Hanneke Cassel: November 2022 Artist of the Month

HANNEKE CASSEL:

NOVEMBER 2022 ARTIST OF THE MONTH

 

Hanneke Cassel Band at West Whately Chapel

 

Some media outlets continue to call fiddler extraordinaire Hanneke Cassel a “rising star” in Celtic music. Good grief! After eight solo albums and two collaboration albums in less than two decades, what more do they need? (Or are they doing the famed Internet cut-and-paste-don’t-look-at-the date routine?) Do the math; that’s an album every two years.

 

To be sure, Ms. Cassel, a Portland, Oregon native who now lives in Somerville, has worn a lot of hats. She cut her teeth on Tex-Mex music before making her way to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, a school that doesn’t turn out half-talents. She was part of Berklee’s scholarship tour in 1996 and won the National Scottish Fiddle Championship the next year, a career-altering experience. It didn’t hurt to apprentice with Alasdair Fraser, my candidate for the finest Celtic fiddler on the planet. How good is Cassel? Good enough to teach at Fraser’s camp in California and instruct students in Boston. Good enough to wow audience across the globe. Good enough to try her hand at Baroque music.

 

 

 

Cassel specializes in Scottish and Cape Breton styles, the later island the home to older styles of Scottish music before they were influenced–for good or ill–by 19^th century Victorianism. The Boston Irish Reporter calls her “artistic and emotive,” but what immediately strikes most people is her exuberance. A friend of mine endearingly calls her “The Energizer Bunny,” an apt appellation. Even though she’s also the mother of a two-year-old–her husband is cellist Mike Block, a superb player in his own right–Cassel is a performer who leaves it all on the stage. I caught her in a recent Watermelon Wednesday concert at the West Whately Chapel. Perhaps “see” is too tame a verb; she’s often a blur when her part comes around. That night she was with guitarist Keith Murphy and five-string fiddler Jenna Moynihan. Sometimes the Hanneke Cassel Band also includes cellist/fiddler Tristram Clarridge.

 

Cassel played from both her back catalogue and from her latest album, Over the Sea to Skye, which I don’t own yet, but given what I heard, I soon will. Like all good artists, her repertoire has grown more sophisticated over the years. There’s something sublime to be said of all her records, but if you want to hear her in her most traditional mode, her 2004 recording Some Melodious Sonnet offers old-style strathspeys, some jigs, a few early compositions, a couple of hymeneals (wedding songs), a journey to Norway, and even some Irish tunes. Pick up Dot the Dragon’s Eyes (great title!) and you can hear how she picked up the tempo in nine years, but also retained the grace. That’s really the key to great music; you let the music play you instead of trying to cast the spotlight on yourself. Do it well and the accolades follow. (How often have you stifled the urge to shout “Overdone!” at a concert or belt it out at home?)    

 

The best way to experience Cassel is to check her out for yourself. Here are a few live links that come close to capturing her performances. Close but only half of a cigar. The best way lies in the category of “You had to be there.”

 

Rob Weir

 

Instructional video for the Dot the Dragon’s Eyes title track. Note the control and emotion though it’s a fast-paced tune. You can turn it off at 1:41 if, like me, you’re only a fiddler in your dreams. 

 

Catch her with hubby Mike Block on a medley of “Christina’sJig/Dot the Dragon’s Eye.” I love the way she uses her whole arm and the subtle transition of tones and pace. And I adore the deep resonance of Block’s cello. Can “dark” light up a room? 

 

Think that went by fast, how about this Cape Breton set that includes a bit of everything with Montreal’s Yann Falquet.Precision + control = amazing. Having a lot of fun helps too!

 

The true test of a fiddler is how well they play a slow tune. Cassel’s take on the air “Hector the Hero” answers any questions about her prowess. Listen through to 4:21