic Song
Freya Rae: Flute & Whistles
James Ross: Piano
Scot Wilson: Bass
Tune Credits
All compositions by Iain Fraser except Chagair, Chagair, Chagair a’ Ghruagach found in the Patrick McDonald Collection of Highland Vocal Airs, Sandy Cameron, My Brother’s Letter: Traditional, Australian Ladies by William Fergusson, Aotearoa by Jimmy Young, Annie Aitken, Willie McBride: Traditional, and the Kiwi Reel by Willie Hunter.
Acknowledgements
I’m very thankful to my family for putting up with me as I waxed lyrical about this story, for the support of Creative Scotland without which this album would not have been possible. Also, many thanks to Anne-Marie Forsyth and the Auckland Scottish Fiddle Club for supporting this project at the very beginning, to Barry Reid @rosecroftstudio and to all the musicians involved in the recording.
Recorded and mixed by Barry Reid at Gorbals Sound, GloWorm and Rosecroft Studios, Scotland. Additional recording by James Stephens in Quebec, Canada and Noah Page at Depot Sound, Devonport, New Zealand. Mastered by Gordon Gunn. Design and print by Birnam CD.
Thanks to the following musicians who appear on the album
Fiddles
Emilia Bartellas
Gillian Boucher
Pete Clark
Doug Dorward
Iain Fraser
Gordon Gunn
Sarah Wilson
Violas
Anne-Marie Forsyth
Bernadette Kellerman
Cellos
Seylan Baxter
Wendy Weatherby
Signy Jakobsdottir: Percussion
Donald Knox: Guitar
Lorne MacDougall: Pipes
Calum Alex Macmillan: Gaelic Song
Freya Rae: Flute & Whistles
James Ross: Piano
Scot Wilson: Bass
license
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about
Iain Fraser Scotland, UK
Check out my recent album 'Gneiss' at feisrois.bandcamp.com
Iain Fraser is a Performer and
Teacher. He’s fascinated by the fiddle’s rhythmic and emotional capabilities and draws his material from 18th Century Scottish tunes to new self-penned compositions and from the multiple regional music styles of the British Isles to those of North America and Europe.
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discography
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Apr 2023 -
Jan 2023 -
Jul 2014