Teud: the Hebridean Fiddle Project - Teud

Teud: the Hebridean Fiddle Project is Shona Morrison from the Isle of Skye (fiddle), Claire Frances MacNeil from the Isle of Barra (fiddle and vocals), and Jamie MacDonald from the Isle of Tiree (fiddle, cittern, backing vocals). Their eponymous debut EP offers a captivating glimpse into the fiddle tradition from their native area and the different influences that shaped it along the centuries.

The release is made up of four tracks, two instrumentals and two songs. The former are the brisk set of jigs Puirt-Chruinn that opens the album and the airy Gaelic Waltzes. The nostalgic and defiant late 19th century emigration song Oran Manitoba and the very fitting Puirt Nan Fidhlear, an unmissable track in this collection, complete a brief, but intriguing voyage into Hebridean history and folklore.

This remote, sparsely populated, and very scenic area of the country is known to have developed its unique, bouncy, precise and bagpipe-inspired fiddle playing style and the trio follows in the footsteps of the many generations who gradually crafted this distinctive voice. Their sound is vigorous, uplifting, highly ornamented, and thus authentically coherent to the tradition, and yet appealing to a vast audience.

Teud is, at the same time, an artistic testament and a musical journey; it deserves to be heard and appreciated far beyond the area that inspired it.