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"A major new talent"
Irish Music Review

"A musician of presence and insight"
Folkwax

"One of Scotland’s brightest young harpists"****
The Scotsman

"The harp beautifully played"
The Living Tradition


The NEW Album : The Lucky Smile

“The Lucky Smile”, supported by the Scottish Arts Council, is the eagerly awaited follow up to Rachel Hair’s highly acclaimed solo album “Hubcaps and Potholes”.
Produced by respected musician Angus Lyon (18 months later, Box Club), the album features Rachel’s newly formed trio of harp with acoustic guitarist Paul Tracey and double bassist Andy Sharkey.
With an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary material, tinged with influences ranging from jazz and funk to classical and bluegrass and her Scots-Irish heritage, “The Lucky Smile” confirms Hair’s ability as a prolific composer, as well as an incredibly talented harpist.
Featuring guest appearances from award winning Gaelic singer Joy Dunlop, drummer Scott Mackay (Roddy Hart), cajon player Paul Jennings (Old Blind Dogs, The Bar Room Mountaineers) and jazz violinist Graham McGeoch (The Fortunate Sons), the album showcases the harp as a lead band instrument allowing its vibrance and vitality to shine through with sparkle and poise.

The Trio

Rachel Hair - harp
A "gifted exponent of the harp" (Net Rhythms), Rachel Hair is fast making a name for herself as one of the most exciting and dynamic performers of her generation. Hailing from the Scottish Highland village of Ullapool, her eclectic mix of Scottish, Irish and original music, highly influenced from both her time studying alongside jazz, folk, rock and classical musicians and her mixed Scots and Irish parentage, has led her to be described as “one of the most innovative young musicians to have emerged over the last few years” (The Irish Music Review). Since graduating with a first class honours music degree, Rachel has gained recognition as a performer and composer leading her to play and tour many times throughout the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia. "It would be difficult to find another Celtic music debut album of such consistent quality and beauty” (Rambles.net) Rachel’s solo album “Hubcaps and Potholes” was released to great critical acclaim in 2006 and was described as “an impassioned work” (Songlines) and “a highly accomplished album”. Her new album “The Lucky Smile” was recorded after Rachel was awarded a grant from the Scottish Arts Council and features her trio of harp, guitar and double bass together with some special guests. With an official UK retail release date of the 23rd March, Rachel and her trio will spend 2009 touring and promoting the new album.

Paul Tracey – acoustic guitar
First class honours music graduate, Paul Tracey studied jazz guitar and acoustic fingerstyle guitar with renowned Scottish guitarist John Goldie. A versatile guitarist whose playing draws influence from folk, jazz, pop and funk, Paul regularly plays throughout the country at festivals including the Glasgow Jazz Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Andy Sharkey – double bass
One of Scotland’s most sought after double bassist, Andy Sharkey has played alongside some of Scotland’s top jazz musicians including Brian Kellock, Colin Steele and Konrad Wiszniewski to name but a few. Having performed throughout UK, Europe and the USA, Andy currently performs with pianists Euan Stevenson’s trio as well as with Rachel.