I’ve recently heard a really good CD titled “Troublesome Things” By Piper/Whistle Player Brendan Ring. The CD is about half Low Whistle and half U Pipes, and all fantastic. I mean really fantastic. My favorite track is called “The Lasher” (and we have at least one Lasher on the board that I know of…but you’ll have to buy the CD to find out what that means, unless your from Cork I suppose.) Anyway, the tune starts out slow and pretty, then picks up and turns into this rousing, raging melodic tune that’s a virtual clinic on playing rolls on the Low Whistle. Geeze, my fingers hurt just listening to it It’s Techno Crap with Heart, Bob - Great stuff!
I think I’ve mentioned Emer Mayock’s CD’s before, but I’ll say it again just in case: Her CD’s “Merry Bits Of Timber” and “PlayGround” for flute and whistle players. There is a super cool duet with a Harmonica on Playground.
I’ve also heard some Kila recently, and although it’s not so trad, I really like it. Kila is easy to find at most big music/book stores here in the U.S. and might be worth a free listen to see if you like before you buy.
Hmm, I feel like I’m forgetting something…Oh well, guess that’s it for now.
Loren B., Roving whistle music critic for Chiff and Fipple reporting. Back to you in the studio Dale…
Loren, if you have Emer Mayock’s first record, can you please look at the sleeve and tell me where the tune “Out on the roof” comes from? I have just learned if from and decided to transcribe it and would like to know if it’s attributed to anyone, or copyrighted, or anything else I should know.
Hi Steve, The track (No 7) “Out on the roof” was written by Kevin O’Connor who plays the fiddle on the album. It is a small world as Kevin was a year below me at the same school as myself and he was a good fiddler back then. You should also check out his solo album “From the Chest” on Malgamu Music MALGCD113, funnily enough Emer plays whistle, flute and fiddle on his album along with 12 other excellent musicians. He is living in Dublin and is a chef when not playing.
I also love Emer Mayock’s CD’s especially ‘Playground’ (Is mise 001) not sure what label it is under as I cannot find it on the sleeve but they sell it at Claddagh records http://www.claddaghrecords.com/pageK-M.htm#M
Merry bits of Timber is under Key Records (KEYCD121) which can be bought through Claddagh aswell.
Brendan Rings Troublesome Things (BPR001CD) can be bought from Mad for Trad at http://madfortrad.com/fs_gs.htm he is a fine piper, whistler and pipe maker now living in Brittany. Loren funnily enough “The Lasher” is my favorite (whistle)track although track 11 Gan Ainm/Madame Bonaparte is something else…
So many good CDs out there…
Hope this helps,
Colin
I’ve been having a devil of a time posting to the message board lately - I’ll post to one or two threads, and then I get locked out from posting until I visit a bunch of other sites and then return. Sometimes I have to reboot completely
Anyway, thanks to Colin for stepping in and aswering most of the questions, some of which I didn’t have the answer to anyway.
Colin, gee, big surprise that we’re both fond of the same track on Brendan’s CD, and Emer’s for that matter, huh Yeah, that other tune is something else as well, what a player Brendan is - I’ve been wearing that CD out! Interesting to hear a bit of Brendan’s history as well, thanks.
Steve and Tony, Colin has pretty much covered your questions. I’ll just add that the Kevin O’Connor CD Colin mentions is nice one as well.
Nick, according to the liner notes 5 of the 12 tune/tune sets are trad. with the others being mostly Brendan’s own compositions. I don’t know what you’re definition of “Trad” is, but most of Brendan’s own compositions sound Trad enough to me, I mean this is no Hevia or Afro Celt CD, that’s for sure. (Both of which I happen to like by the way)
It’s Techno Crap with Heart, Bob - Great stuff!