Bede Patterson, The nexus project - Glaisvair (2026) [Hi-Res]

Glaisvair is the debut full-length album by The Nexus Project, a Scottish-Australian ensemble founded and led by piper and composer Bede Patterson, released on ABC Classic — Australia's premier classical music label. The title draws from Scottish Gaelic, evoking the grey-green, mist-laden quality long associated with the Highland pipes. The record realises the ensemble's core artistic vision: a sustained dialogue between the ancient Scots tradition of piobaireachd and the contemporary languages of jazz, improvisation, and world music.
The core band — Patterson (bagpipes, voice), Dean Garrity (soprano saxophone), Ewan Johnston (keys and synths), and Roan Anderson (drums) — is joined on the album by a remarkable international circle of guests. Ross Ainslie contributes Scottish low whistle; William Barton, Australia's foremost didgeridoo player and an ABC Classics recording artist in his own right, brings the ceremonial resonance of Kalkadunga tradition; and Vahideh Eisaei adds the shimmering timbre of the Persian qanun. The meeting of these voices — Celtic pipe, Middle Eastern plucked zither, and Indigenous Australian wind instrument — gives the album its distinctive intercultural depth.
Patterson's compositional method is rooted in the Ceol Nua ("new music") approach: honouring the theme-and-variation architecture of classical pipe music while opening it to collective improvisation and cross-cultural exchange. Glaisvair was launched live at the closing weekend of Edinburgh Tradfest 2026, at the Traverse Theatre, on 8–9 May 2026.



Tracklist:
1-1 Bede Patterson;The nexus project - Prelude [3:15]
1-2 Bede Patterson;The nexus project - The Old Sword (Lament for the Old Sword / Field of Hope / The Great White) (Arr. for Highland Bagpipes, Soprano Saxophone, Keyboards and Drums by Bede Patterson) [8:05]
1-3 Bede Patterson;The nexus project;William Barton - Improvisation / Lament for the Children (Arr. for Didgeridoo, Highland Bagpipes and Ensemble by Bede Patterson and William Barton) [8:46]
1-4 Bede Patterson;The nexus project - Piobaireachd Saltatoria [3:34]
1-5 Bede Patterson;The nexus project - Dastirum [3:15]
1-6 Bede Patterson;The nexus project;Vahideh Eisaei - Karabach [6:30]
1-7 Bede Patterson;The nexus project;Ross Ainslie - Arcadia [5:37]
1-8 Bede Patterson;The nexus project - Glaisvair [5:20]