tlee61
“A muffled strike on a fading memory…” I’m not a fisherman, Jim, but that cast caught me. Seems I’m the trout.
Favorite track: FULL RELEASE 'Part 1 - Child' (as one continuous track).
OLD MAN DUNSHEA Hamish Napier, 4th August 2020
Two lads on their bikes
Me and Sam
My friend from up the road
We own this bit -
We are this bit!
Freewheeling between
The long line of landrovers
Parked all along the verges
By the Old Spey Bridge.
Dozens of fishermen here again today.
Stationed along the river
All waders and wellies,
Hats and hand-tied flies,
Rubber and rods.
Every so often
You catch the buzzing quack,
Of a reel winding in.
And great swishes
As they Spey cast this way and that.
Rolling out the red line
Across the surface tension
Of the relentless river.
Perched on our push bikes
Up at McLeod’s corner
The summer evening birdsong
Gives way to a distant drilling drone
A motorbike -
We look to the road end.
Where emerges
the unmistakable silhouette
Of Old Man Dunshea
On his scooter.
A red and white vintage Vespa
The engine: a tamed chain saw
With rattling sputters
His open-face helmet
Encloses a kindly moustache.
Then, his signature thumbs-up.
We return it eagerly.
He is forever clad
in green rubber and Barbour
Save for a bulky life jacket
And fingerless gloves .
Jutting out behind him
Is the last few feet of his spinning rod
With a bright ribbon
Dancing at the end.
A silvered minnow catches the setting sun.
A pensioner with reels on wheels.
By the end of the summer
We are promoted to a wink.
And maybe Speybridge is his bit too.
In September my mother mentions
“Oh, so sad –
Old Man Dunshea died the other day.”
A heart attack they say,
While fishing.”
What...no!
We’d never see him again.
Tears appearing.
Overreaction.
A hug on the doorstep.
My outburst caught her by surprise.
We didn’t really know him as such.
“Oh come now dearie.
People die, that’s just all part of life.
At least he died doing what he loved best.”
They scatter his ashes on the Spey
At the top of the long pool
Where the river runs slowest
As was his request.
The minister stands before the gathered
on the riverbank
The drone of the eulogy
Soothes the stillness of the gathered.
His arm extends over the sombre black flow
Slowly but surely
He releases a thin steady sprinkle of ash
Until all that remains of Dunshee
Is an impossibly fine dust cloud
Settling on the surface
Slowly sinking.
Something stirs.
More than the current.
Then again, a wee ripple.
Not raindrops.
Good God!
A flick of a wee tail -
Another flash of silver
Darts and bubbles.
Gasp and exclamations.
The murmurings of the mourners
Swell to a panic.
The minister pulls back from the edge
And grasping the urn to his chest,
Mutters something skyward.
He calms the crowd
With outstretched arms.
The pool settles again
As quickly as it was disturbed.
The ceremony resumes.
There was a quiet retribution in it
As Old Man Dunshea
Came gliding by
One last time
On his way from the town
to the afterlife.
To repay his due.
Hamish Napier, 4th August 2020
_________________________________________________
After the 2020/2021 pandemic lockdowns, I compiled a new 5-part collection of bonus material made during this time for my first solo album 'The River', called An t’Each Uisge [The Water-Horse]. This is the name given to the kelpie, the wicked (but awesome) river spirit of Scottish folklore.
The part of the digital release is called 'Part 1 - CHILD' and focussing on river themes from my childhood. Parts 2 to 5 will be 'Land', 'Love', 'Spirit' and 'Strength', respectively.
In a nutshell Part 2 - LAND' it is 2 tunes, 2 readings, 1 tune and 2 field recordings and lasts 13 minutes.
So grateful to have contributions from writer Merryn Glover (from her novel 'Of Stone & Sky'), and a harp piece written by my mother Marie-Louise Napier, as well as new guitar remix of a track from my debut album 'The River' by Innes Watson (who plays in my folk trio The Woods).
