He is somebody who has made the musical journey from working with the Old Blind Dogs to recording a new album called Second Sight.
And, ever since Fraser Fifield met his compatriot Graeme Stephen at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree in the mid-1990s, they have been creating memorable sounds and gracing some of the biggest stages in their homeland and beyond.
Fraser, who was taught to play the pipes at Aboyne Academy, is one of life’s virtuoso performers; a youthful talent who went to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, even as he was learning to master the saxophone and exploring the low whistle.
As he recalled: “This was just before it was possible to study ‘folk’ music at degree level.”
But nothing hampered his progress as he amassed plenty of experience and established a reputation as being one of the most gifted figures of his generation.
He has never forgotten the benefits of the lunchtime series at the Lemon Tree which was broadcast live on Radio Scotland – and he and Graeme have joined forces with bassist Elie Afif for their new project.
Indeed, they have collaborated on almost everything from being a duo to part of a sextet, immersed in an eclectic variety of ventures during the last 28 years.
It’s exciting to be involved in this
And Second Sight, which is backed by Creative Scotland, is his 11th album and the final part of a trilogy, alongside Secret Path and One Great Circle.
It will be released next month. But Fraser doesn’t have time to rest on his laurels.
It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s the pipes, sax or whistles, this fellow has a skill for making mesmerising music. Somebody once remarked that you could hand him an umbrella and he’d probably manage to get a tune out of it.
And, as you might expect, he is very much in demand on the traditional circuit. So much so that he accompanied Karen Matheson who was supporting the band Skipinnish as they celebrated their 25th anniversary at Edinburgh Castle last night.
He’s on his way to Europe
A few similar high-profile gigs are on his itinerary during what promises to be a busy summer. He will be with Capercaillie on a forthcoming tour of Spain and Switzerland and involved with the Grit Orchestra at the Edinburgh Festival next month.
Oh, and he’s about to go into the third and final year of his artist-in-residency post for Edinburgh University’s Celtic/Scottish Studies department.
Music wasn’t in his DNA. As he said: “It wasn’t a family thing.”
And yet, he has risen to any challenges placed in his way for the last three decades and added: “I’ve pursued a freelance career ever since leaving RSAMD, with a mixture of leading my own groups and playing with a variety of others
It all just seems to click
“Most of the tunes [on Second Sight] are quite simple, because I wanted to leave lots of space for all three of us to interact and knowing Graeme’s capabilities particularly, I was sure he would respond to a freer approach.”
It’s a triumph. But then, nobody will ever accuse Fraser of whistling in the dark.
Further information is available from: www.fraserfifield.com
Conversation