Fiddling Heritage
by Bill Smith
When I visit Banchory and the area round about, I always get the feeling of being amongst a large group of very fine fiddle players. I don’t suppose this is very surprising considering the history of the district and the many fine players who have hailed from there over the years. Whilst there are some notable accordionists there, I’m sure that even they would agree that the fiddle dominates.
The Banchory Strathspey and Reel Society was in being before the Accordion and Fiddle Club was formed. Although the two organizations still have a separate identity, there seems to have been a successful marriage between the two. Club nights are usually well attended and there are always plenty of fiddle of fiddle players performing. In this respect the Banchory Club is probably quite unique. In most other Clubs, accordionists are usually in plentiful supply with a scarcity of fiddlers.
Bill Smith, Chairman and regular compere at the Club is a well-known figure on the Scottish music scene, taking his playing all over the country. When I asked him to provide some background information, he was only too pleased to agree.
Banchory A&F Club was formed in 1977 as a result of a conversation between the late Bert Flett, the then manager of the Burnett Arms Hotel, and Bill Smith, the Secretary of the Banchory S&R Society.
A Committee was formed with Bert becoming the Club’s Honorary President and Bill Smith, Secretary with Mrs Margaret Smith the Club Treasurer.
The opening night was a tremendous success, the first guest artiste being Jimmy Blue, and he played tp a packed house of enthusiasm and appreciation of his talents.
Musicians from a wide area came and provided a splendid entertainment, strongly supported by members of the Banchory S&R Society.
Members were co-opted to the Committee at that time and many of them like Charles Esson Snr and Charles Esson Jnr, Rhoda Drummond, Fred Davidson, James Linklater, Mrs J. Joss, Mrs J. Fyfe and Mr Sandy Cooper the S&R Society’s conductor still provide sterling service to the Club.
Within a year the Club had enough funds to provide an evening’s entertainment for Banchory Senior Citizens, with most of those invited going home a gift of some sort. There were many generous donors, the principal of these being the local firm AMMCO. The Club officials have always been grateful to these generous benefactors and this special night which is always held on the last Monday might of the year remains the highlight of the Club’s year.
The club has been featured on Grampian Television and on S.T.V.
This year a tape has been produced entitled ‘A Night with Banchory Accordion and Fiddle Club in the Burnett Arms Hotel’ (that’s easy for you to say!!) and the recording which features many of the Club’s regular performers has been highly successful.
The Club is indebted to Charles Esson Jnr and his partner Willie Kelman for the production of the tape.
Since the Club’s inception many young players have established themselves as musicians of top quality, winning top awards at Festivals the length and breadth of the country and indeed premier awards in the fiddle sections.
The Club has also acted as a suitable venue for audition artistes who have taken part in the Fiddler’s Spectacular held in H.M. Theatre, Aberdeen.
Players of talent who come to mind in this respect over the years are The Currie Brothers, The Donaldson Brothers, Judith Davidson, Alex Bain and Paul, David and Heather Anderson. Plus the very talented Clark family from Aberdeen.
The writer can well record the words of the late Mollie Ogston when having a radio interview with Robbie shepherd. “One month you go along to the Club and you listen to a beginner, a bit scratchy, but in two or three months time you can see and hear the difference.” Molly thought the A&F Clubs were ‘the greatest thing since sliced bread’ and I think she was a lady of great perception.
The more that a person becomes involved with music, I feel that they are more in tune with life. It is an international language that has no barriers.
Over the years the Club has had most of the top bands and soloists as guests.
Long may the A&F Clubs flourish and especially its lifeline the ‘B&F’, thank to all those who work so hard to produce this excellent paper, my congratulations to one and all involved. Let us have more S&R Societies getting involved in the competition scene and more A&F Clubs interchanging nights as well as guests.
Scott Skinner wrote :
Talent does what it can, genius what it must.
Let us work at the talent and provide enjoyment and perhaps produce a few in the genius class.
Banchory S&R Society was formed in 1932, the first conductor being the local station master, William Cruickshank.
Since its inception the Society has maintained a high standard of playing the traditional music of Scotland.
It is only natural that Banchory being the birth place of the legendary Scott Skinner, the Society should have a leaning towards the music of its most famous son.
The orchestra has had five conductors since 1932 until the present time.
Banchory Festival of Scottish Music began in 1951 and was organized by the local bank manager, Henry W. auchinachie in conjunction with the late Sandy Milne and these Festivals have gone from strength to strength over the years. The Festival is always held on the second Saturday in May.
