From the Ganga to the Tay – Concert reading of Poetry with Music in Scotland

At the Gorky Parrish Church in Edinburgh, Scotland on August 9, 2011, I accompanied two readers on the epic poem From the Ganga to the Tay by Bashabi Fraser.   The concert reading was magical for performers and audience, and the audience gave warm reception.  Reading were Chrys Salt as the Ganga, Donald Smith as the Tay, and Michael Braudy on violin wove together ragas and Scottish tunes.   Videos by Kenny Munro, co-author of the book, were projected above on a screen.  I enjoy this kind of spontaneous work. 

While in Edinburgh, I had the opportunity to see the daughter of a friend who is a classical singer studying Gaelic and Scottish traditional music, and meet a pipe maker and cittern player whose home and studio I later visited in Pathhead, where we played with a bodran player in a pub.  Neil and Bashabi Fraser were wonderful hosts for the week.