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Going Across The Sea

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Jeff Zycinski | 22:32 UK time, Tuesday, 28 April 2009

TuneUp.jpg

I suppose it's only a matter of time before the top brass at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ discover that I'm having far too much fun in this job. The official warning is long overdue and any day now a uniformed security guard will over-power me at the front door, strip me of my identity card and disarm me of my BlackBerry. When that day comes I will regret all those missed opportunities I had to wander into radio studios and listen to fabulous live music.

No regrets tonight, however, because I joined a small and select audience in Studio 1 at Pacific Quay and watched a very fine ensemble of Scottish, Irish and American musicians. It was a live session for Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering programme. The musicians are on tour as part of the Scottish Arts Council's Tune Up project and play under the banner of .

It really was a wonderful blend of tunes from the Old World and the New and each of the seven musicians (Kris Drever, Eamonn Coyne,Sarah McFadyen,Tim Matthew,Betse Ellis,Caleb Calder and Sammy Lind) took it in turn to introduce a piece and explain the story behind the music.

I also got the chance to meet some of them before and after the event and was particularly taken with Betse who, as an American, seems to have fallen in love with Scotland and told me she will have paid three visits here before the end of the year.

On the way out of the building I was still humming the melodies and clicking my fingers to the beat. The security guard gave me a wry smile.

He must know something I don't know.

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