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Luke Daniels musician

Contemporary folk singer and musician.

Folk musician and multi-instrumentalist Luke Daniels is described by fRoots magazine as “having entered the pantheon of great players” for his 2012 double album The Mighty Box. More recently he’s gained major recognition as a new voice in singer-songwriting. Performing his 2014 PRS New Music Biennial commission on piano, guitar and 5-string banjo for live BBC Radio 3 broadcasts from London’s Southbank and The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall this summer, finding time also to make festival appearances on melodeon with the Cara Dillon Band at Cambridge, Sidmouth and Hebcelt in Inverness. A former member of the Riverdance band and soloist on the movie soundtracks for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Luke is a hugely talented performer with plenty to play and say about hope, hell and everything in between.

Last year a “debut” songs album What’s Here What’s Gone finally took shape when musicians from an earlier project Mother Glasgow regrouped to help realize twelve original songs under non-folk producer Paul Savage (Mogwai, The Delgados and Franz Ferdinand). For anyone prepared to step outside a comfort zone it can be a challenging experience. Yet we are focused on the planned live performances in 2014 and towards releasing the album in the autumn.

Receiving one of twenty New Music Biennial Awards from the PRS Foundation, Creative Scotland and BBC Radio 3 last year represented another opportunity to work with Matheu Watson in more familiar territory and having premiered their piece at Celtic Connections this January ahead of other performances this year including a live broadcast from Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on BBC Radio 3 in early August, the day after Cambridge Folk Festival as member of the Cara Dillon Band.

Recent festival apearances with Cara include Shrewsbury, Sidmouth, Tønder in Dennmark, The Fleadh in Derry and Plasencia Spain with Paul James of Blowzabella. Late 2012 saw the release of the most record for Wren. Mother Glasgow features twenty-musicinans based in the city and a body of work, both traditional and otherwise, that’s in some way linked to the city. Signing a brand agreement with the Commonwealth Games for use of their Culture 2014 logo is part of a plan to market it over the coming year. With musicians and singers such as Paul McKenna, Ross Ainlsie & Jarlath Henderson, Rua MacMillian, Kris Drever and Paddy Callaghan bringing their music to the project.

Since moving to Glasgow late in 2012 there’s been opportunities to perform at the city's world leading Celtic Connections Festival this year and last. A band gig in 2013 provided the first chance for duo sets with the incredible Tim Edey along with Lauren MacColl, Calum Stuart and Eamon Doorley of Danu. In 2013 assembling and rehearsing (or not!) the twelve players required to perform the premiere of a PRS for Music 2014 New Music Biennial commission written with Matheu Watson about Scottish drovers and their links to the Commonwealth. With earlier works involving Welsh music by Irish composer Anna Rice. In addition to Welsh musicians, a string quartet and performances of some trio pieces from an earlier collaboration with the English fiddler John Dipper, Mac Morin step dancer and pianist from Toronto also flew in as part of New World Drovers.

Gael Music bussed in around seventy pupils from four primary schools in South Lanarkshire. The Showcasing Scotland event meant that delegates from around the world were in to see the performance, as was the PRSF, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and UNESCO City of Music. No pressure then! 2012 saw the release of The Mighty Box a 24 track double CD of seventy two tunes intended as a tome to button box, or "gospel accordion to Luke" (sorry). An article in Living Tradition Magazine said he'd "entered the pantheon of great accordion players," as a result. A great achievement and a chance to explore a new keyboard tuning system struck upon whilst learning French horn in the two years prior; an A/B♭ system providing more scope for cross fingering. It was great too working with two great guitar players Seamie O'Dowd and Dennis Cahill and the bodhran player Junior Davey.

Another musical partnership begun in 2011 With John Dipper has proved very productive. Touring their duo show Sun Stations which explored some of the more unsual English folk traditions, an appearance at The Carrefour mondial de l'accordéon in Montmagny, Quebec, a series of workshops with students at University Limerick and an appearance on BBC Radio 3's In Tune programme. A specially built set with front and back projections, a specially written script and constumes was mentioned by Mark Radcliffe when he played a track from their album Sleeping Giants shortly after taking over as host of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show.

