Cairn Fergus McCreadie

• 1 North 04:45
• 2 Cairn 07:33
• 3 Across Flatlands 04:46
• 4 The Stones of Brodgar 05:30
• 5 Jig 08:29
• 6 Tide 05:56
• 7 Tree Climbing 07:16
• 8 An Old Friend 09:06
• 9 Cliffside 07:42
• Total Runtime 01:01:03

Info for Cairn

The outstanding pianist returns with an exciting and dynamic new album 'Cairn' inspired by folk tradition and the Scottish landscape.

Fergus McCreadie is a complete and well-rounded musician, a passionate communicator and consummate performer. He is a composer of elegant, nuanced and captivating music as well as a pianist and improviser of exceptional ability and originality.

Since he burst onto the national scene with his self-released debut album Turas in 2018, Fergus has racked up awards including Album of the Year at the Parliamentary and Scottish Jazz Awards, the shortlist of cross-genre Scottish Album of the Year Award 2019, finalist in the 2018 BBC Jazz Musician of the Year and more recently, in October 2020, he was awarded Best Instrumentalist at the Scottish Jazz Awards.

Cairn is the highly anticipated follow-up to Fergus’ debut and despite all the hype this new album is gaining, he delivers in spades. Cairn is an album inspired by the tradition and landscape of his native Scotland. It declares itself with an energetic freshness of sound and originality reminiscent of the dynamism and personality with which the likes of piano trios The Bad Plus and EST emerged almost two decades ago. Responding to the circumstances of a vastly changed era, Fergus and his trio, with their profoundly mesmerising and compelling music, look set to evoke similar trajectories in progressing to the global stage. They certainly have the necessary instrumental command, musical maturity, sophisticated communication and native originality to do so.

The music is dynamic and excites with a youthful but masterful flair. Over nine compositions, all penned by Fergus, the album moves effortlessly from impressionistic modal searchings to high octane, hard driving jigs and nuanced ballads underpinned by democratic improvisation.

Fergus McCreadie is riding high and it’s only a matter of time before he reaches new heights in developing global audiences. If ever there’s an album that can sing, excite and inspire, Cairn is it. A melting pot of originality, freshness of sound and vitality, with all the potential to be one of the standout releases of 2021.

Fergus McCreadie, piano
David Bowden, double bass
Stephen Henderson, drums

Fergus McCreadie
Blending jazz with the spirit of Scottish folk, pianist Fergus McCreadie crafts music inspired by his homeland’s breath-taking landscapes. His sound transcends genre, connecting deeply with audiences worldwide. Fergus’s 2022 album Forest Floor was met with instant critical acclaim, topping the UK Jazz & Blues charts and earning him a Mercury Prize shortlist nomination, Jazz FM’s Instrumentalist of the Year Award, and the Scottish Album of the Year Award—the first jazz artist to receive the honour. The album also led to sold-out UK shows and praise from BBC 6Music, NME, and The Times. His 2024 follow-up, Stream, continues his sonic exploration of nature, this time capturing the fluid beauty of water. An official Yamaha Artist, Fergus remains at the forefront of contemporary jazz. In 2025, he will tour the UK, including a headline show at London’s legendary Union Chapel, and perform at major European jazz festivals in Italy and Belgium.

This album contains no booklet.