Tag: Ewen Henderson

An initial inspection of Ewen Henderson’s new album left me puzzled. The front cover looks old-fashioned, something from the 1960s perhaps, not suggesting anything ground-breaking unlike the music of his band, Mânran. The inside of the gatefold looks very modern, hinting at something else entirely. And that, I think, is the point. Léirsinn – Perception is about how we look at things, particularly places, in imagination and in reality. Ewan is a multi-instrumentalist and composer working in both English and Gaelic and half of the album was recorded in the studio and half in live performance at Celtic Connections.

The first track, ‘Òran do Rùm’, is a piano-driven Gaelic song in praise of the island of Rùm in the Hebrides. It’s one of the live recordings and sounds traditional although, like the whole album, is an original composition. It makes for a bold, boisterous opening to the record and Ewen includes it in the imagination section. The reality is the long studio-recorded ‘Rum – Kinloch Castle/Tir Nan Daoine’s Tir Nan Beathaichean’ in which Ewen voyages to Rùm on a foggy day and never sees the peaks mentioned in the song.

‘Coire Mhic Fhearchair’ is in the Torridon hills and is a very popular tourist destination. Ewan’s imagination conjures up a beautiful piece of music but within that are thoughts of a fatal air crash there in 1951. It is played live as is ‘Beinn Eighe/Ewan Robertson, Celtman’, a description of his visit to the region in support of his brother-in-law’s attempt at the Celtman Extreme Triathlon. Although Ewen plays most of the instruments used he can’t play them all at once so these tracks (and several others) include guests Su-A Lee, Megan Henderson, Iain MacFarlane, Hamish Napier and Innes Watson.

Much of the music was written during lockdown and ‘Nuallan’ refers to the rutting of the stags in Glencoe that Ewen would not be able to hear that year. It’s a gorgeous, stately piece that somehow evokes the feeling of autumn. ‘Coire Gabhail’ is an area of Glencoe that Ewen enjoys. The performance begins with the cello of Su-A Lee imitating the lowing of a stag that Ewen might – or might not – have heard on his last visit. ‘Eadar An Dà Bhràigh’ is a nature reserve near Glen Spean and the subject of another live piano-based Gaelic song.

Back to reality now with the three parts of ‘Creag Meagaidh’, studio based and a multi-tracked tour de force by Ewen. The final two tracks are the jolly ‘Glory To The Hi-Hi’ and ‘Cathkin Park’, the first recorded live and the second in the studio. Both are tributes to Glasgow football club Queen’s Park – the one that isn’t Rangers or Celtic.

Having listened to Léirsinn – Perception carefully and read Ewen’s detailed notes I see where he’s coming from. Like most music from 2020 and thereabouts the background is deeply personal and is possibly something that Ewen might not have done had it not been for the hiatus in reality.

Dai Jeffries

Artist’s website: www.ewen-henderson.com

‘Beinn Eighn/Ewan Robertson, Celtman’ – official video: