Celtic Connections is my kind of music festival.
With a diverse line up that you can go to as separate gigs or approach it as I did like one big joined up event.
And the only sighting of a tent is through the windows of the shop on Sauchiehall Street.
Boa Morte were on so early at the Shoeshine records showcase night in the ABC that all but a handful would have missed them.
It is a shame too because they missed a couple of the finest pieces of music I’ve heard in a long time.
The first with deep world weary vocals, lounge lizard bass line and gentle strings – staying with the down-tempo and bleak nature of their sound but so beautifully arranged that it stood out.
Secondly, the unexpected final song.
With crashing guitars, and cascading strings building up to an almighty crescendo it was heart-breakingly epic.
A world away from the BMX Bandits then?
Duglas, Rachel & co. breezed in with their perfect summertime pop tunes as an ideal antidote to Glasgow’s January weather and played some old songs, and some newer songs, complete with actions, kazoos and a generous helping of silliness.
And you’d expect no less.
Surely if you want to lumber a band with a tag like “this will be their year” then it must be Attic Lights?
They have all the ingredients to do well.
A TV theme tune, mainstream press coverage, fans singing along to the songs.
More to the point, songs that fans can sing along to! How many Glasvegas songs can you do that with?
Duke Special obviously got the quota for percussion instruments at this year’s Celtic Connections. There are so many on-stage that it’s almost impossible to see drummer Temperance Society Chip Bailey behind them all.
Dressed like a psychedelic band leader, his songs have a theatrical heart and sound like what you’d get if you went back in time and introduced music hall performers to dj-ing and LSD.
Actually those songs would work perfectly well if it was just him playing piano and singing.
Do you really need the old gramophone records or the obscure percussion or the sun appearing in the background when he sings about the sun coming up?
Not really, but it wouldn’t be half as much fun.
For one man and a guitar Nick Harper has more going on than many bands.
He took to the stage with an almighty effects pedal and a Macbook, and changed his guitar from simple acoustic to full on rock guitar.
His voice also exhibited other textures, either becoming his own backing vocals or taking on a Robert Plant like soaring quality
Speaking of which, one song even went off into a short detour of Led Zep’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ – taking that idea to its logical extreme.
Continuing on the Led Zep theme, Abigail Washburn played at last year’s Celtic Connections with her other band, the John Paul Jones-produced Uncle Earl.
This time her Sparrow Quartet drew influences from chamber music, country, bluegrass and traditional Chinese folk music.
On paper this sounds like a bad idea but with musicians like banjo maestro Bela Fleck in the band, it as obvious this could be something special.
With songs in English and Chinese, Abigail translated and explained the meanings of the lyrics as well as the origins of the band and their misadventures in Beijing discotheques.
Together with some stunning musicianship from Fleck, cello player Ben Sollee and 5-string fiddler Casey Driesson they led us on a fascinating and spellbinding musical journey.
The first thing that strikes you about Portuguese Fado star Mariza is her looks.
Stunningly pretty and impossibly tall, though with those heels…
Secondly, her voice. Every bit an equal for her looks.
Able to go from fragile vulnerability to booming fill-the-concert-hall power, she has a fantastic range to her voice.
With belated New Year wishes and her shaking of hands in the front row she looked genuinely happy to be back in Glasgow.
There is a third thing that strikes you about Mariza and it’s probably the thing that has made her the darling of world music fans and critics that she has become.
She just has something about her. It’s not charisma or stage presence or the way she glides around the stage. It’s a less tangible factor.
She just has a presence.
Speaking of which…
Youssou N’Dour has a massive stage presence,
He is also blessed with the most wonderful warm soulful voice.
For the uninitiated the music draws influences from funk, jazz and soul but has been absorbed into West African culture.
Taking African rhythms and traditional instruments like Sabar and Talking Drums, his lyrics are mostly in Wolof and blending them to make a uniquely Senegalese brand of music.
Together with his backing band, the excellently named Super Etoile – who look like they’d have as much playing to an empty room – they make the most joyous music and it suddenly becomes clear why the concert hall has been cleared of its seats.
This music is made for dancing.
Yet the Senegalese musical superstar managed to become completely overshadowed, at least for a little while, by the appearance of a little dancer in a red suit.
He was a blur of flailing limbs and would then suddenly stop, staying completely motionless for a few moments, before becoming a blur again. And drawing massive cheers from the audience.
After seven consecutive nights and all the great performers that I saw and the bands that I passed on. Meeting up with old friends and making new ones it’s the wee dancer who’ll stick in my mind most.
To me he represents everything that the festival is.
Fun, exciting and unexpected.
And this was only week one.