IVAN DREVER -       Press Reviews                              

INVERNESS COURIER                                       Friday   18th January 2002

"Here we are back at Inverness village hall,"  Duncan Chisholm quipped as he and Ivan Drever took their seats for what was their first concert as a duo in the well-filled main auditorium on Saturday evening. A piano and several additional chairs suggested they would not remain a duo throughout, and so it proved.

The pair were in relaxed form in front of their home crowd and much wise cracking ensued, not to mention several of Duncan's elaborate reminiscences, including his oft-repeated introduction to " Leaving Stoer" and a highly fictional tale of Spanish traffic jams and men on white horses.

The stories may have been a touch on the wooly side, but there was nothing of the kind in evidence when they got down to the serious business of playing. Their sets of instrumental tunes, ranging from slow airs to dazzling reels and jigs, were simply exhilarating, while Drever's songs many of which have a distinct Country feel, provide further variation.

Chisholm's immense gifts as a fiddler have been much lauded, and rightly so, but Drever's guitar plays an equally significant role in their music, both in deft single line counterpoint and in his driving chord accompaniments. With Duncan in top form, the pair delivered a real treat.

Those empty seats on stage were profitably occupied in a series of brief but effective cameo appearances by various of their pals, each of whom were welcomed with a dram - and the stipulation that it had to be downed in one go.

Fiddler Bruce MacGregor and singer Jim Hunter duly obliged ( Hunter's tribute to the late Townes Van Zandt " Like a Swallow's Wings", echoed the country leanings of Drever's songs), while fiddler Charlie McKerron contented himself with a moderate sip, and took the rest with him. The piano was for Phil Cunningham, who had left his accordion at home on this occasion but threw in an impressive conjuring trick as well. Perhaps a new career beckons.

The entire cast assembled for the last encore, a set of tunes in which they were also joined by Stevie Saint, the piper from Wolfstone, though he was not very audible in the sound mix.

It was a rousing finale to a splendid evening which not only confirmed what fine musicians the two principals are, but demonstrated that the Eden Court can indeed be reduced to the intimacy of a village hall.

K.M.