Excerpts from issue 49/04 4 December 2021
Date sensitive
This year's Ileach calendar is full of brilliant photographs that shows Islay in all its glory.
The selection panel had a difficult task in choosing the final twelve, one for each month.
The selection process is quite anonymous; prints are made of all the submissions and the judging commences.
Non of the judges know who took the photographs and there is a possibility that more than one picture from any photographer is chosen.
That turned out to be the case this year.
There are photographs from regular contributors, of course.
David Livingstone managed two. Many of his pictures can be found on his FaceBook page and he is often successful in his submissions to the BBCÕs highly recommended 'Your pictures of Scotland' site.
Duncan MacNeill, whose prints grace the wall of the Islay Hotel, provide September's photograph: an evocative picture of the Paps of Jura above some low-lying clouds.
George Robertson's picture also features the Paps, seen above whisky casks at Bunnahabhain. Lord Robertson has exhibited at Westminster and Holyrood.
A number of pictures are from the cameras of people whose work graces our calendar's pages for the first time.
But most surprising of all, to the judges and the photographer himself, is that four of the pictures were taken by one man.
Matthew Hannett certainly knows how to take a picture!
We asked Matthew to comment his picture of the tower at the Bridgend corner (see above).
He said. "Like many a picture; this was simply the result of going for a walk. For my three girls Pippa, Holly and Lucy, a walk in this part of Bridgend always includes a detour off the path to rediscover old cannons in the grass and peer up inside the tower itself at the impressions in the stonework of the long since gone staircase; imagining the spiral climb and view from the top. Having been lucky enough to win a small drone and with no wind to speak of that day, this gave us the chance to see exactly what a birds-eye view of the tower was really like."
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In this week's issue:
Pennies for PJs at Port Charlotte, Bruichladdich's HyLaddie project, Quiet end to the year for Islay schools, Cheaper ferry fares for schools, Water works commence in Bowmore, Opposition to 'executive head' posts, Rhinns Hall update, Port Mòr's Christmas Spirit, Praise for Port Askaig Hotel, A little Bird Told Me returns for one issue, Tribute to Dugald Gillespie, Vaccinating the island, Sharon McHarrie attempts to avoid George Michael, Review of Brian Molley Quartet's latest release, Calum Murray interviews Gearach distillery's Scott McLellan
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Bruichladdich to heat stills with hydrogen
Bruichladdich Distillery has announced a significant step forward in its ambition to help decarbonise their distillation process by 2025, with major funding secured to pioneer industry-first technology.
Innovative hydrogen combustion technology will be installed to heat the stills used to create Bruichladdich's single malt, as well as their Botanist Gin.
The pilot project will demonstrate the ability to switch from fuel oil to sustainable hydrogen energy technology, covering part of the distillery's energy consumption in this early phase.
It is a vital step towards decarbonising in the long term, where proof of concept could lead to many more adopting the technology. The green hydrogen boiler operates with zero greenhouse gas emissions, and is an example for distilleries across the globe to follow suit in reducing their carbon footprint.,br />
The funding of £2.65m comes from the Green Distilleries Competition, funded through the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, and follows an initial feasibility study completed in the spring of 2021.
It will allow Bruichladdich, and its energy partner, Protium, to install an on-site Dynamic Combustion Chamber (DCC), a zero-emission hydrogen boiler.
Dubbed 'HyLaddie', the project must navigate the installation of state-of-the-art technology within their Victorian distillery.
Douglas Taylor, CEO of Bruichladdich Distillery, commented, "Sustainability is in our DNA and is at the heart of everything we do. The funding for HyLaddie is a huge step towards our ambition of full decarbonisation and we can't wait to bring the project to life with our partners at Protium."
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This is Islay
A new monthly podcast featuring individuals, personalities and features of Islay and Jura. Listen now at https://anchor.fm/thisisislay
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Music Review
Modern Traditions. Brian Molley Quartet
As a drummer, I'm well aware of my chosen instrument's restrictions in terms of tuning, at least in respect of live performance. Modern drums do have a remarkably wide tuning range, but rarely during live performance. With very few exceptions, what you start with is pretty much what you'll experience for the duration.
It's a precondition that affects several other instruments other than drums, but, in jazz at least, brass players (saxophone, trumpet etc.,) have the option to extend the range of their playing by way of deft fingering and blowing skills, something that many exponents have used to their advantage ever since the advent of bebop in the late 1940s and possibly earlier. John Coltrane, for example, was renowned for exploring the less well-known corners of the saxophone.
However, while such explorations are the stuff which moves jazz ever forward, not all are eagerly welcomed by jazz audiences, many preferring to listen to well-crafted compositions that live within the 'normal' range of whichever instrument(s) is under consideration. This is the category into which the latest release from the Brian Molley Quartet fits.
'Modern Traditions' is the third release from this particular band, consisting of renowned Scots saxophonist, Brian Molley, pianist, Tom Gibbs, bassist Brodie Jarvie and drummer, Stuart Brown. Molley was once described as a musician with a 'gorgeous tone' and one who 'never wastes a note' The latter description may have alluded to his predilection for playing within the saxophone's more 'regular' range.
His compositions are deceptively simple, brought stridently to life by a quartet that exists to not only make music, but to make this particular music with a minimum of fuss and fol de rol.
The album opens with 'Magic Ten', a track that Molley describes as "...a kind of wonky blues which should be twelve bars long but has ten bars instead." And he has the confidence to assign the inclusion of track three, Disney's 'A Dream is a Wish Your heart Makes', to his six year-old daughter's obsession with Disney classics.
In his crafting of 'Modern Traditions', several compositions reminded of drummer Bill Bruford's 'Earthworks', a remark that is intended as the highest of compliments. However, the 'traditional' is underlined with the inclusion of the Blane/Martin composition, 'The Trolley Song', which first appeared in the 1944 Christmas film, 'Meet Me in St Louis'. Molley attributes to having heard the 1946 recording by Dave BrubeckÕs quartet, and though he claims this to be "...a great, yet rarely performed standard", there's also a very spirited, big band version on Buddy Rich's final recording 'Just in Time'.
The musicianship displayed on 'Modern Traditions' is impeccable; aside from Molley's concise, musical leadership, his three compatriots are no more 'wasters of notes' than their esteemed leader. A quartet classed as 'One to Watch' by Jazzwise magazine in 2012, with this latest release, they have easily fulfilled their potential, producing an album that not only bears repeated listening, but one that features so many layers, that it can be approached by listeners at all levels. And they're still 'One to Watch'.
bp
Modern Traditions is available on Bandcamp
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ISLAY & THE COVID-19 VIRUS: IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Last updated Monday 03 October 2021
Prepared for the benefit of Islay residents, this downloadable PDF file offers general information along with details of the Islay Volunteer Network and the state of play with regard to local businesses and services. Please check this page regularly.
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Still here
The Ileach, now in its 49th year of publication, has weathered more than just a few economic downturns in its time, local, national and global. However, the current situation is unprecedented in our lifetimes.
We have every intention of continue to produce the newspaper for as long as is practical and possible. And just as in previous times of difficulty, we would appreciate your support in making this happen.
The office in Main Street, Bowmore is open Monday - Friday, 10am - 1pm. If you have stories to tell, articles to submit or need to advertise your services, please call in or phone 01496 810 355, or e-mail theileach@ileach.co.uk
To keep up to date with important local information, please check our twitter feed @theileach or check this page regularly.
Why not consider a PDF subscription? Annual cost is £29. We thank you and appreciate your continued support.
Stay safe.
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