Brian McNeill Concert

ONE NIGHT ONLY!   BRIAN MCNEILL IN CONCERT!    Wednesday, September 14, 2011 7:30 pm First Unitarian Universalist Church 5212 S. Claiborne (at Jefferson) New Orleans, LA   DONATION: $15 PER PERSON   This year Brian McNeill celebrates the 40th year of a career that has established him as one of the most acclaimed forces in Scottish music. Brian has been described as 'Scotland's most meaningful contemporary songwriter' (The Scotsman); add to that his work and influence as performer, both as a soloist and with some of the era's most influential bands, including Battlefield Band, which he founded in 1969, and Clan Alba.   Come out and welcome Brian to New Orleans for this specialconcert!   Sponsored by The New Orleans Strathspey & Reel Society (501C3) in cooperation with the First Unitarian Universalist Church

Summer Update

Here's the latest! We had our first First Saturday Session on the 4th of June. It was a nice modest success. We had a slow session from 1-2pm took a break and then enjoyed a regular session where we went 'round the room and played tunes while enjoying "light" refreshment. Our next FSS is scheduled for 2 July at the Taft Pk studio.   The 10th of June found us in Pass Christian Mississippi giving a 2 hour concert for the opening of the Smithsonian Roots Music exhibit at the Pass Christian library. It was a tremendous event. The folks in charge we very efficient, kind, gracious. The 1st half of our program featured the music of the old world and, after a short break, the 2nd moved to the new world where we played tunes that travelled over with our old world ancestors.   We are now entering a more relaxed period during high summer. This is the time where we get to experiment with new tunes and new tune sets. Several of us will be attending the Swannanoa Gathering in mid-July where we will improve our technique and come back with some new tunes to share. We'll post a comment or two when we return and post some Photos too. Enjoy the summer!

April Wrap-up

The New Orleans Strathspey & Reel Society has had an active April. On the 9th  we held our first 'Tartan Day" Whisky Tasting. We hope this will be, the first of many Whisky Tasting events. Our format was unusual in that we had no "experts" presenting the Whiskys. Our presenters were volunteers; ordinary whisky drinkers who enjoyed the whiskys that they presented. They took some time and explained to the assembled guests why they liked a particular whisky and what they though was unique or appealing about their selection. We had six volunteer presenters and they brought a wide range of tastes to the table ranging from a single cask Bourbon to the very peaty Islay malts. Between each tasting, the musicians of the Strathspey & Reel Society played tunes appropriate in some way to the whisky being presented. The event lasted from 4-7pm. The response from our guests was enthusiastically favorable and we have been encouraged to do this again in the fall.   On the 16th of April found us in Hammond, LA. We were playing for the city's "Arts in April" function at the request of the Violin Shop on N. Cate st. The performance was from 3-8pm and most of our musicians were able to make the trip. We set up under a tent canopy just outside the shop and enjoyed some fine weather and played a large portion of our current repertoire. These marathon events are always a challenge but they are a lot of fun too.    Our next event, on May 14th, is a performance in support of "Art Spark" a celebration by the 100-year anniversary of the New Orleans Museum of Art. We were selected by the New Orleans Arts Council and will be playing behind the Museum, on the festival grounds, from 2:30-3:30pm   Check this space regularly for more updates to events and schedules.

March & April Events

The next few weeks will be busy for our perfroming members. The weekend of 26-27 March brings a music workshop with Gina Forsyth on Saturday and on Sunday we perform in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, at Christ Episcopal Church. That performance is at 4pm.   The following weekend, on Saturday April 2nd, we are in the process of coordinating another Ceilidh Dance workshop for 1pm. We will review the dances from the last workshop and go on to learning some new ones. So far we have covered: The Gay Gordons, The Cumberland Reel, and Strip the Willow. There are more to come.   April 9th is our "invitation only" Whisky tasting fund raiser. If you would like to be invited call or e-mail us and we'll be sure you get the invitation and details.   Our last event for April (so far) is a performance in Hammond, Louisiana from 3-8pm in support of the "Arts in April" celebration. It's like a big block party with food, drink and entertainment. NOSRS is sponsored by our friend Keith Davis at The Violin Shop on Cate st. Pick your weekend, or weekends, and come by and see us, say hello and support these good causes that we are supporting.

NOSRS Ceilidh Dance Workshop

Today 12, Feb., we held our first Scottish Ceilidh Dance workshop at the McTeggart Dance Studio in Kenner, Louisiana. The music was provided by the New Orleans Strathspey and Reel Society and the dancers for our first effort included representatives from: the Crescent City International Dancers, The CCE Irish Set Dancers, a couple McTeggart Dancers, and parents of some of the McTeggart dancers. The chairman of the local Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann even put in an appearance and joined in the dancing. We're looking forward to making this a regular event. So if you're interested, drop us an email and we'll get you on the e-mail list.   On Sunday the 20th of Feb. we are playing for the Trinity Artist Series at Trinity Church on Jackson Ave. from 5-6pm. Come by and see us. We're taking a musical tour of Scotland   Keep watching this space for news and updates.

Jan 2011

Here’s the news for January, 2011. On the 15th of the month we will be playing for the Burn’s Night hosted by the Caledonian Society of Baton Rouge. We will play light music during dinner, then afterward we will support the ceilidh by playing for a number of ceilidh dances. Our thanks to the Caledonians for inviting us. We will have our CD available during the performance.

The following week, on Friday the 21st we will be appearing on the WYES program Steppin’ Out. We will play some tunes and talk about ourselves and talk about our CD. This is a first for us and we are looking forward to the experience.

Keep checking this space for periodic updates about our group.

2010 The Year in Review:

Well friends, we've had a very successful year. Our first, and one of our biggest events was the Ed Pearlman workshop that was held on the 20th of February. We managed to get him out of the ice and snow in Maine down here to the land of Jazz.

Ed Pearlman is best known for his 30 years of expertise in Scottish and Cape Breton fiddling, performing often with his wife, dancer Laura Scott, and their band, Highland Soles. Ed has taught fiddle throughout the U.S., and in Canada and Scotland. He directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club for 18 years, directed the Scottish Fiddle Rally concerts for 15 years. It was a real pleasure to have him with us and to get his help and guidance.

On the 17th of April several of out members had the pleasure of playing music at the Elliott wedding in Covington LA. A very nice wedding where we feel we added to the joy of the occasion.

During the summer and into the fall we were working hard to complete our first CD "Spirits of the Morning". Recording sessions, getting everyone there, scheduling time… Everyone made great sacrifices and everyone made great contributions.

The 20th of August saw us again playing for The Hammond LA. Downtown Development event, "Hot August Night". Our venue was Keith Davis' Violin Shop and there was a lively and receptive crowd on hand.

The 11th of September found us in Jackson MS. Where we appeared at the Mississippi Celtic Festival. We have been performing at this festival for many years and it just gets better and better. Thanks and best wishes to all our friends in Jackson.

The Highlands & Islands Scottish Festival and Games was held on the 13th of November in Gulfport MS. and we provided, in addition to our musical sets, a new dimension to the event. We held a dance workshop in the afternoon and during our portion of the Ceilidh that evening, we hosted the first ever organized ceilidh dancing at the fest. It was a great success, and a good time was had by all.

We closed out the year with a bang up Christmas/CD release party at the Garden District home of our good friends, the Butchers.

As The New Orleans Strathspey & Reel Society moves into its 10th year, we want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. With special thanks to all our friends and supporters.


Jim Gunter, Director
New Orleans Strathspey & Reel Society