PUBLISHED IN THE KW RECORD ON MARCH 20, 1999
By Nick Krewen
For The Record
She's the newly crowned Juno victor for the Instrumental Record of the Year, and she
didn't even have to roll up the rim to win!
At this point in her young career, Cape Breton's NATALIE MacMASTER may still be recognized more in Canada for her 60-second Tim Horton's spot than her virtuoso fiddling talents, but the tide is changing.
The vivacious MacMaster, who impressed Juno audiences a couple of weeks back with her combined step dancing and fiddling prowess in a number with flamenco guitarist JESSE COOK, has been knocking crowds out around the world with her Celtic-flavored musical proficiency.
And it's not just the people of Japan, Denmark, the U.K., the U.S. and Germany who have roared their approval. Peers such as Irish traditionalists THE CHIEFTAINS, U2's BONO, LUCIANO PAVAROTTI and fellow fiddling sensations MARK O' CONNOR and ALISON KRAUSS have taken notice of MacMaster, either through issuing or accepting recording invitations.
Even multi-millionaire highstepper MICHAEL FLATLEY invited MacMaster to join his lucrative Lord Of The Dance a few years back.
"That was a tough decision to make," said MacMaster last week from Cape Breton.
"On one hand, I would have done a lot of traveling, and who knows what opportunities I would have received through the people I met. On the other, I've worked so hard all my life trying to develop my career, and things are moving well for me. I couldn't afford to take that time away.
"I'm very happy with the way my career is going at the moment. I have no regrets."
Nor should she. MacMaster, who like fellow countrywoman LOREENA McKENNITT, owns all her master recordings, has struck Canadian gold (50,000 copies sold) with most of her four album releases, Fit As A Fiddle, A Compilation, No Boundaries and My Roots Are Showing. Currently working on her fifth album in Toronto, MacMaster has also won a number of East Coast Music Awards, a Canadian Country Music Award citation, as well as her recent Juno.
"It feels so cool to have a Juno for instrumental music," she declares. "I can't believe it. I'm very proud."
The stunning blonde niece of Cape Breton fiddling legend BUDDY MacMASTER is also in the enviable position of flexibility. When she performs with THE KITCHENER WATERLOO SYMPHONY at Centre In The Square on March 23, it will be a meeting of classical and Celtic minds.
"I'm not changing for them and they're not changing for me," she says of the performance. "I'm just going to be doing my thing -- whatever comes out of me.
"I feel so fortunate that I can do whatever I want," says MacMaster, whose lyrical fiddlework makes a cameo appearance on the gold Chieftains album Fire In The Kitchen and their most recent Tears Of Stone.
"I'm not locked into one specific thing. A lot of artists are categorized, but for me I have a little more freedom because I've always been eclectic through No Boundaries three or four years ago, the traditional album after that, and my live shows, which combine traditional and contemporary styles."
Now, about that Tim Horton's commercial...
"Tim Horton's is such a good company to work for," enthuses MacMaster, 26.
"I played at a convention for them, and that evening somebody said, `You should do a commercial for us.' We received the call the very next day, and that set the wheels in motion."
MacMaster says the Horton's deal was good for her because it's an ideal representation of her lifestyle.
"Everything in that commercial except for the tour bus, which wasn't ours, is 100 percent true," says MacMaster. "When we're on the road, especially in the afternoon, we always stop off at Tim Horton's. But although people usually drink coffee to wake up -- I don't drink coffee until the afternoon -- I'm usually the one in search of a fresh glass of orange juice and a bagel with everything on it."
Ironically, the only myth that Natalie MacMaster is interested in dispelling is that she learned all her secrets from Uncle Buddy.
"Buddy's influence in my music is through his music," says MacMaster."I didn't take lessons from him, despite what people have thought. We've never had an opportunity or a situation of him giving me advice and saying, `You should do this or you should do that.' The relationship between Buddy and me is like any other uncle and niece.
"I never see the guy. We don't hang out much."
WHO: Natalie MacMaster
WHERE: Centre In The Square
WHEN: March 23
TICKETS:
-30-
DISCOGRAPHY
1993 -- Four On The Floor
1994 -- Road To The Isle
1996 -- A Compilation
1996 -- Fit As A Fiddle
1997 -- No Boundaries
1998 -- My Roots Are Showing
1999 -- In My Hands
AWARDS
1997 -- Canadian Country Music Award, Best Fiddler
1997 -- East Coast Music Award, Female Artist
1997 -- East Coast Music Award, Best Roots And Traditional Artist, Solo
1997 -- East Coast Music Award, Instrumental Artist
1998 -- Canadian Country Music Award, Best Fiddler
1999 -- East Coast Music Award, Female Artist
1999 -- Juno, Best Instrumental Album, My Roots Are Showing
©1999 Nick Krewen, Octopus Media Ink