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Laura Risk
In Peggy I Must Love Thee, a stately air from an 18th-century collection of Scottish tunes, the fiddle and accordion blend so perfectly one would assume there are two fiddles. It forms the first part of the track “Peggy and the Doctor,” the second part of which is a Scots jig, Dr. Risk written by Williams, and preluded by him on piano, in honour of Risk’s McGill University musicology doctorate. The flowing “Jerry’s Waltz,” a Risk original commemorating her father, featuring Williams on flute, has a Scottish feel, too. As does “Jane Risk,” a lyrical 4/4 memoriam to her mother that brings in a trumpet obbligato from guest Matthieu Jacques. Indeed even in material from Québec tradition, such as “Stéphane Landry et les frères Pigeon,” one of the three tracks in which guest Nic Gareiss’s dancing provides percussion, there’s a strong Scottish accent, while the overall sound of the trio has something of the spring and lift of the Scottish-rooted Cape Breton style.
There’s the splendidly bouncy “Le Rimouski,” learned from famous Québec fiddler Jean Carignan’s younger brother Marcel, the warm “Hommage aux Maheux” from the repetoire of Philippe Bruneau, and the three dance tunes from Québec fiddlers that comprise “Douglastown,” the last of which, Charlie Drody’s, is akin to an Irish reel. (See a video below.) Right through to the elegiac and again very Scottish closer “Another Voyage,” a Risk original in memory of a friend, every tune, be it lyrical or up-tempo, is melodically memorable, beautifully-played, heart-lifting music, full of intelligence, delicacy and detail.
![]() Traverse is one of our selections for Music of the Month in June, 2023. Subscribe now and receive downloads and CDs throughout the year, donated by the artists to support RootsWorld.
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