OT: The Piper & The Maker

Patrick D'Arcy · Post by **Patrick D'Arcy** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:09 pm

OT in that it's about Scottish music.

I just have to say that I recently received a copy of this CD and have to say I love it. The pipes all sound amazing and the playing is stellar.

http://www.footstompin.com/music/bagpip ... =460&page=

Patrick.

Hopkins · Post by **Hopkins** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:37 pm

I got this right after it came out. Great stuff. Nice combo of small pipes, border pipes, GHB, pipes & fiddle, singing...

Good marketing on Hamish's part...

Douglas · Post by **Douglas** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:43 pm

There are some outstanding pipers here. Gordon Duncan and Hamish are always quite excellent. I will have to consider purchasing this.

Thanks Pat

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:48 pm

I'm always interested to hear about recordings like this. Thanks!

The Sporting Pitchfork · Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:32 pm

Thanks for bringing this up, Patrick...

Just when I'm gearing up to lay down some cash for regulators, this comes along and I'm reminded how much I deeply covet a set of Hamish's Border pipes (or a set of his A Highland pipes, or an A/D smallpipes combo, or...okay, I'll stop now). Uggghhh, I can't afford any of them, so I might as well fantasize about all of them...I do have some A smallpipes from Hamish that I absolutely love. I've played them for almost 10 years and almost never had any trouble with them. Fin made me a monster reed 7 years ago and it still sounds like a monster now. Hamish & Fin are right up there at the same level as Geoff Wooff as far as craftsmanship goes, no question.

There are some fantastic players on this CD, some of whom have been very kind and helpful to me personally. Allan gave me a few lessons when I was studying in Glasgow. I also learned a few tunes from Anna Mhoireach and she was the one that started me off learning Gaelic. I bumped into Graham Mulholland one night at a session in Edinburgh back when he was still young and hardly known. He was an impressive player then and is absolutely jaw-dropping now...They're all fantastic people (although Gordon Duncan could stand to cut back on the booze) and all fantastic players. Anyone wishing to hear a representative sample of contemporary Scottish piping at its best need look no further than here. This is the stuff.

josh perkins · Post by **josh perkins** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:00 pm

Amen, padre. This record got me going on the border pipes and I loves 'em.

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:04 am

Angus MacKenzie and Gabe McVarish really tear it up on this one. Great stuff!

jmccain · Post by **jmccain** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 6:23 am

I think it's a brilliant album. Not only are the players/tunes/songs top-notch, but it's interesting to hear the variety of tone and styles. Even the well kent "Hamish Moore" instrument tone has wonderful variety. The good liner notes give clues.

I understand that volume 2 was recorded at Celtic Colours in Cape Breton this year. Can't wait!

Best, John

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:00 am

Does Volume 2 feature a different maker?

josh perkins · Post by **josh perkins** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:26 am

Nigel Richard, anyone?

The Sporting Pitchfork · Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:17 pm

While Nigel's stuff is totally top-notch, I'm not sure if enough Scottish piping "names" playing his stuff could be assembled for a comparable CD. Nigel and Hamish were the two top makers for Scottish bellows pipes but now that McCallum has entered the fray with their Fred Morrison-endorsed Border pipes, I wonder if business will suffer for the both of them...

I seem to recall that Fraser Fifield and Finlay MacDonald both played Nigel's stuff. Fred used to play an early set of Nigel's Border pipes as well--it was featured briefly in the film "Rob Roy" (along with Fred's fake beard) and now belongs to a friend of mine in California.

Hmm...Could be the start of a whole new marketing trend in piping CDs--famous pipers playing famous pipemakers' schwag:"God Is My Tailgunner and Geoff Wooff's Under My Elbow", "Koehler & Quinn Sell Out", "Seth Gallagher Sings For You", "The Florid Tones of Andreas Rogge", etc. Then again, most good UP makers seem to be doing well enough with word of mouth marketing...

As a totally OT aside, my housemate is currently trying to sell his set of Nigel Richard Border pipes. I think he's got a blurb about it on the Bob Dunsire forum somewhere...

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:34 pm

The Sporting Pitchfork wrote:As a totally OT aside, my housemate is currently trying to sell his set of Nigel Richard Border pipes. I think he's got a blurb about it on the Bob Dunsire forum somewhere...

Habitez-vous au Quebec? I think I saw that listing. That's a pretty good deal.

I think their may be enough Garvie players for a CD. There's also Jim McGillivray, Gordon Mooney and Matt Seattle and I'm sure there's more. But it does seem like Hamish has the most top notch clientele.

I must say I think my Garvie chanter's great but I've never played another.

Cheers,
Aaron

The Sporting Pitchfork · Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:07 pm

Non, je n'habite pas au Quebec. J'habite aux Etats-Unis.

I never realized that this forum would provide quite so many opportunities for me to dust off my rotten high school French...

It was a listing from Portland, OR, actually. Not sure if my friend has updated it in a while...He wasn't getting any promising queries...Fools!

jmccain · Post by **jmccain** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:34 pm

AaronMalcomb wrote:Does Volume 2 feature a different maker?

No, another set of pipers playing Moore's pipes. I should have been more (get it?) specific.

Best, John