The McDades do Christmas big

Mastering music within the McDade family means practice and more practice. So it comes as a surprise to hear this beloved Juno Award-winning family of singers and instrumentalists doesn’t play music around the Christmas tree.

“We perform a lot before Christmas and it gets very hectic,” said Solon McDade, who returns to his roots every holiday season from his transplanted home in Montreal.

“We take it easy, sit around, talk, relax, but we don’t play music.”

Instead on Christmas Eve, all the relatives meet at patriarch Terry McDade’s home for a large family get-together followed by a brunch on Christmas Day at Shannon (McDade) Johnson’s abode.

Crossing the boundaries of tradition, The McDades are composed of Shannon’s lyrical fiddle, Jeremiah’s searing winds and Solon’s smooth bass.

The brother-sister-brother trio has perfected a blend that fuses the spontaneity of jazz improvisation with spirited, infectious global rhythms.

“It’s very communal music. Everyone has input. We’ve tried to blend the sounds we grew up playing and we play Canadian, Scottish, Irish, French music,” noted Solon.

This Friday and Saturday, The McDades pair up with their father, harpist Terry McDade, and a 16-piece chamber orchestra for an impressive holiday concert at the Arden Theatre.

Allan Gilliland, chair of MacEwan University’s department of music, was hired to orchestrate some original and traditional Christmas carols for the concert.

“He’s been a long-time friend and we like to work with him. It’s important to have open communication with people. The McDades have a unique and original way of performing and Allan is aware of how to interpret our sound. The sound we have is a tool, an extension of what we do, and Allan takes the tool we provide and extrapolates it for the ensemble.”

To date the McDades have released six albums, three filled with Christmas carols and Yuletide messages.

“Our Christmas CDs have been very popular. People at concerts keep asking us for new CDs and we enjoy making them. They’re a pleasure to make and we like to take things people recognize and twist them and make something new.”

At the concert, the McDades and company will perform a mix of original pieces and the unexpected variations on traditionals such as The Little Drummer Boy.

“About 80 per cent of our songs are not really familiar. It’s more interesting to be artistically different. Doing another version of Jingle Bells is not satisfying. So we try to find songs that are nice and put them on a template for our own creativity.”

The ensemble is bringing in global percussionist Eric Breton who adds an African/Middle Eastern texture to the music.

“He provides a palette and fragrance of what life was like 2,000 years ago.”

Also performing with The McDades is Vancouver guitarist Andy Hillhouse, a travelling musician who spends his time in pursuit of traditional world music.