WINNER - INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITER'S CONTEST 2008

It has just been announced (April 2009) that Colin Steele from Edinburgh has won first prize in the instrumental section of the International Songwriter Competition for his composition the Bletherer.

Over the past five years Colin has written many pieces and he wrote one piece of music that was to change his life. That is "Twilight Dreams" and from what we have heard of the Bletherer this may change his life too.

Twilight Dreams was the start of his new life. It marked his moment of self-discovery. A point at which he brought all of his remarkable jazz talent home to Scotland, and put it together with the traditional folk music which he loved. His music is totally fresh. A unique amalgam of jazz inspiration, improvisation and beautiful folk melodies.

He then formed a new Quintet to play it, and released two albums on Caber, "Twilight Dreams" and "Journey Home", the second of which was voted the No.1 Jazz Album Of The Year by the leading jazz magazine, Jazz Review, and the BBC Album Of The Year by popular vote of BBC radio listeners.

He was signed up by one of the leading independent jazz labels in the world at the moment (the people responsible for such artists as EST), ACT Records, based in Munich. They released "Through The Waves" last year and took Steele's music on to a new stage. Now he is regularly being interviewed by Norwegian or French or German media eager to hear about the new Scottish sound in jazz. His recent ten day tour of Germany included many triumphant concerts, critically acclaimed and sold out.

'Stramash' are Colin Steele (trumpet), Phil Bancroft (saxophone), Dave Milligan (piano), Aidan O'Donnell (double bass), Stu Ritchie (drums), Aidan O' Rourke, Catriona MacDonald and Mairi Campbell (fiddles), Rory Campbell (bagpipes and whistles) and Su-a Lee (cello).

"This music had to happen." he says. "It's a culmination of everything that I've played, written and heard to date".

Article by Charles Litster