Kevin Macleod, the long serving tenor banjoist in top Scottish ceilidh dance band, “The Occasionals”, has recently released a second cd “Polbain to Oranmore” following on from the 1999 first solo CD “Springwell”. The latest cd, on Greentrax cdtrax 239, is a duet recording with the great Irish bouzouki and guitar exponent, Alec Finn, a founder member of top Irish traditional De Dannan. It features a wide range of mainly Scottish music.These recordings reflect many of the influences Kevin has experienced as a traditional musician living in Scotland today, and in particular, showcases his distinctive Scottish styled mandolin and bouzouki playing. Both recordings cover the great Scots traditional repertoires of pipe and fiddle music, but in “Springwell” Kevin also explores a series of other musical styles, from Hawaiian hulas, ragtime melodies and Austrian zither tunes to Transylvanian gypsy dance idioms.
The music is performed on his unique collection of vintage string instruments. This includes a Gibson F4 mandolin, Greek bouzoukis, Sobell mandolin and cittern, National resonator tenor steel guitars, Fender Hawaiian electric guitar, 1930’s jazz tenor guitar and Epiphone and Deering banjo. (See them in the gallery)
“Springwell” also featured a prestigious cast of supporting musicians including bouzouki player Alec Finn and fiddler Frankie Gavin of top Irish band De Dannan, fiddler John Martin of the Tannahill Weavers and Easy Club, guitarist Malcolm Jones of Runrig and Freeland Barbour on piano. Kevin worked with De Dannan on USA tours for many years, and has performed with them on several occasions, including the prestigious Galway Arts Festival, and Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival.
Freeland Barbour invited Kevin into “The Occasionals” in 1986, and they have been playing together ever since, with three successful CDs already released and a fourth hopefully on its way. “The Occasionals” have variously ventured to the Cambridge Folk Festival, Tonder, Shetland, Orkney, Tiree, Denmark, The Mod, and every corner of Scotland needing dance music. BBC TV shows and BBC Radio Scotland broadcasts “Take the Floor” and “Live at the Lemon Tree” have often featured the band in action. Kevin has also recorded with fiddler Ian Fraser and Freeland on their delightful 1994 “Northlins” project.
This Summer sees The Occasionals providing dance music and tuition at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC, USA and Kevin is also a tutor, along with Alec Finn at the 5th Zoukfest in Taos, New Mexico, USA.