Why the 'Water Horse'? .......Well, the river Spey has its very own rare variety of kelpie known as 'An t-Each Ban' (the White Horse), according to James Alan Rennie's book 'Romantic Strathspey'. This notorious water horse sprit would appear on the riverbank, its "saddle, bridle and stirrups of gleaming silver were encrusted with precious stones, white reigns and saddle-cloth of crimson velvet edged with gold." The passer-by would excitedly climb onto its back. Suddenly with a hideous scream, the horse would bolt into the river. As the rider held on for dear life, by some evil magic the skin of their hands would grow over the reigns and the spirit would drag them to their doom in the murky depths.
credits
released January 10, 2023
Full Album Credits for An t’Each Uisge [The Water-Horse]: All Parts 1 - 5.
It’s basically just a whole load of bonus tracks for my first album 'The River. In the end it turned out to be an hour and 45 minutes worth of new compositions, remixed older music, trad tunes, field recordings, storytelling, narration and poetry recitations, in 5 parts:
Part 1 Child - Featuring Kenneth Steven, Jim Macintosh & Innes Watson.
Part 2 Land - Featuring Merryn Glover, Innes Watson & Marie-Louise Napier.
Part 3 Love - Featuring Su-a Lee, Karen Hodgson Pryce, Peter Stronach, Duncan Chisholm, Innes Watson and Jarlath Henderson
Part 4 Spirit - Featuring Andrea Gobbi and David Francis
Part 5 Strength - Featuring Duncan Chisholm, Fraser Stone, David Francis, Marie-Louise Napier, Will Boyd-Wallis, Innes Watson, Steve Byrnes and Su-a Lee.
Your contribution to this release is greatly appreciated!
So, who’s actually featured on An t’Each Uisge [The Water-Horse] EP?...
Karen Hodgson-Price - poet and recitation
Jim Mackintosh - poet and recitation
Kenneth Steven - poet and recitation
David Francis - writer and storytelling
Merryn Glover - writer and narration
Marie-Lousie Napier - clarsach and narration
Jarlath Henderson - uilleann pipes
Steve Byrnes - acoustic guitar & snare drum
Innes Watson - acoustic guitar, tenor guitar & fiddle
Duncan Chisholm - fiddle
Will Boyd-Wallis - acoustic guitar
Fraser Stone - drums
Su-a lee - cello and field recordings
Peter Stronach - field recordings
Fergus Napier - fly fishing rod
Hamish Napier - field recordings, wooden flutes, whistles, piano, keyboards, programming, percussion and poems
Musicians who originally performed on the selected and remixed tracks from my albums 'The River' and 'The Woods’:
Sarah Hayes - alto flute
Martin O'Neill - bodhran
James Lindsay - double bass
Steve Byrnes - guitar and drums
Recorded by Hamish Napier & Andrea Gobbi
All tracks arranged by Hamish Napier with invaluable contributions from Andrea Gobbi
All tracks composed by Hamish Napier PRS/MCPS, except 'The Power of the River’ composed by Hamish Napier & Duncan Chisholm, and 'Music of Spey' and 'Spey in Spate’ by James Scott Skinner.
Poems by Hamish Napier, Jim Macintosh, Karen Hodgson-Pryce and Kenneth Steven.
Writers: David Francis, Merryn Glover and Elizabeth Grant (1797-1885).
Edited, mixed & Mastered by Andres Gobbi at Carrier Waves and GloWorm Recording, Glasgow.
Photos, artwork and design by Somhairle Macdonald. with some design by Hamish Napier.
Scottish mega piper Ross Ainslie. awesome self-penned tunes, banging arrangements and all-round dynamite production! Ross and I have been collaborating for years on each other's gigs and albums! Hamish Napier
supported by 20 fans who also own “An t’Each Uisge [The Water-Horse] Part 1 - CHILD”
My father was born in Glasgow, yet somehow I have never visited Scotland. This lovely music sounds like my ticket of return to the country of his birth. Philip Graham
supported by 14 fans who also own “An t’Each Uisge [The Water-Horse] Part 1 - CHILD”
Two amazing musicians in their own right, put them together and the result is even greater than the sum of the parts.
The goal to capture, "live," energy is achieved, such a great album! PipingJim
Old-fashioned fiddles harmonize with rippling synths on the Scottish singer-songwriter's latest collection of original folk songs. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2022