B16 Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan

Seven-time winner at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Karine Polwart’s latest project is a collaboration with renowned jazz/folk pianist Dave Milligan.

Piano and voice isn’t a combination you hear often in the folk idiom, and yet it can be just as potent, if not more so, than a full band, and the duo’s new album is just this – an intimate, stripped-back collection of songs performed entirely with voice and grand piano.

“One voice and one piano can hold a lot of space, a lot of feeling”, says Polwart. “Some of these songs are brand new, whilst others have been on my tongue for two decades and more, which is as long as I’ve known Dave”.

Although known primarily as a jazz pianist, Dave’s writing and arranging often distills folk and traditional influences, making him the perfect creative partner for Karine. Both musicians live in the same Midlothian village and that familiarity is evident in the music. It’s a magical combination. “It’s never felt more important to me to make music, and tell stories, from exactly where I am, with the people I live alongside, my friends and neighbours” says Karine.