NORTHUMBRIAN MUSIC
NIGHTS
What they're saying about
Tabache
"Between them Aidan and Claire have taken events
such as Glenfiddich Fiddle Championships and All
Ireland Finals in their stride, and on this
recording it's easy to understand why . . ." "Right from the very first notes of the opening
set there is a tightness about this playing which
would normally indicate players who have been
performing together for a very long time indeed . .
." "This is a debut album to be proud of and I
think this duo will be one to watch out for in the
future -- if they're this goodnow, where will it
end? As I said, a cracker." Gordon Potter, The Living
Tradition, January '97 "ARE YOU WILLING" is an impressive debut,
recommended" Bob Walton, Folk Roots, April
'97
"These three unspeakably young musicians are
already fantastic, it is difficult to see how they
can improve . . ." "Remember the name Tabache and lament if you
weren't there last night . . . " George Anderson, The Lemon Tree,
Aberdeen Press and Journal, 9/4/96 "It's not the combined youth of Tabache that
knocked me out, it's their combined sound." "Get them while you can, they really are good,
they're brilliant, incredible, fantastic -- Hold
on, my dictionary of superlatives just ran out . .
." Corinne Male, The Living
Tradition, '95 "If the Folk Festivals' second night could have
gotten off to a better start than Tabache's opening
set of tunes I want to hear it . . ." "These three young musicians play with fresh
enthusiasm, confidence, and bucketfuls of ability .
. . " Rob Adams, The Glasgo International
Folk Festival, 1996, The Glasgow Herald
Tabache are fiddle player Aidan O'Rourke and
flute, fiddle whistle player and singer Claire
Mann. The pair got together in late 1994 and
specialise in traditional and original Scottish and
Irish music. Aidan is from the Isle of Seil which lies off
the coast south of Oban in the West Highlands of
Scotland. His fiddle style has a unique blend of
Scottish and Irish influences with his family roots
in Donegal. He started playing at the age of nine and
competed throughout Scotland with great success.
At 14 he had won two national titles and was a
finalist in the Glenfiddich fiddle championships,
the most prestigious open fiddle competition in
Scotland. This was followed up by a BBC
mini-documentary. By the age of 15 Aidan had toured America and
Canada with the Caledonia Ramblers. He has also
toured extensively in Europe and the British Isles
with Deaf Shepherd and Tanas and was recently
included in a performance with Capercaillie. Now 22, Aidan's distinctive interpretation of
tunes and songs has established him as a leading
fiddle player in Scotland. Claire (19) is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the
northeast of England, currently residing in
Edinburgh. She started playing the whistle at
school at the age of eight, the fiddle at ten and
the flute at 12. Despite taking up the flute at a
later date, she excels on this instrument having
won the All-Ireland flute championships in the
consecutive years of 1993 and 1994. She has also
won All-Irelands on the whistle and been a finalist
on fiddle. In the past six years she has won over
eighty medals in Fleadh Cheoils and was a finalist
in the prestigious BBC Radio 2's Young Tradition
Award in 1993. Claire has also worked with Newcastle based
theatre company Northern Stage. Toured throughout
the British Isles and Europe with Edinburgh bands
the Findlays and Aruin, and with Comhaltas
Ceoltoiri Eireann. She as also performed for the
renowned British Flute Society. Although Tabache are essentially a duo they have
a third member to add acccompaniment. They are oft
en joioned by acclaimed guitarist Tony McManus,
also playing with them on a regular basis is
guitarist and bouzouki player Malcolm Stitt and
Johnny Hardie of the Old Blind Dogs.
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