REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

CALUM STEWART & HEIKKI BOURGAULT - Hunter's Moon
CH/2 DB12

A second outing for Edinburgh flute phenomenon Calum Stewart and Breton guitarist Heikki Bourgault, who now have their own homespun website www.calumheikki.com available in English and French (not Breton). With sound samples from Hunter's Moon, live videos and lots more information, you can find out all you need to know online, so I could stop right here.

But I won't. As you've already made the effort to read this far, I'll save you the bother of looking elsewhere. This is a great CD, a little short at 42 minutes but otherwise near perfect. Calum's prodigious flute playing has improved if anything from his previous recordings: it seems even more confident and controlled and he's developing a recognisable style with breath effects and octave jumps. His playing in the low octave is particularly rich and resonant for the numerous slower tunes here, while the reels and jigs soar effortlessly into the higher registers. The most obvious change on Hunter's Moon is the addition of uilleann pipes, an instrument which Calum seems to have mastered in an amazingly short time. The pipes feature on five of the nine tracks here, always in duet with the flute, but holding their own on everything from the title air to the full-throttle dance music. I certainly couldn't tell that this was not a well-known master piper guesting with Calum and Heikki: there isn't a flicker of inexperience and Calum throws in some tasty ornamentation as well as a few expressive bent notes.

The material on this album is the eclectic mix you'd expect from young Scots and Breton players: some old stalwarts such as The Hurricane and The Sailor's Wife (a favourite jig of mine), some rarities from the tradition such as Bill Margeson's Barndance from Ireland and La Légende De La Cane from Brittany and several compositions by Stewart and Bourgault. I know this pair put a lot of thought into their arrangements and even into tune combinations: the Corryvreckan set, for example, combines a few whirlpool-related melodies, some traditional and some written by Calum or Heikki. In addition to composing and arranging, Heikki is responsible for all the backing and harmony lines - I'm not sure if his guitar is double-tracked, like the flute and pipes, or if he manages all this with only two hands, but his contribution should not be underestimated. And, of course, his tunes are delightful: Rêve Agité and Passagers Nocturnes, as well as Another Winter written with Calum. There are five of Calum's fine tunes here too, from reels to waltzes and for me the title track is the best example. Hunter's Moon is a beautiful piece, superbly arranged and a suitable ambassador for this exceptional CD.

www.calumheikki.com

Alex Monaghan