News - 2000
december 2000
Burnside Ramblers visit the Archive
Wednesday, 20th. Local walkers' club "The Burnside Ramblers" took a break from their December walk to spend some time at the Archive. During their short stay the thirty strong "choir" popped into the studio to record a Christmas message for our visitors.
John Murdoch Henderson collection - the work begins
Wednesday, 13th. Les Wheeler of the North East Heritage Trust introduced fiddle player Pat MacAndrew to the wealth of material in the John M. Henderson music collection. Recording selections from Henderson's original manuscripts and from the numerous books in his collection will begin in the New Year. The general opinion seems to be that the old books look likely to bring to light a few real gems!
Archive visit
Friday, 8th. Councillor Dennis McHugh of Stewartfield introduced a number of interested individuals to the Archive and its facilities. Visitors were given a guided tour of the recording studio and a demonstration of the "North East Neuk" CD-ROM and the Archive's image and audio database.
november 2000
NEFA represented at Centre For Scottish Studies "Ploughs, Lines and Nets" Conference.
Saturday, 4th. nefa Projects Manager, Gavin Sutherland, was pleased to accept an invitation from Dr John Smith of The Centre for Scottish Studies, University of Aberdeen, to speak on behalf of nefa at the centre's annual conference. Under the title "The North East Folklore Archive - The story so far", Gavin spoke to a well attended conference at the University's Fraser Noble Building. Speakers on the day included: Dr David Summers (the historical lore of salmon nets and lines), Colin Milton (the Orcadian landscape and the stories of George Mackay Brown) and Les Wheeler (Peter Buchan, fisherman and poet).
North East Folklore CD-ROM - Release date fixed 26th November.
With support
from SCRAN, the millennium funded Scottish Cultural Resource Access Network,
nefa's first CD-ROM production was two years in the making and involved
invaluable input from numerous local musicians, writers and researchers.
Packed with information, sound bites, photographs, and illustrations based
on the cultural traditions of the North East's fishers, farmers, musicians
and balladeers, copies will be for sale at Macduff Arts Centre from November
26th. Introductory price of £15 for November and December 2000. Click
here for mail order details.
Willie Kemp, master of the cornkister, now on CD
Ythan Music, Ellon, is busy re-releasing the "Beltona Records" collection of songs by Ellon born bothy ballad master, Willie Kemp. From the original 1920s and 30s Beltona "78s" the cassette albums "King o' the Cornkisters", "Mair Fun Wi' Willie" and "A Lark at the Mike" are a must for traditional song collectors. Contact Ronnie Cairns at Ythan Music for details. Tel: 01779 841543
october 2000
Japanese TV company film local singers and players
The Archive had a visit
from a Japanese TV film crew at the beginning of October. They stayed four
days, filming the land and the people for a documentry "World Roots
and Traditions" series for NHK TV Japan.
NEFA arranged a music session for them to film at Hareshowe farm, here
in Aden Park, and a number of guest singers and players came along. The
players - Bothy Ballad King Gordon Easton, Elizabeth Stewart, Doddy Murray,
Barbara-Ann Burnett, Lizzie Campbell, Bill Buchan and John Slaven, along
with everybody else there on the night, were given gifts from NHK.
We all had a really good time.
The film crew visited traditional singer Elizabeth Stewart at her home
the following day where she was filmed "mackin' a brose" and
talking to NHK interviewer, Ikuko White, about her family's travelling
days.
The programme is scheduled for broadcast in Japan in the spring of 2001.
Elizabeth Stewart
Photograph courtesy of Greg D. Allen
september 2000
NEFA CD-ROM unveiled at "Fusion 2000 Education and Technology Show", Glasgow SECC
With support from SCRAN, nefa's first CD-ROM production was
two years in the making and involved invaluable input from a number of
local musicians, writers and researchers.
The CD-ROM is packed with information, sound bites, photographs, and illustrations
based on the cultural traditions of the North East's fishers, farmers,
musicians and balladeers.
The CD-ROM, which was "very well received" at "Fusion 2000" will be published and available within the next few weeks.
Projects under way
Present projects include the assessment of the wonderful Murdoch Henderson Music Collection and a talking-book/broadcast version of Christian Watt Marshal's best-selling memoir "A Stranger on the Bars".
Highlights 2000
January
In the studio this month: Folk band Bedlam
Howe; Traditional singer/songwriter Christine Kydd
Jan 30th: Singer/songwriters, Workshop at Aden with Ewan McVicar
March
Hazel Weeks (arts development officer) and Gavin Sutherland (NEFA projects
manager) meet with Council Committee to demonstrate "prototype" of
new CD-ROM.
In the studio this month: Cairnbulg and Inveralochy flute band; "Buchaneers" Trad.
Jazz Band.
May
Canadian Inuit students visit Peterhead Maritime Heritage
to perform traditional dance, songs and games.
The old whaling connection between Peterhead and the Inuit of Baffin Island
was rekindled by NEFA and the Canadian Education Authorities. Peterhead
Academy hosted the visit and our guests were looked after by a group of
PD Academy Students. Special thanks to Donald Mearns (Pangnirtung School,
Baffin) and Michael Doig (PD Academy) for making the trip such a success.
Inuit Students dance at Peterhead Maritime Heritage
May Day, 2000
July
Recording school band with Iain MacDonald for "Gordon Gaithering"
