Any Freight-goer who has seen nimble-fingered Scottish guitarist Tony McManus accompanying fiddler Alasdair Fraser will leap at the chance to catch this marvel in solo concert. Famous for the fiendish dexterity that allows him to transpose both the gusto and the complex ornamentation of traditional bagpipe or fiddle tunes onto his own six strings (guitar wizard John Renbourn says he is the best Celtic guitarist in the world), Tony extends the parameters of contemporary Celtic music with dazzling playing that draws on traditions from the entire Celtic diaspora, from Scotland to Brittany to Quebec, along with still further-ranging flavors, such as jazz and East European music. Born in 1965 near Glasgow, Tony was first introduced to traditional Celtic music via the family record collection; now, four decades later, he is become one of the true shapers of the genre, performing around the world and hosting seminars at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama as well as appearing on over 50 albums by other artists­and even finding the time to release a few of his own, most recently Ceol More on the Compass label.