Ross Ainslie and Jarlath Henderson
Album: Air-Fix
Label: Great White
Tracks: 9
Website: http:www.facebook.com/RossAinslieAndJarlathHenderson

Its five years since the duo's first acclaimed album. Like many more other musicians if you don't fit into the major labels fixed inertia and apathy towards anything which rears its cultural head above the parapet you will sink or swim especially without that income stream to create new audiences outside your backyard. The number of excellent musicians I know and have heard about who "suffer for their art" and in the end either give up or take day jobs to subsidies their music is growing weekly. Right, off the soapbox and preamble terminated, it's down to the matter in hand, the review itself.

Recorded with contributions from well-wishers, families, friends and fans through Pledge Music, "Air-fix" was recorded live in Gorbals Sound Studios, Glasgow. The album is a vibrant musical journey through all things Gaelic with a quick excursion to Bulgaria: more of that jolly jaunt later.

Both lads have played together since 2003 picking up countless awards and have gone on to stretch the boundaries of what Border pipes, Uilleann pipes and whistles can achieve in unison. For ones so incomparably young, their musical CV's are impressive. Ross Ainslie taught by and toured with the late Gordon Duncan has been recently involved with Flook!, The Treacherous Orchestra, Dougie MacLean, and Salsa Celtica whilst Jar has taken the more sedate route of being a three times All-Ireland Champion' uilleann piper at the tender age of 19, became the first and only person Irish person to date to win the prestigious BBC Young Folk Musician of the Year Award, regularly guests with Salsa Celtica, Phil Cunningham and Scottish folk legends, Capercaillie and is currently studying medicine at University: remember the preamble?

The musical chemistry between Ross and Jar is something akin to having one head and two bodies such is the interaction of these young giants. At times, this is stirring and boisterous stuff whilst at others there are graceful melodies which float on by. Backing them is an energetic group of musicians made up of Ross's Treacherous Orchestra bandmates Ali Hutton on guitar, Duncan Lyall: electric and double bass, Innes Watson : Fiddle, Shooglenifty's James MacKintosh on drums and percussion, Hamish Napier: keyboards and Alana Henderson on vocals.

Its years since I've heard Gerry Rafferty's 'Look Over the Hill and Far Away' sang and played so well. I can picture a smiling Gerry raising a wee tot to them and saying:- "here's tae ye!" Young Jar has a fine voice reminiscent of the style of one Kris Drever, and interprets the melancholic nature of the song brilliantly. The perfectly matched vocal duties with his younger sister Alana lifts the song to new heights and I would love to hear it live and in this form. The Bulgarian dance tune 'Smeceno Horo' which once was a crowd favourite at Planxty gigs is given a new lease of life in the combination of uilleann and border pipes and at nearly three and a half minutes is a musical 'tour de force'. These for me are the two outstanding tracks on a good and varied album.

If you are male and of a certain age, the album cover should give you a quiet chuckle. It has Ross, Jar and their respective pipes as model parts and as assembled models on the inside sleeve. It took me back to the days of glued and painted fingers: I think I've just had my Air-fix in more ways than one.

Chris Light