Baul Jam Session, Home of Rina & Dibakar Das Baul

Baul Jam Session, Home of Rina & Dibakar Das Baul

A couple days before leaving Kolkata, I took a very special trip to the village of Paruldanga, just outside Shantiniketan, to spend a day and a night at the lovely home of revered Baul musicians Rina & Dibakar Das Baul. They invited family and friends to share an evening of music with me.

Streets of Kolkata • "Manyota dao Jibonke" with Arko Mukhaerjee

Streets of Kolkata • "Manyota dao Jibonke" with Arko Mukhaerjee

Introduced by a friend of a friend, Arko Mukhaerjee and I would hang and make music together multiple times during my days in Kolkata, India. This video is an original song of his, speaking about how respect for life can get you to life’s next levels.

Wooden Doll Village Festival • with Debalina, Arpan & Pritam

Wooden Doll Village Festival • with Debalina, Arpan & Pritam

Less than 12hours after arriving to India, my family and I were heading north out of Kolkata towards Natungram, a small village known for their wooden doll carving tradition. It was our first time in the country and just about everything would be new — including two of the three people I was to be playing with.

Got an Old Upright in the AirBnB • with Michael Biggins

Got an Old Upright in the AirBnB • with Michael Biggins

Michael and I met at my first few jam session down in Glasgow. His rhythm, harmony, and left hand bass saved the day for me, and we planned to get together after the holidays. Luckily, my AirBnB came with an upright piano that was relatively in tune—5 stars for amenities.

I'm Not Fed Up with the Pacific Ocean • with Éamonn Coyne

I'm Not Fed Up with the Pacific Ocean • with Éamonn Coyne

What do an Irishman and an American play for a collaboration in Scotland? The answer is simple, a Swedish tune. Just before the Christmas holiday, on our one overlapping day, I reunited with an old friend in Edinburgh.

Tunes in the Arisaig House Bar with Eilidh Shaw & Ross Martin

Tunes in the Arisaig House Bar with Eilidh Shaw & Ross Martin

When I mentioned to friends I was heading up to the western Highlands of Scotland, I kept hearing that I should meet fiddler Eilidh Shaw and guitarist Ross Martin. They were right. We met on many different occasions and were able to record in an amazing location.