THE opening concert of the 22nd Celtic Connections music festival paid tribute to an influential Scottish musician who died of cancer.

Martyn Bennett died in 2005, aged 33, but his blending of traditional tunes with dance beats revolutionised the musical landscape.

The festival, which begins on February 1, runs for 18 days at venues across Glasgow. The opening concert was held in the Royal Concert Hall last night, and was dedicated to Bennett, featuring a full orchestration of his final album, Grit, which has been credited with starting the musical evolution of Celtic fusion.

The festival itself will feature more than 300 events and about 2,000 musicians from all over the world.

Highlights include a tribute to singer, songwriter, author, poet and activist Ewan MacColl, who established Scotland's first folk club.

There will also be a celebration of the life and music of Rory Gallagher, the Irish-born blues-rock guitarist who died in 1995.

The line-up for the festival also includes Fairport Convention, appearing for the first time since 2006, Tweedy, Shooglenifty, Lambchop, King Creosote, Eddi Reader and Karine Polwart.

Glaswegian film score composer Craig Armstrong, whose lengthy list of credits include Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge! as well as Love Actually, Fever Pitch, The Incredible Hulk and The Great Gatsby, will revisit some of his best-loved cinematic work and perform tracks from his new album.

Celtic Connections musical director Donald Shaw said one of the unique features of Celtic Connections was the one-off collaborations between artists from different traditions around the world.

He also said that artists such as Carlos Nunez, Le Vent du Nord and Angelique Kidjo had been asked to "think outside the box and do something really special for Glasgow".