My wife and I had such a blast, I thought I’d just take a moment for some highlights; and yes, she was totally blown away(in a good way) by the performances and never realized how many different types of pipes there are!
First, it was a pleasure to meet Steve Bliven, who was both at the Bill Ochs Ornamentation Boot Camp and emceed the evening show; thanks for all your work Steve. An added pleasure seeing Ralph Sweet at the workshop also and later getting to try out a new black delrin and polycarbonate Sweet whistle.
Second, it was also a pleasure to finally meet Jerry Freeman in the flesh after repeated email contacts; also a delightful gentleman and a whistle scholar.
Third, it was great to see Bill Ochs again. I have known him for a long time, but had never before heard him play pipes, only whistle - he was amazing on the Uilleann pipes!
Fourth, having an hour of face time with Larry McCullough and recording our session was and will continue to be a revelation.
Fifth, the Kwela presentation by John Skelton was both informative and charming. Vast research, recordings and playing presented in a humorous, yet respectful historical context was just plain fun throughout.
Finally, the show. Bill knocked our socks off to begin and was followed by a couple of nimble fingered young lads - Dan Houghton and Anthony Robb - who had me repeating the same word over and over, WOW! (Border pipes, Scottish small pipes, Northumbrian small pipes). Larry McCullough dazzled with his own unique whistle style; Jon Swayne definitely the end all on English pipes and more…
A memorable exhilarating experience.
Philo
and on the same weekend as the World Pipe Band Championships.