John McCusker - Under One Sky

(March 2009) 7 tracks (63 mins): Under One Sky * Will I See Thee More / Hush A Bye * 'S Tusa Thilleas * Long Time Past / Lavender Hill * Jigs, Strathspey & Reel * All Has Gone * Jack Seward's / Boys of the Puddle.

John McCusker with Julie Fowlis, Roddy Woomble, John Tams, Andy Cutting, Ian Carr, Roy Dodds, Ewan Vernal, Jim Causley, Iain MacDonald, Emma Reid, Graham Coxon, James Mackintosh and Norman Blake.

A vocal and instrumental suite by the Scottish multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer John McCusker, performed by a dozen of some of Britain's finest musicians.

The suite sets out to explore and interweave the many different traditions, genres and influences at work across today's dynamic UK folk scene.

Bringing together an array of established and emerging talent from both sides of the border, McCusker's hand-picked ensemble includes Blur co-founder Graham Coxon, Idlewild vocalist Roddy Woomble and acclaimed Gaelic songstress Julie Fowlis. Revered balladeer John Tams and rising star Jim Causley also feature among the singers.

McCusker himself heads a crème-de-la-crème instrumental line-up of Andy Cutting (diatonic accordion), Ian Carr (guitar), Emma Reid (fiddle), Iain MacDonald (bagpipes, whistles, flute), Ewen Vernal (bass) and James Mackintosh (percussion).

Within McCusker's compositional framework, each musician has been encouraged to contribute to the music's development and arrangements, infusing them with a vibrant collaborative spirit.