Roy Johnstone, PEI FiddlerAbout Roy Johnstone
"Roy Johnstone has the heart of a poet, the spirit of an adventurer and plays like the Devil." Atlantic Gig Magazine
"One of the Island's most accomplished fiddlers " Doug Gallant, the Guardian
Roy Johnstone has been active in the East Coast musical community for the past thirty years. Not only is he one of the most accomplished fiddle players in Atlantic Canada but he has also received accolades for both his music compositions and his studio production. He is an active recording artist and has 5 solo albums to his credit for which he has multiple nominations for ECMA awards. His most recent CD, entitled "live at Loon" with Steve Sharratt was released in the fall of 2010 and he recently re-released in digital format his ECMA nominated recording Rolling Waves.
Artist Statement
"My music is a search for our common voice, a voice that speaks to the heart. Whether I am playing a Gaelic air or a jazz standard I bring a deep love and respect for the traditions within each musical genre. For me, music is a call to live passionately, to celebrate tradition while exploring the joy of creating new forms of musical expression."
Tribute to Pennou Skoulm at Celtfestcuba, Plaza Veija
This is a tune I wrote as a tribute to the Breton group Pennou Skoulm. Joining me are Damian on guitar, Arriana on cello, Manuel on whistle and Xavier on the cahon. Recorded by Lisa at celtfest cuba in Old Havana,
the Beach
Sky, sea and sand just east of Havana. A dramatic scene a day after the torrential downpour.
Pancho, Byrom and Me
Pancho Amat, Cuban tres master who recorded with the Chieftains and my good friend Byrom who helped organize the celtfest cuba workshops and who arranged for me to jam with Pancho pose after the concert at the Museo de Musica in Old Havana.
Celtfest Cuba concert in Plaza Veija
Roy performs with Cuban musicians: cahone player Javier, cellist Arianna, guitarist Damian and whistle player Yoe. They are joined by Cuban dancer Rose .
This tune is one that I composed for the celtcuba festival and I call it the La danza de la muerte.
Celtfestcuba concert in Plaza Vieja
Roy performs with the Galician group KLA Folk, Pablo, Ada and Laura along with Cuban musicians: cahone player Javier, cellist Arianna and guitarist Damian. They are joined by Cuban dancers .
New CD "live at Loon " is now available
"Mesmerizing", "Unbelievable", "Friendly", "Awesome" and so on. The Blues and Gypsy pieces went down particularly well...... I haven't had so much fun since I was a fly on the wall at a Johnny Cunningham gig."
Tunes for Fiddlers
..from a fiddler about Roy's new "Tunes for fiddlers"
I really enjoy Roy’s rendition of Dogheda Lasses and Ballintore Fancy. The recording is perfect for learning. ...we have had some fun playing those tunes at local sessions..... So Roy, I hope that you can make more of your recordings available for us to learn.
tune sample http://www.royjohnstone.com/samplemusic
New Feature: Music tracks for Download
For less than the price of a cup of coffee ( $.99) you can download one of my tunes . CD downloads are half the price ( $9.99) of a hard copy CD. All you need is a credit card or pay pal account. Check out the recording section for a listing of all the tunes. I will be posting many more tunes as soon as they are recorded. You can be the first to hear them.
Jammin' in Plaza de Armas with Cuban Musicians Ban Rara
I was invited by the Tam O'Shanter dancers to play musical interludes between their dances so I asked the Cuban band, Ban Rara, that was getting ready to perform next to join me. We jammed "rock and roll", rhumba, and irish jigs . It was a blast !
Jammin' With Pancho Amat and his band
It was a great thill to be invited by Pancho Amat to join his band for the final tune of the concert at the Museo de Musicia in Old Havana.
