Other Events
Friday 26th October - Salutation Hotel – Ceilidh Dance – 8:30 to 11:30 with Alasdair MacCuish and the Black Rose Ceilidh Band
The Ceilidh Dance has proved to be the ideal welcoming event for the festival and this year we are looking forward to dancing to the music of Alasdair MacCuish and the Black Rose Ceilidh Band.
Supper will be included in the ticket price and of course we will have the usual Raffle with great prizes to be won. The Ticket price is £6.00 and can be ordered from by calling Audrey Fenton on 01738 449430 or emailing Audrey.Fenton@perthaccordionfestival.co.uk
Saturday – Informal Music – Salutation Bar – 1:30 to 4:00 – Entry Free with Alasdair MacCuish and the Black Rose Ceilidh Band
The music session in the bar is one of the social highlights of the festival. This is an informal gathering where all musicians are welcome to participate. But to ensure that the music keeps flowing and that as many willing players as possible get the chance to perform Alasdair MacCuish will lead the proceedings with his Band acting as the house band.
Saturday – Grand Finale – Salutation Hotel – 4:30 to 6:00 - Entry with day ticket featuring Jack Emblow
This year we are honored to be able to present the accordion legends Jack Emblow & Tony Compton as part of our Grand Finale concert along with performances by fiddle duo Marie Fielding & Alison Smith and Gordon Shand & his Scottish Dance Band.
Saturday – Social Afternoon – Greyfriars Bar – 2 to 4pm - Entry Free with Steven Carcary on accordion
Background music provided by Steven on accordion while you chat with fellow enthusiasts.
Jack Emblow & Tony Compton (accordions)
Jack Emblow started learning the piano at the age of nine, switching to the accordion two years later.At 15 he was part of a stage act with jazz pianist Eddie Thompson and, at 17, he auditioned with the BBC. In addition to solo broadcasts, he played with a variety of groups during the fifties and had a three year spell at the Berkeley Hotel in Piccadilly, playing for Ian Stewart.
The Jack Emblow Sextet made its radio debut in 'Music While You Work' in 1956 and for about five years was one of the mainstays of the programme. They were regarded by several senior BBC producers as the best small group on radio and they did about 500 broadcasts, of which 54 were in MWYW but they also contributed extensively to programmes like 'Bright and Early', 'Morning Music', 'On with the Bands' and a number of late evening programmes. Their superb arrangements, smooth sound and flawless playing made them suitable for any time of day.
Jack also played in many other groups, his distinctive style making him immediately recognisable with his beloved straight-tuned Excelsior accordion and it’s special tone chamber enabling him to achieve his famous mellow tone. For more than 40 years he provided the accordion accompaniment for the Cliff Adams Singers in 'Sing Something Simple' and during the seventies formed the 'French Collection' for radio and records. For many years he contributed to the incidental music for the television series 'Last of the Summer Wine', and also played the theme for the comedy series 'Allo 'Allo. He has recorded with most musical directors, including Ted Heath, Nelson Riddle, Michel le Grande and Jack Parnell and has also recorded many film scores with Henry Mancini.
It is perhaps a less well known fact that John Lennon played accordion as a child and was keen to have a go on Jack’s Gola when Jack played on the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” backing track!
Since the mid 1990s Jack has been an integral part of Martin Taylor’s highly acclaimed ”Spirit of Django” group and continues to give recitals and performances across the country.
Jack Emblow was elected Honorary President of the National Accordion Organisation of the United Kingdom in 2002 and is deservedly recognised as Britain top accordionist earning him the affectionate title “the governor” by his fellow musicians.
Tony Compton pursued an accordion career as a gig musician from the ripe young age of 14. 
By the time he was 18 was performing in the West End of London continuing throughout the 50's, 60's and early 70's.During his musical careerhe has also managed to make time to run his own dry cleaning business which fitted in conveniently with playing at prestigious venues such as The London Savoy & Hilton Hotels.
In 1979 he performed "A Concerto for Accordion" written by the French Composer Jean Weiner with the Southend Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tony is highly regarded as a jazz session musician and is a regular performer at prestigious jazz clubs and festivals along with trumpeter and good friend Digby Fairweather.
