THE ROCK

THE ROCK AND THE WEE PICKLE TOW   (TRAD, ARR. COLLIS/DORWARD)
THE HALCYON DAYS   (AARON COLLIS)

GOOD MORNING YOU WOULD LIKE SOME TEA

MEMORIES OF FATHER ANGUS MACDONNELL   (MIKE MACDOUGALL)
GOOD MORNING YOU WOULD LIKE SOME TEA   (RUFUS GUINCHARD)
JIM RUMBOLT’S TOO   (RUFUS GUINCHARD)

SALT POUND SINGLES

RABBITS SITTING IN A BUSH   (TRAD, ARR. COLLIS/DORWARD)
LADIES IN THE SALT POUND   (TRAD, ARR. COLLIS/DORWARD)
CYRIL FLYNN’S GOOD OLD TUNE   (TRAD, ARR. COLLIS/DORWARD)

Doug Dorward is a fiddle player from Liff, Scotland.

He was inspired to pick up the fiddle at an early age by his uncle, Scottish fiddler Iain Fraser, his grandfather and his sister. Doug was taught by Gill Simpson, and grew up playing music with family and friends. His enthusiasm for the Scottish fiddle was fuelled by regular trips to Alasdair Fraser’s Sabhal Mòr Ostaig fiddle course on Skye, and two visits to the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School in California. In his teenage years Doug was a member and then leader of youth fiddle group Tayside Young Fiddlers.

In 2014 Doug moved to St. John’s, Newfoundland. He became a part of the lively Newfoundland traditional music scene and incorporated the style and tunes into his own playing. Doug’s experiences in Newfoundland inspired him to record his first album Waves, which combines the traditional music of Scotland and Newfoundland.

Waves was nominated for "Traditional Instrumental Recording of the Year" at the 2017 East Coast Music Awards.

WAVES

Released September 9, 2016

A mix of traditional tunes from Scotland and Newfoundland, “Waves” is the debut album from Doug Dorward.

Recorded in the spring of 2016 in St. John’s Newfoundland.

Produced by Aaron Collis
Engineered and mixed by Billy Sutton
Recorded at The Sound Solution, St. John’s, NL, Canada
Mastered by Jason Whelan at The Sound Solution
Design by Matthew Byrne.
Photography by Marc Lafrenière.

1. Morag and Binker’s

Morag Dorward’s (Doug Dorward)
Binker’s Tune (Doug Dorward)

Morag Dorward’s is written for and named after my Mum. I wrote Binker’s Tune for my sister Sarah, who’s childhood nickname was Binker.

2. Good Morning You Would Like Some Tea

Memories of Father Angus MacDonnell (Mike MacDougall)
Good Morning You Would Like Some Tea (Rufus Guinchard)
Jim Rumbolt’s Too (Rufus Guinchard)

A Cape Breton march followed by two of my favourite Newfoundland doubles.

3. Crossing the Bridge

The Shetland Molecule (John McCusker)
The Farley Bridge (Duncan Chisholm)

Beautiful tunes written by Scottish fiddle players John McCusker and Duncan Chisholm. 

4. Salt Pound Singles

Rabbits Sitting in a Bush (trad*)
Ladies in the Salt Pound (trad*)
Cyril Flynn’s Good Old Tune (trad*)

Three Newfoundland singles I learned from the playing of Aaron Collis and Emilia Bartellas. 

5. Merrymaking

Pamela Rose Grant (Alasdair Fraser)
The Merrymaking (Simon Fraser collection*)
The Scolding Wives of Abertarff (Simon Fraser collection*)
Lady Charlotte Campbell (Robert Mackintosh*)

I was reminded of this gorgeous strathspey by Alasdair Fraser when it popped up in the repertoire of a Scottish Country Dance band I joined in St. John’s. This is followed by three Scottish reels found in the Athole Collection.

6. Alfie’s New Home

Alfie’s Polka (Doug Dorward)
Kirkdean (Doug Dorward)

Polkas I wrote for my sister and her husband for two of the most important things in their life at the time – their cat and their new house!

7. The Ornithologist

Kenny MacDonald’s (Norman MacDonald)
The Skylark’s Ascension (Archibald Lindsay)

Two of my favourite pipe jigs. I learned the first from my brother in law, Scot Wilson. I learned the second during an early visit to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Skye.

8. Lullaby

Eilean Beag Donn A Chuain / Little Brown Island in the Ocean (Donald Morrison)
Dream Angus (trad*)

A favourite Gaelic air, learned from the playing of Alasdair Fraser. I have early childhood memories of my Grandma singing Dream Angus as she tucked me into bed at night.

9. The Rock

The Rock and the Wee Pickle Tow (trad*)
The Halcyon Days (Aaron Collis)

A traditional Scottish jig paired with a jig written by Newfoundland accordion player Aaron Collis. I had a great time working on this album with Aaron, and I'm delighted we recorded one of his tunes.

10. Naxos Dance Party Breakdown

Harris Dance (trad*)
Jeff Blythe’s Reel (Emile Benoit)
An Drochaid Chliùteach / The Famous Bridge (trad*)
Naxos Dance Party Breakdown (Doug Dorward)

The album closes with a Scottish reel, a Newfoundland reel, and Scottish reel, and one of my own reels. I wrote Naxos Dance Party Breakdown following a holiday Emilia and I had in the Greek islands. While exploring Naxos in a worse for wear rental car we pulled over to enjoy an incredible view, turned the Greek music on the car radio up as loud as it would go and danced around in the sun. When we eventually got back in the car, we realized our impromptu party had completely drained the battery.

* trad, arranged Collis / Dorward

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