The Folk Orchestra of Santa Barbara (FOSB), a thriving and unique cultural phenom founded and courageously maintained by Adam Phillips, has been known to be partial to travel. In musical tradition terms, that is. Phillips calls upon a different musical culture theme for each of the concerts in a given season, including the foreign land of “the ‘60s.” But the worldly flavor FOSB resonates deepest with is in the realm of all things Celtic.
That in-house tendency was in extra-sharp focus at last weekend’s orchestra program called simply “Scottish,” with a special addition of famed Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and his partner, cellist Natalie Haas. Fraser and Haas (see link) have built up a global reputation for their duo, with several albums out and a regular call for their services far and wide, including in the 805. Phillips put in his call first as part of the 2024-25 season, and the pair revisited last weekend, a starring role in an altogether inspiring musical outing.
A full house packed into the atmospherically embracing Trinity Episcopal Church on Friday night, before the band roamed the county, to El Presidio Chapel and then Los Olivos’s St. Marks-in-the-Valley over the next two days. Call it a Santa Barbara County tour by a roving folk orchestra. Not every community can claim such a distinctive and ongoing enterprise in its cultural midst.
For this concert, ample spotlight went to both the duo and the 28-member orchestra, and the mix thereof, on such guest-geared Phillips arrangements as “Archibald MacDonald of Keppoch” and “The Sailor’s Wife/The Land of Duns” — both from the duo’s 2004 album Fire & Grace. If this specialized setting meant less focus on solos by individual orchestra members for this special program, all in the house and stage appreciated gaining audience with these two musical beacons.
Fraser and Haas assumed their proper position, perched on risers in the center of the ensemble, and performed several tunes on their own, between orchestral passages. Before their first featured duet piece, Fraser assured the audience that Scottish folk tradition “is alive and well and kicking and the younger generation is taking up the cause.” Fraser is steeped in his native country’s historic vocabulary while also working in updated folk variations, and Haas — a classically-trained musician — showed her “hybrid” sensibilities with polish and flourish.
Phillips is a multitasking and multi-instrumental leader. Here, he played guitar, lent his supple tenor voice around the songs “A Red, Red, Rose” and “Duncan Johnstone” (text by Scottish bard Robert Burns, 1759-96), led his graceful arrangements, and particularly championed his collection of assorted bagpipes. “How can you not be as in love with bagpipes as I am?,” he asked the crowd, tongue at least half in cheek. He played the small pipes, session pipes and other models, and opened the concert’s second half by piping in motion, slowly proceeding up the sanctuary’s central aisle. His move was a fine and proper way to kick off a Celtic ceremony in progress.
As is the orchestra’s tradition, each of the concert’s sets closed with audience-interactive singalongs on “The Parting Glass,” more relevant than ever considering its ancient Scottish origin. Such a singalong tradition, as with the general state of operations with this group, is prone to trigger a warm and fuzzy sensation, in the best and most affirmative way.
For FOSB, the stylistic travel plan continues. In the new year, the orchestra goes Medieval on January 30-February 1, and Irish on March 13-15.
For more on FOSB, see folkorchestrasb.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.