http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/music/celticconnections/2010/artists/carlos_nunez/
Was just watching this, thought it was excellent and thought I would share it.
Also, does anyone know anything about the tune, or the whistle?
Hmmm… I click and get the message: “Not available in your area”
Same here. I’ve been “blacked out.”
I get it fine. Must be a British thing… lovely playing. Shame you cant hear it 
.
The chap has an official website, but I have not browsed it yet, maybe it contains a clip of the Celtic Connections performance…
Carlos Nuñez is, of course, Galician not Breton, though he performs a variety of Celtic and Iberian musics. Can’t see this particular vid, but recorder is often his weapon of choice.
Video info says, “Watch him perform the tracks “An Dro” and “Mambo”…”
He plays the An Dro (which is Breton, and it is a very stock an dro tune, an extremely well known one - they don’t usually have names like British and Irish tunes, just the type of dance they are for) on a Jon Swayne low F boxwood whistle (gorgeous!) and then switches to gaita gallega for the Mambo track.
I don’t often look in on these types of posts. Gosh, but I’m glad I did! Lovely stuff.
Jon Swayne eh, Jem? Hmmm … as you know, I can’t play the bloody things, but he - and you - make 'em sound fantastic.
Carlos Nuñez has often played (and recroded) the Andro Saint-Patrick. You will find some videos of Carlos playing this tune on Youtube.
Cheers,
Pascal.
David - thanks! Cool stuff! On the Mambo: I thought you had to keep blowing into a bagpipe to keep the bag full - interesting technique… I know those aren’t highland pipes, though. Are there different “air requirements” for the various types of pipes?
Pat, I don’t play 'em myself, but I know folk who do… with mouth-blown pipes (of whatever type) it is quite common to see the piper let the blow-pipe fall from his lips for a while and carry on playing by using the air-reservoir of the bag, compressing it with his bag-arm… and then maybe be putting in two or three sharp puffs to bring the bag back up again. Remember, normally the blow-pipe has a non-return valve so air doesn’t come back that way (there are a few relatively primitive types of pipes where the player has to stop the blow-pipe back-pressure with his tongue - and if the valve is faulty in pipes so equipped, they may have to do so as an emergency technique) and the pressure of air through the reeds is governed by the bag-arm anyway on all types of pipes, including bellows-blown ones (watch uillean or Northumbrian or Border pipers etc. carefully and you’ll see that as they push air in with the bellows they ease the bag arm so as not to get a burst of higher pressure through the reeds, driving them sharp or making them squawk. Highland pipers as well as gaita players and other mouth blown pipes players can often be seen doing what Carlos Nunez does there.
How nice of you to condescend.
the tune is Saint Patricks Andro also known as A las covas de rei Cintolo.
I saw the Chieftains perform this last year with a pipe-band.
Good stuff !