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Transatlantic Sessions

Venue: The Sage
Town: Gateshead
Date: 05/02/14
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Sessions

For the fifth consecutive Year, Transatlantic Sessions filled Hall 1 and the stage to capacity. Originally part of the annual Celtic Connections Festival and spawning TV shows and CDs/ DVD's through the BBC, someone, in a moment of genius, finally had the inspired idea to take it on tour to a select handful of venues around the UK. Thankfully, such is the vision of The Sage, that they were one of the first to support the idea and host the event, a sell out every time. With it, they have annually fulfilled a dream for me, and I'm sure countless others, who have always wanted to actually experience this unique event for ourselves, but have, for a multitude of reasons, been unable to make it to Glasgow.

The objective of Transatlantic Sessions is to bring together a variety of music artists from Scotland, Ireland, England, the USA and Canada, to rediscover not only their shared roots, but the common ground in their music.

Around twenty musicians, their instruments and microphones filled the stage, along with sofas, lamps and armchairs to the side, so musicians not performing could kick back and enjoy each other's music; one of the more unique, and truly special, elements of this show.

As is tradition, the night was led by Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas and the Transatlantic band, along with their special guests, took us on an incredible Transatlantic journey for over two hours.

Scot, Kris Drever, founder of several bands including the highly successful Lau, gave us a couple of songs, including The Isle of France, demonstrating a great voice, reminiscent of a young Dougie MacLean. Esteemed Celtic songbird Julie Fowlis made a welcome return to Transatlantic Sessions, delivering three Gaelic tunes, including a version of The Beatles' Blackbird, alongside Bruce Molsky on fiddle. Gorgeous. Her standout number was an absolutely stunning version of her 'mouth music,' Hùg air a Bhonnaid Mhor, which is sung so fast that when it is all over, you are left with your head spinning, wondering what on earth just happened. Perhaps this seemed even moreso with the wonderful band accompaniment, which seemed to take it to a whole new level; accordion aficionado Phil Cunningham, John McCusker on fiddle and who only knows what else, and of course, Michael McGoldrick on flute and wind instruments.

Along with the rest of the band, Dirk Powell, Bruce Molsky, Phil Cunningham, Danny Thompson, Russ Barenberg, John Doyle, James Mackintosh and Donald Shaw, more instruments were played then anyone could possibly count; many were played faster than anyone could possibly measure. The musicians took us through an amazing selection of Celtic music, many of which left me, and I suspect another 800 plus, wanting to get up and dance.

The USA contingency included a real variety of music and artists. Sarah Joarosz, with whose name but not music I was familiar, blew me away with her three offerings; Run Away (with a real Deep South blues sound), Bring Me up From Bones, and a very original rendition of Bob Dylan's Ring Them Bells. I will certainly be looking her up.

Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott gave us a rocking country version of George Jones' drinking song, One More, of which I have no doubt The Possum would approve. They also shared a preview of some material from their new CD, including a song which actually brought a tear to my eye. Come Into This Room, Scott described as being about any room, a living room, or the very room we were in. "Is the music playing you or are you playing music….in this room at this time is where we were supposed to be. Come into this room and we can make some memories," describes the emotions of a night of Transatlantic Sessions perfectly. The incredible thing is that you know as many memories are being made by those on stage, of their time with us and each other, as by us of our time shared in that room, with them.

Headliner this year was the wonderful Shawn Colvin. This was the third time I had seen her on stage at Sage, Gateshead and without a doubt it is the most relaxed I have seen her and the best she has ever sounded vocally. Delving into her old and new catalogue, she brought out All Fall Down, These Four Walls and she closed out the evening, helped magnificently by the band, with an absolutely stunning rendition of Diamond in the Rough. She thanked us and the venue and all on stage, for a wonderful evening and it was clear that it was very genuine.

The whole ensemble returned to see us out with three toe tapping Celtic tunes; seeing the American artists rock out on their guitars to a Celtic tune is about as Transatlantic as it gets! My only gripes are the same as the past four years; that they didn't end with a well known song we could all sing along to, and that it couldn't last longer.

Thankyou again to the wonderful people at Transatlantic Sessions and Sage Gateshead for giving us this amazing gift of music for a fifth consecutive year; I already can't wait to see who and what year six holds in store...

Helen Mitchell