The backbone of the Society has been the fine nucleus of traditional type players from earlier days, combined with those of a newer and vastly different generation who yet work hard to keep alive the unique style of Scottish playing. One of the best of the older players was the late Duncan Strachan of Potarch. The writer did not have the privilege of hearing Duncan play, but has heard many glowing reports of his playing ability from such as the late Sandy Milne.
Sandy was a past conductor and enthusiast who did much to keep the Society going and will be long remembered for his T.V. programmes on the ‘Magnus Magnusson Show’ and the programme from Blair Castle in which the Angus S&R Society and Banchory were united under the batons of Yehudi Menuhin, Angus Cameron and Sandy Milne.
The late Hector McAndrew also played a major part in the T.V. programme.
Hector was the teacher and mentor of two of the orchestra’s present day players, Alex Bain and Jane Davidson (nee Smith), both have been winners in top class competitions and Mrs Davidson is in charge of the Society’s large group of junior players, so the link with this great exponent of fiddle playing is still being passed on to the very young.
The Banchory S&R Society take part in Festivals with great success the length and breadth of Scotland. Many of the young players who pick up the awards at Festivals have started their playing careers with Banchory.
To name but a few :
Judith Davidson and Angela Smith, both past junior and senior Golden Fiddle Award winners.
Alex Bain, Kathleen MAir (nee Smith), Tracey Moir, Neil Dawson, Rebecca Hunter, Paul, David and Heather Anderson from Tarland and their cousins from Aberdeen, Avril and Gary Anderson. Brian Cruickshank from Kintore is another extremely talented musician who has served the Society well, equally at home on fiddle or double bass. Another talented player who deserves a mention is Lynn Gould, accordionist from huntly.
During the present conductor, Mr Alexander Cooper’s, time in charge, the orchestra has probably had its most successful years.
The orchestra having produced tapes and records, made radio and television broadcasts and been guests in the Inter Celtic Festival in Lorient seven times and performed in Schwabisch Gmund in West Germany, also Frankfurt and Munich.
There is a good team of back-up workers with great support from parents, husbands and wives.
I am sure that the orchestra, now 65 in number, with anage rance from 8 years to its senior member H.G. Nicoll aged 92, can only go from strength to strength.
Footnote
It was with sadness that we learned of the death of Bert Flett early in 1988. Bert was a familiar figure at the Club and was always active in promoting the interests of Scottish music. He is sadly missed.
Box and Fiddle
Oct/Nov 1988
by Bill Smith
When I visit Banchory and the area round about, I always get the feeling of being amongst a large group of very fine fiddle players. I don’t suppose this is very surprising considering the history of the district and the many fine players who have hailed from there over the years. Whilst there are some notable accordionists there, I’m sure that even they would agree that the fiddle dominates.
The Banchory Strathspey and Reel Society was in being before the Accordion and Fiddle Club was formed. Although the two organizations still have a separate identity, there seems to have been a successful marriage between the two. Club nights are usually well attended and there are always plenty of fiddle of fiddle players performing. In this respect the Banchory Club is probably quite unique. In most other Clubs, accordionists are usually in plentiful supply with a scarcity of fiddlers.
Bill Smith, Chairman and regular compere at the Club is a well-known figure on the Scottish music scene, taking his playing all over the country. When I asked him to provide some background information, he was only too pleased to agree.
Banchory A&F Club was formed in 1977 as a result of a conversation between the late Bert Flett, the then manager of the Burnett Arms Hotel, and Bill Smith, the Secretary of the Banchory S&R Society.
A Committee was formed with Bert becoming the Club’s Honorary President and Bill Smith, Secretary with Mrs Margaret Smith the Club Treasurer.
The opening night was a tremendous success, the first guest artiste being Jimmy Blue, and he played tp a packed house of enthusiasm and appreciation of his talents.
Musicians from a wide area came and provided a splendid entertainment, strongly supported by members of the Banchory S&R Society.
Members were co-opted to the Committee at that time and many of them like Charles Esson Snr and Charles Esson Jnr, Rhoda Drummond, Fred Davidson, James Linklater, Mrs J. Joss, Mrs J. Fyfe and Mr Sandy Cooper the S&R Society’s conductor still provide sterling service to the Club.
Within a year the Club had enough funds to provide an evening’s entertainment for Banchory Senior Citizens, with most of those invited going home a gift of some sort. There were many generous donors, the principal of these being the local firm AMMCO. The Club officials have always been grateful to these generous benefactors and this special night which is always held on the last Monday might of the year remains the highlight of the Club’s year.
The club has been featured on Grampian Television and on S.T.V.
This year a tape has been produced entitled ‘A Night with Banchory Accordion and Fiddle Club in the Burnett Arms Hotel’ (that’s easy for you to say!!) and the recording which features many of the Club’s regular performers has been highly successful.
