Alasdair White is a Scottish folk musician born in 1983 on the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...

, Scotland. In 2001, when he was only 18 years old, he joined

Battlefield Band Battlefield Band was a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, none of the original founders remain in the band. Their last known live per ...

as a virtuoso fiddle player.

Origins

White is a

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

speaker, and originates from

Tong Tong may refer to: Chinese *Tang dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese *Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities *''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...

on the

one of Scotland's

islands, a geographical area where the Gaelic language and culture are of great importance to its native inhabitants; it is this, combined with general Scottish culture that influences White's playing style. White's chief instrument is the

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

, which he generally plays in West-Highland and North-West styles; these styles being heavily derived from a culture with a rich piping tradition. He also plays the

whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', , from Greek , from Turkish ) is a musical instrument popular in West Asia (Syria, Iraq), Europe and Balkans (Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey). It is a member of the long-necked lute fam ...

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

, Highland and Small pipes, 'and probably anything else he can lay his hands on!'

Early career

White's musical career started while still at school playing with the Face the West, releasing their first CD, ''Edge of Reason'', while still at school. The band continued on when White left to join Battlefield Band and have just released their second album. White appeared with Face the West at the Hebridean Celtic Festival in July 2009 for a Face the West and Friends gig on the main stage.

Battlefield Band

White joined Battlefield Band in September 2001 and appeared for the first time on a Battlefield Band album on '' Time and Tide'' (2002). Since then, he appeared on all Battlefield Band subsequent (studio) albums: '' Out for the Night'' (2004), '' The Road of Tears'' (2006), ''Dookin'' (2007), ''Zama Zama... Try Your Luck'' (2009), '' Line-up'' (2011), '' Room Enough For All'' (2013) and their latest album to date '' Beg & Borrow'' (2015).

Solo career

Aside from Battlefield Band, White released a solo album in 2006 entitled ''An Clár Geal'' (''The White Album''). This album features thirteen tracks, traditional Scottish arrangements as well as White's own work. On this album, White worked with musicians Ewen McPherson (Banjo/Guitar/Mandolin/Tromb), Aaron Jones (10-string bouzouki/Bass), Iain Copeland (Percussion), Russel Hunter (Piano), Alison Kinnaird (Scottish Harp) and fellow Battlefield Band member Mike Katz (Highland Pipes/Scottish Small Pipes in keys C and A). In early 2008, ''An Clàr Geal'' won in The 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Traditional World Album.Independent Music Awards - 7th Annual Winners
White is currently touring the US with the talented Scottish group Dàimh, temporarily replacing their regular fiddler, Gabe McVarish who has started a micro-brewery in Scotland and cannot currently tour outside the country.

Discography

*FTW001 Face the West - ''Edge of Reason'' *COMD2086 Christine Primrose - ''Gun Sireadh, Gun Iarraidh'' *COMD2089 Pat Kilbride - ''Nightingale Lane'' *COMD2093 Various Artists - ''The Portraits and the Music'' *COMD2090 Battlefield Band - ''Time & Tide'' *COMD2094 Battlefield Band - ''Out For The Night'' *COMD2095 Mike Katz - ''A Month of Sundays'' *COMD2096 Alison Kinnaird - ''The Silver String'' *COMD2098 Battlefield Band - ''The Road of Tears'' *COMD2099 Alasdair White - ''An Clàr Geal'' *COMD2100 Battlefield Band - ''Dookin *COMD2101 Mike Whellans ''Fired-Up & Ready'' *FTW002 Face The West - ''The Wishing Stone'' D*Niall Kirkpatrick Ceilidh Band - ''The Iona Connection'' (2005) *Niall Kirkpatrick Ceilidh Band - ''West Coast Swing'' (2007) *WSFTW003 Face The West - "The Young Fear Nothing" (2012)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Alasdair 1983 births Living people People from the Isle of Lewis 21st-century Scottish fiddlers British male violinists Scottish folk musicians Independent Music Awards winners Scottish Gaelic singers Battlefield Band members 21st-century Scottish violinists 21st-century British male musicians