A certain amount of digit-dazzle seems intrinsic to solo-guitar interpretations of Celtic music,
whose reels, fiddle tunes, and even ballads almost demand lively filigree. But in
equating the genre with sprightly dance tempos and virtuosic fingerplay, one risks
overlooking the equally authentic subtleties and the more contemplative humors of the
Celtic muse. One might, for example, not discover a sensitive effort such as Christopher
Dean's recording debut, Highland Heritage: The Music of Scotland and Ireland.
Dean is a fiercely proud Scotsman who has pilgrimaged from Southern California to the
battlefields of his ancestral homeland to stand where his forebears (the MacKays) fought
invading English armies in the 18th Century. The cover of Highland Heritage superimposes
Dean onto a photo he took at Ruthven, in the Highlands - the site of key battles with
troops sent by the Hanoverian crown to conquer the Clans.
Dean celebrates his combinative ethnomusical heritage with what amounts to an evocative "soundtrack" to roots-digging. Those who believe they're unfamiliar with Celtic music will find a footbridge in the mostly traditional song selection ("Wild Mountain Thyme", "Danny Boy", "The River Wide [The Water is Wide]"), but the CD also includes Pierre Bensusan's lovely "Voyage to Ireland".
We've all heard flashy players who impress but don't move or engage us because their guitar work is more fingercraft than communication. It is apparent from Dean's deft yet unhurried execution that the goal is not to win a fingerpicking tournament, but to render each tune with an economy that lays bare its emotional wiring. Notes and phrases ring with purpose, and an intangible "something" (perhaps "soul" is a good word) emerges from the outlines of ages-old melodies and modal harmonies.
Highland Heritage's deliberate pacing and hushed reverence draw you into an almost mysterious communion with the ancient Scots-Irish. It comes from an area in the heart reserved for reflection on the personal meaning of history, place, and bloodline. And it does not require being of Scottish or Irish descent to become enveloped in its poignancy and emotion.
