Hot male bagpipe player archive#

I have been hearing about, but never actually hearing this Israeli/NYC quartet for over a year now. For those who love the raspy, reedy sound of these instruments, but don't care for the more regimented format of the large band, these recordings offer smaller ensembles in unique arrangements by players from some of France's best bagads. While this reed instrument is best known in the context of large pipe and drum bands called bagad in Britanny, here it is presented in solos and trios and on up to all twelve at once, accompanied by guitars, bouzoukis, violins, flutes and even a banjo. Something to rasp the edges and rattle your cages: Ortonlon plays traditional Breton music on 12 bombardes. OK, they have removed the bagpipes from the mix here, but all the same, here's These artists have come together, not fused together, and the end result is just what the title demands, a gathering of souls and hearts and hands, in celebration and anticipation. Molard's pipe solo, 'The Last Chance' is an inspired simplicity, the grouping of Power's harmonica with the accordions of Tweed and Cutting provide us with 'Jazz Jig,' a tune that has a irrepressible groove without any extra noodling. While the album is devoid of the electronic swoosh and swirl that has become 'celtic' music in the age of Enya, there is certainly no dearth of power and poignancy. They all came home in 1995, to Cork, Ireland, to join each other in duets and trios and quartets to honor not only the music, but the world-wide culture that has carried it from New Zealand (Brendan Power) to Quebec (Raynald Ouellet). Lined up behind them are Brendan Mulvihill (Britain, now US), piper Carlos Nunez (Spain), Martin Hayes (Ireland, now US), Joe Derrane (the button accordion's Duke of Boston), piper Patrick Molard (Brittany), and an inspired list of performers who have lived the life of the Celtic-rooted musician and brought it to the world. Hamish Moore (Scotland) solos on the pies. Andy Cutting (Britain) and Karen Tweed (Britain) join forces on an accordion duet that harkens to the old and swings with the new. John Robert Devall (Shetland), Kathryn Tickell (Northumbria), and Alisdair Fraser (Scotland) bring their fiddles together for a set of jigs. The Gathering is just what the label implies, a congregation coming together to praise the roots of their music. No tricks, no gimmicks, no flashy concepts or fusion even graze the outskirts of this recording. Another live one from the Battlefield Band has been long overdue, but as always, worth the wait.

Perhaps the most curious moment in the show is the battle of the bands between the Battlefield boys and Glasgow country rockers The Radio Sweethearts (a side project of BB member John McCusker), clearly won by the country bagpiping solo that punctuates the last verses. Yorkshire singer Kate Rusby and California bagpiper Eric Rigler also make showings. Legendary County Sligo flautist Seamus Tansey plays off Battlefield wind-man Iain MacDonald in a brilliant duet of reels. Long time mate Alison Kinaird joins them on Scottish harp. But the extra spice is added by a host of guest artists. On Across The Borders (Temple Records, Scotland, via Rounder) this quartet is captured live this time out in a set roaring numbers on bagpipes, fiddles, guitar, flutes and keyboards recorded at Queen's Hall in Edinburgh and distills their style nicely. The band that has most defined the American concept of modern Scottish folk music is probably BATTLEFIELD BAND. It's a mixed bag, but the hits outweigh the misses and there's enough experimenting that works to make it worth the money. There are some top-notch, straight rootsy moments, a feeble attempt at calypso, some gorgeous slow airs and a bit of an over emphasis on electronics for their own sake. But then he hits a set of jigs with a jazzy piano (Dave Milligan) and a band of concertina (Simon Thoumire), whistles (Dougie Pincock) and varied percussion that, while outside of the tradition, is great fun and damn good music. After a brief solo on the small pipes, the opener turns into one of those swooshy white noise splashes so popular in the pop-Celtic scene these days. It's a mixed bag of great folk traditions and over synthesized arrangements for the Enya crowd.

Pipe Major Robert Mathieson offers a recording of Highland pipes and Shepherd's new small pipes on The Big Birl.

Hot male bagpipe player archive#

Get Free CDs, an e-mail newsletter and keep this archive alive and online!