Marie Fielding and Alison Smith (fiddles)
Music brought Alison and Marie together as friends in the 80's but both had different musical backgrounds and displayed different fiddle styles. It was only during a very informal session in the Mishnish Hotel, Tobermory, that they realised that their differing styles complemented each other very well. As a result of this one impromptu night, Alison and Marie have continued to perform as a duo, enjoying finding new tunes and exploring different genres, performing traditional Scottish tunes amongst music from classical and international origins.
Alison Smith has been playing fiddle since she was 7 years old, encouraged by her musical parents and attending Accordion and Fiddle Clubs and competitions from an early age. Originally classically trained, Alison found her feet in the dance band scene when introduced to Craig McCallum at Musselburgh Festival when 15 years old and has continued to play with the band to the present day.
Alison has recorded and broadcast with a number of bands including John Carmichael, Alasdair MacCuish, Gordon Shand and Donald MacLeod.
Currently Alison is busy playing with piano player Brian McAlpine (original member of The Pearlfishers and Session A9) with regular performances on the Royal Scotsman Train and Stirling's Tolbooth. Out-with playing, Alison runs her own business working with musicians and record labels to provide admin support and ensure musicians and labels receive maximum royalties for live and recorded performances.
Marie Fielding has played fiddle music from an early age and continues to follow a successful full time career as a musician, 
composer and fiddle tutor.
Having recently invested in a Ewen Thomson fiddle from Shetland and a Noel Burke bow from Ireland, Marie is enjoying playing more than ever and is in great demand performing with a vast range of top names from the Traditional music scene. Particular highlights for Marie over the past year have included featuring regularly on BBC Alba, playing for the Queen at Balmoral, recording with singer Jim Malcom, recording a new album with her band “Tribute” and performing at Celtic Connections and the Trad Awards, not forgetting numerous Take the Floor sessions and the 40th Anniversary NAAFC concert.
After working for four years as Traditional Music Advisor for Scottish Arts Council, Marie is now on a New Music fund panel in Dundee and Live Music Now in Glasgow.
Gordon Shand and his Scottish Dance Band
Gordon first came to the fore after winning the Senior Scottish Competition at Musselburgh at the tender age of 16 and went on to win Senior British Titles at Scarborough in the same year.
He formed his own Scottish Dance Band in 1987 and has performed on Take The Floor every year since, including the special 25 years celebration programme. They have also featured on Radio 2 ‘Jim McLeods Scottish Dance Party’.
Gordon will readily admit that his philosophy remains the same today as it was at the Bands conception. The emphasis is very much on the band being a team effort, where every member of the band is encouraged to bring forward their ideas thus making innovative arrangements without losing the sense of tradition. This philosophy has served the band well bringing great popularity with listeners and dancers alike, both across Scotland and abroad. One of the Band’s accolades was being voted Scottish Dance Band of the year at the 2005 Trad Awards.
Since forming the band Gordon has remained a keen composer and in 2009 accomplished one of his goals by releasing a book of his own compositions titled ‘The Force Is Strong’. Many of his tunes have featured on recordings by various artists over the years and it will be no surprise if a few of his tunes are aired during this year’s festival.
Alasdair MacCuish and the Black Rose Ceilidh Band
Alasdair won the Senior Traditional Scottish Accordion Championship in 1997 and in 2010 was an adjudicator at the first of the new style festivals.
Soon after forming the Black Rose Ceilidh Band they went on to become one of Scotland's most sought after bands for live entertainment and recording. Their lively style combined with a fresh approach to arranging and playing the music made them the first choice Ceilidh dancers and listeners of all ages.
The band were named ‘Best Scottish Dance Band’ at the Scots Trad Music Awards in Edinburgh in September 2003.
The band’s style is very much focused on the demands of the dancer but musically they draw on influences from the wider Scottish and Irish contemporary folk scenes.
Steven Carcary
Steven made his television debut at the age of 11 on BBC’s “The Untied Shoe Lace Show” and has been broadcasting on "Take the Floor" since 1992. His expertise in a wide range of musical styles makes him a popular choice for both live performances and recordings. So much so that for the past 16 years Steven has forged a full time career as a professional musician and accordion teacher. Steven is also the Chairman of the Angus Accordion & Fiddle Festival held annually in Arbroath.