Discography

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The Highest Apple
an ubhal as airde

1. An Ataireachd Ard 2. Chi mi'n Geamhradh 3. Cearcal a' Chuain 4. Solus na Madainn 5. On the Edge 6. An Ros/Griogal Cridhe 7. I'll Keep Coming Home 8. The Old Boys 9. Sguaban Arbhair 10. Foghar nan Eilean 11. Tuireadh Iain Ruaidh/Elegy 12. Mairi/Tillidh Mi 13. Skye 14. An Ubhal as Airde

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THE HIGHEST APPLE (an ubhal as airde)
"An instrumental cycle of Runrig songs"
by Steve Gwyn Davies (recorder/whistle) 
with Sabine Barnes Rauch (orchestral synthesisers) 
SOLCD01

"A wonderful CD" - Gerald Garcia, International Concert Guitarist 

"Absolutely beautiful" - Robbie Shepherd, Radio Scotland 

Praised by musicians ranging from leading pipers to Kate Bush, this powerfully emotional and much loved album is based on songs and tunes by Runrig, the internationally known Skye Gaelic rock band, together with several traditional Gaelic tunes. But the album is effectively a musical "work" in its own right.

THE HIGHEST APPLE does not fit easily into any single musical category. The soloist is still playing within a Celtic/traditional idiom, but the overall sound, with its "virtual" orchestral arrangements, has some classical overtones.

It is often commented that THE HIGHEST APPLE is highly evocative of the landscape and atmosphere of Skye. 

The album was produced in Skye and Edinburgh by Chris Harley, producer, amongst others, of Runrig, Donnie Munro, Blair Douglas and Wolfstone. Originally released in 1994 on the Vital Spark label, the album was digitally remastered and re-released in 2000 in a new edition with six tracks extended and several short unaccompanied tracks omitted. The music now forms a virtually continuous whole. 

THE RECORDER - NO LONGER A "TURN-OFF"!

Unusually for a Celtic album, the main solo instrument is a RECORDER - but not as we're used to hearing it! Here the instrument is played (for the first time?) with the kind of expressivity and power more usually associated with (say) a jazz saxophonist, a concert violinist or an uillean piper.

Steve's style of playing has also been described as being "at times of ecstatic purity, taking the listener to powerful regions of the heart".

The recorder's popular image is either as a children's' instrument or as a vehicle for Early Music. However, one aim with this and future albums is (in addition to these familiar roles) to help create an expanded and attractive new identity for the recorder - as an expressive instrument capable of handling a much wider range of emotions and of contemporary and popular musical styles.

ALBUMS IN PREPARATION BY STEVE GWYN DAVIES

THE ROSE OF ALL THE WORLD (SOLAS CD02)
and 
ROSA ALBA (The Little White Rose) (SOLAS CD03)

Both titles come from a famous poem by Hugh MacDiarmid. THE ROSE OF ALL THE WORLD is an ambitious project in which I shall be using jazz, popular, traditional and classical material from various countries (Incl. Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, USA). It will be a contemporary and highly romantic album; with more varied orchestration than THE HIGHEST APPLE, and using the whole range of recorders from bass to sopranino (solo and multi-tracking)

The Rose is a metaphor for desire: a symbol for the human heart. The title and cover design suggests, for instance: love between human beings: love for the Earth: the cosmic nature of love: the Earth itself holding us in its care.

It also expresses this: The Earth and the human heart are inseparable. Neither the Earth nor the heart recognise man-made boundaries or divisions. Beyond national, cultural and religious differences we all share the same heart and spirit - the same emotions, aspirations and desires. 

ROSA ALBA is complementary to THE ROSE OF ALL THE WORLD. Its cover design is the simple white rose (the Jacobite rose, a symbol of Scottish independence which was also worn by nationalist MSPs at the opening of the new Scottish Parliament in 1999) and the material will consist of traditional and contemporary Scottish and Gaelic music. I shall be playing a variety of recorders and whistles.

Both albums will be mainly of love-songs; in bringing the two albums out together I want to express in my own way the need for a global awareness in which we value the diversity of all cultures and all individual human beings. I am looking for ways to use both albums in support of environmental and humanitarian causes. 

FURTHER AHEAD 

An album of Sacred Music, including Welsh hymn tunes, with choir. 

and 

An album of Dance Music: from the Celtic and Scandinavian countries to the Balkans, the Mediterranean and South America.

OTHER RECORDINGS BY STEVE GWYN DAVIES

THE HIGHEST APPLE is the only album so far released, but short tracks - mainly unaccompanied - can also be found on: 

CD: "An ceol againn fhin" - music and song of Skye and Lochalsh (Dualchas, Skye) DUALO3 1994 (one solo track)

Cassette: "Caithream Ciuil" - the music and song of Skye and Lochalsh (Dualchas, Skye) DUALO1 1991 (same track as above plus additional track with Blair Douglas, keyboard)

Cassette: "An Talamh Breagha" - Gaelic songs and music from the Isle of Raasay (Urras Dualchas Ratharsaidh) UDROl 1997 (three solo tracks).

Videos: "My Scotland", Vols 1 and 2, by Hamish Maclnnes (Glencoe Productions). WEF6 1997. About nine solo tracks between the two videos. 

LP: "Bop Art" by Blue Aeroplanes (Partv Records) PART1 1983. Highland Bagpipes on one song, a setting of "Bagpipe Music" by Scots poet Louis MacNeice.

Except for the last item, all above tracks feature recorders or whistles.

MESSAGE TO ACCORDIONISTS:

Steve is always looking for accordion players to record or perform with him!