During the Icelandic ash cloud event in May 2011 Luke found himself, along with Cara Dillon & Sam Lakeman as the only two acts who'd made it to the Oxford Folk Festival. Along with John Spiers and Jon Boden who'd been unable to fly out to another festival. Managing to make up most of the programme though a mix and match system and on the spot versions of people's music. Not having performed with Cara since the band Equation, this band has continued with with some memorable performances including Cara’s orchestral concert in Glasgow City Halls at Celtic Connections in 2013 and a trip to China in playing four cities in five days!

It was with Lost Music of the Gaels though, with featured friends Jarlath Henderson (uillean pipes) and Chris Stout (fiddle) that Luke performed alongside the London Phil in the Royal Festival Hall and at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, work that developed into a partnership with the LPO and composer Howard Shore on live performances of The Lord of the Rings soundtrack and on studio sessions for The Hobbit at Abbey Road with a specially created folk ensemble. Work as a contemporary chamber music composer reached a peak having expanded to nonet in 2008/9 with Islands. The music composed for this group by Donald Grant of the Elias String Quartet featuring Shetland fiddler Jenna Reid and uillean piper Tiarnan Duinnchinn also explored Northumberland folk tunes through a artist in residence post in Tarset with Sheep farmers through V.A.R.C.

Since then his projects have reduced in size and grown in depth and scope. Working in 2010 with Theresa Kavanagh and Mike Galvin to record Art of Trio, described by Living Tradition Magazine as "an entirely appropriate name for the album, the three instruments, accordion, fiddle and guitar, blending seamlessly with effortless skill, art indeed." Throughout this time Luke was also touring the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland and the Austrian Alps with flute player Nuala Kennedy. Having already visited the US to perform with the BBC at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Luke took over Brendan Power's seat in the Riverdance band in the mid nineties. This was to be some of his most intensive touring in Canada and the US for six months at a time. Earlier jazz infusions were to be developed further though when returning to the UK in 2001 to create Histories Rhyme Band, with Clive Carroll, Alec Dankworth, Ben Castle, Brian Abrhams, John Paul Gandy that performed throughout the UK and for the English National Opera and at the London Jazz Festival in 2002. Described by John Fordham of the Guardian as "a new force to reckon with" The experimental Celtic quartet Broderick also ran from 2000 until 2004 with tours in the US, Italy and Germany.

More left field work from this time included new works and collaborations with Hungarian, Brazilian, and European musicians with bands such as Fianna, Caratinga and Scarp. In need of a level of western musical normality, Luke toured the US with Jethro Tull front man Ian Anderson in an acoustic show and signed with Dublin based Wren Records. Over the past ten years this very creative and fruitful partnership has produced five albums. Wren released albums of archived traditional music from West Donegal with electric guitar accompaniment, a double album of instrumental accordion tunes and music recorded with Arty MacGlynn and Cathal Hayden on a compilation CD called Secret Sessions released in 2006. Winning the BBC Young Tradition Award at seventeen served as in induction into a wider musical world. There followed an avalanche of performance and learning experiences such as tv, radio, a debut album (Tarantella 1994). On hindsight moving so quickly from London pub sessions and folk club spots up to orchestral concerts on Friday Night is Music Night was not the easiest of step changes to make but musicians met along the way tuned in a range of new musical avenues to explore. A short stint as the box player in De Dannan, in his early twenties sat alongside a more eclectic appetite and Luke is one of the few people to have attempted a "free jazz" accordion odessy at the Shetland Fiddle and Accordion Festival and returned to the main land with fingers.

A professional folk musician for more than twenty years Luke’s life has been guided by a love of music. Earliest memories of playing in public were at the local folk club in South Oxfordshire aged nine where, having just learned a reel he insisted on playing it nine times through in front of a very, very patient audience. Like so many folk musicians he found his way to traditional music through supportive musical parents and early visits to folk festivals.