SYMBIOSIS

Symbiosis feature the award winning piper, whistle player and guitarist, Ali Hutton, who regularly performed with Old Blind Dogs, Treacherous Orchestra, Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton and many others. He is a firm favourite in Germany having toured the country for many years. He has also played at many of Germany’s top folk festivals! 

Ali has performed and worked alongside some of the most respected musicians and bands on the scene such as Capercaillie, Dougie Maclean, Carlos Nunez, Deaf Shepherd, Duncan Chisholm, Salsa Celtica and Shooglenifty to name but a few.

During his apprentice years as a professional musician he was fortunate enough to become a member of the multi award winning bands Brolum and Back of the Moon, touring with them for several years across Europe and North America. Back of the Moon went on to win ‘Scottish Folk Band of the Year’ at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards in 2005, with their album nominated for ‘Album of the Year’.

He also found himself producing some of the most well received Scottish Folk albums in recent years. In 2007 he co-produced Maeve Mackinnon’s award-winning album, ‘Don’t Sing Love Songs’ which was performed in the ‘Classic Albums’ series at Glasgow’s international folk, roots and world music festival, Celtic Connections in 2008. In 2015 he was nominated for ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’ at the Scots Trad Music Awards, the same year in which Treacherous Orchestra’s album ‘Grind’, co-produced by Ali, won ‘Album of the Year’.

Ali has also spent the last 15 years touring Europe and North America with One of Scotland’s longest running bands, Old Blind Dogs. 

His recent project, ‘Symbiosis’ which he shares with lifelong friend and fellow piper Ross Ainslie has released two albums to critical acclaim. Ross and Ali were named best duo in the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2017 and were nominated again in 2018.

For this tour, he appears with his own band ‘Symbiosis’ featuring Jenn Butterworth (Symbiosis, Kinnaris Quintet and Will Pound) and Jack Smedley (Rura and Staran). They’ll be performing music from their collective catalogue of award winning music. 

Jenn Butterworth is one of the most notable folk guitarists in the UK acoustic music scene.  She currently holds the title ‘Musician of the Year’ from the Scots Trad Music Awards, and was nominated for the same title in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

 An excellent collaborator, she has been a key member of a range of high profile folk music projects, including Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton’s SYMBIOSIS Big Band, award winning folk powerhouse Kinnaris Quintet, three Celtic Connections New Voices, four years on the BBC Hogmanay Live show as a member of the All Star House Band and recently a member of folk supergroup ‘Songs of Separation’ involving an array of prominent folk artists including Eliza Carthy, Lady Maisery and Karine Polwart.  The Songs of Separation album, conceived, arranged and recorded in just 7 days, won the title of ‘Best Album’ at the Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2017. 

Jenn is also a highly recognised teacher with a wide range of teaching experience, and was recently awarded ‘Tutor of the Year’ at the 2015 Scots Trad Music Awards.  She is Lecturer in Practical Studies in the Traditional Music Department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, is a regular member of the teaching staff for Glasgow Fiddle Workshop and has recently taught for Fèisean nan Gàidheal, the National Youth Folk Ensemble (EFDSS), Halsway Manor & Burg Fürsteneck (Germany).

Jack Smedley is a sought after performer and session artist based in Glasgow. Known for his versatile playing, Jack has taken to the stage across the world and recorded with some of the folk scene’s best-known acts. 

Steeped in music as a youngster, Jack has always maintained a love of music from Scotland and further afield. Originally from Cullen on Scotland’s Banffshire coast, Jack moved to Glasgow in 2008 to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.  

As a founding member of the award winning folk act RURA, he has featured regularly at some of the world’s biggest international festivals and released four albums to huge critical acclaim, most recently Live at the Old Fruitmarket (2020). 

Having worked as a session artist on numerous records throughout his career, in 2020 Jack joined Staran, a collective who’s music traverses a diverse range of styles and backgrounds.