The Club is indebted to Charles Esson Jnr and his partner Willie Kelman for the production of the tape.
Since the Club’s inception many young players have established themselves as musicians of top quality, winning top awards at Festivals the length and breadth of the country and indeed premier awards in the fiddle sections.
The Club has also acted as a suitable venue for audition artistes who have taken part in the Fiddler’s Spectacular held in H.M. Theatre, Aberdeen.
Players of talent who come to mind in this respect over the years are The Currie Brothers, The Donaldson Brothers, Judith Davidson, Alex Bain and Paul, David and Heather Anderson. Plus the very talented Clark family from Aberdeen.
The writer can well record the words of the late Mollie Ogston when having a radio interview with Robbie shepherd. “One month you go along to the Club and you listen to a beginner, a bit scratchy, but in two or three months time you can see and hear the difference.” Molly thought the A&F Clubs were ‘the greatest thing since sliced bread’ and I think she was a lady of great perception.
The more that a person becomes involved with music, I feel that they are more in tune with life. It is an international language that has no barriers.
Over the years the Club has had most of the top bands and soloists as guests.
Long may the A&F Clubs flourish and especially its lifeline the ‘B&F’, thank to all those who work so hard to produce this excellent paper, my congratulations to one and all involved. Let us have more S&R Societies getting involved in the competition scene and more A&F Clubs interchanging nights as well as guests.
Scott Skinner wrote :
Talent does what it can, genius what it must.
Let us work at the talent and provide enjoyment and perhaps produce a few in the genius class.
Banchory S&R Society was formed in 1932, the first conductor being the local station master, William Cruickshank.
Since its inception the Society has maintained a high standard of playing the traditional music of Scotland.
It is only natural that Banchory being the birth place of the legendary Scott Skinner, the Society should have a leaning towards the music of its most famous son.
The orchestra has had five conductors since 1932 until the present time.
Banchory Festival of Scottish Music began in 1951 and was organized by the local bank manager, Henry W. auchinachie in conjunction with the late Sandy Milne and these Festivals have gone from strength to strength over the years. The Festival is always held on the second Saturday in May.
The backbone of the Society has been the fine nucleus of traditional type players from earlier days, combined with those of a newer and vastly different generation who yet work hard to keep alive the unique style of Scottish playing. One of the best of the older players was the late Duncan Strachan of Potarch. The writer did not have the privilege of hearing Duncan play, but has heard many glowing reports of his playing ability from such as the late Sandy Milne.
Sandy was a past conductor and enthusiast who did much to keep the Society going and will be long remembered for his T.V. programmes on the ‘Magnus Magnusson Show’ and the programme from Blair Castle in which the Angus S&R Society and Banchory were united under the batons of Yehudi Menuhin, Angus Cameron and Sandy Milne.
The late Hector McAndrew also played a major part in the T.V. programme.
Hector was the teacher and mentor of two of the orchestra’s present day players, Alex Bain and Jane Davidson (nee Smith), both have been winners in top class competitions and Mrs Davidson is in charge of the Society’s large group of junior players, so the link with this great exponent of fiddle playing is still being passed on to the very young.
The Banchory S&R Society take part in Festivals with great success the length and breadth of Scotland. Many of the young players who pick up the awards at Festivals have started their playing careers with Banchory.
To name but a few :
Judith Davidson and Angela Smith, both past junior and senior Golden Fiddle Award winners.
Alex Bain, Kathleen MAir (nee Smith), Tracey Moir, Neil Dawson, Rebecca Hunter, Paul, David and Heather Anderson from Tarland and their cousins from Aberdeen, Avril and Gary Anderson. Brian Cruickshank from Kintore is another extremely talented musician who has served the Society well, equally at home on fiddle or double bass. Another talented player who deserves a mention is Lynn Gould, accordionist from huntly.
During the present conductor, Mr Alexander Cooper’s, time in charge, the orchestra has probably had its most successful years.
The orchestra having produced tapes and records, made radio and television broadcasts and been guests in the Inter Celtic Festival in Lorient seven times and performed in Schwabisch Gmund in West Germany, also Frankfurt and Munich.
There is a good team of back-up workers with great support from parents, husbands and wives.
I am sure that the orchestra, now 65 in number, with anage rance from 8 years to its senior member H.G. Nicoll aged 92, can only go from strength to strength.
Footnote
It was with sadness that we learned of the death of Bert Flett early in 1988. Bert was a familiar figure at the Club and was always active in promoting the interests of Scottish music. He is sadly missed.
Box and Fiddle
Oct/Nov 1988