Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering - live floor show

As part of Celtic Connections 2011Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering held a live floor show from the foyer of Pacific Quay and I was jammy enough to blag myself some standing room at the event, on the condition that I take a few photies for the website.

Mary Ann Kennedy's Global Gathering

And lucky I was indeed, it was an outstanding show which included flamenco guitar legend Eduardo Niebla, who had performed an emotional rendition of his song Rosie, for The Review Show the week before.

Cameroonian jazz guitarist Muntu Valdo ... who rather than be supported by a band, played the guitar, harmonica, drums and created his backing vocals, by sampling and playing out loops live in his songs, multi-tasking with bags full of presence .... a one man band who has to be seen (or heard ) to be believed.

The show also included Emily Smith whose songs feature regularly on the Iain Anderson Show, Travelling Folk and Take the Floor where her album Traiveller's Joy has been featured as album of the week at various points and rightly so. The whole band which included her husband Jamie McLennan, Anna Massie, Duncan Lyall, Claire Mann and Signy Jakobsdottir on percussion, had a fair few toes tapping in the audience.

Last but by no way least was India Alba I can only be describe as footstomping Indo-Scottish fusion ....fun fun fun, beautiful beats and earthy sounds.

If you missed the show I'd recommend listening again on iPlayer and keep up to date with all the highlights on BBC Scotland Celtic Connections 2011.

Ricardo Garcia, Eduardo Niebla & Dharmesh Parmar

Jamie McClennan, Emily Smith & Claire Mann

Muntu Valdo in performance

India Alba:Ross Ainslie, Gyan Singh, Sharat Srivastava, & Nigel Richard

India Alba:Gyan Singh, Sharat Srivastava, Ross Ainslie & Nigel Richard