I first met Tommy Reck at Seamus Ennis’ and Liam O’Flynn’s apartment located in Ballsbridge, Duiblin around 1971 ( my dates might be incorrect but they are generally accurate). Over the next year we became friends and I asked Tommy if he would be interested in making a recording for my record label. He said that he would, but his pipes were not going. That was the main reason that the other record companies did not get to record Tommy. I asked him to give me the pipes and I spent the next week making reeds and getting them going. When I returned the pipes Tommy was delighted.
At the time Paul Brady had an apartment, also in Dublin, which I used to make Tommy’s record. On the appointed day Tommy showed up with a manuscript of tunes that he had collected over the years. Tommy was an excellent sight reader. We spent a couple of days going through tunes and recording, with Tommy and the microphones sitting in a stairwell in Paul’s apartment.
One funny thing that I remember was that after the recording was over Tommy and I went out for a pint. While standing at the bar I gave Tommy an envelope containing $500 (at the time $450.00 pounds) in cash. Tommy was stunned and said “Jaysus, I didn’t know that I was going to be paid”. 450.00 pounds was a lot of money at that time, when the average weekly pay was around $100.00 pounds,
I must say the recording and just being with Tommy was one of the high points of my life. Tommy and I remained good friends over the years until his death a while back.
Tommy by far had the sweetest, easygoing and at the same time, complicated styles of piping that I have ever heard. I sure do miss him.
Great story about Tommy Reck. I was lucky enough to meet him as a novice piper (I’ve since graduated to struggling piper) in 1987-ish in Comhaltas Ceoltoiri headquarters in Monkstown. Unfortunately he didn’t play when I met him, but it was a privilege just to shake his hand. I have a copy of the Stone in the Field and I love the piping on it.
I had heard a story that Tommy’s wife would not put up with him hanging out in pubs and becoming a drunkard like so many other pipers, and that’s why there’s so little of his playing recorded by anyone. He just wasn’t available. Do you know if that’s true?
Pat, its one of many many lovely stories that you could share with us, I’m sure. You have had some wonderful opportunities. I look forward to hearing what you have to say about S. Ennis and others at the upcoming SF tionol. I also would like to speak with you about tionol issues.
There’s also a tape widely in circulation of Tommy Reck made in 1960 or 61, reportedly by Sean Reid. Recorded at home, there’s a baby crying in the background on some of the tracks. Really lovely piping, including nice regulator work. If memory serves, he was not playing the regulators much if at all on the Stone in the Field recording.
Does anyone know more about the history of that earlier tape?
As far as I know that tape was recorded by Peadar O’Loughlin in Tommy’s home in Dublin when Peadar was visiting. The baby crying is Tommy’s daughter Maura… as far as I know.
The story I have about that tape from both Jimmy O’Brien-Moran and Ronan Browne is that Tommy was asked to put a tape together for aspiring pipers. I think Breathnach distributed it.
I don’t have a copy myself so if anybody out there would like to carry on Breathnach’s mission I for one would be extremely grateful
one story goes that reck once arrived home and the bellows was burning away in the fireplace awaiting the rest of the set. marriage is such a great institution if ya like… ya’ll know the rest.
…oh, I dunno. My wife has been nothing but vastly supportive of my piping, where ever I choose to do it… and lately, she has agreed to my completing a full set. I tell ya, what a gal!
I’m afraid I’m with Joseph on this. I never took the story of Reck’s wife in a negative light. If you’re in a relationship where your partner’s opinion matters to you, and your partner cares enough to have an opinion about you, I think you should count yourself blessed.
I thought the name rung a bell. I’ve got a recording of Tommy Reck playing Carloyn’s Concerto (never thought it was a pipe tune). It’s on the album Seoltaí Séidte (Setting Sail) track 7. There’s some other great recordings on that CD of other musicians from the time. Including Sean’ac Dhonncha, Sean Ryan, Joe Burke, Willie Clancy, Denis Murphy (ths list goes on). It’s a great CD as it allows you to listen to different styles of Irish music on the pipes (and other instruments). It’s helped me a lot with my piping and understanding of Irish music. I’d highly recommend it. For those interested Seoltaí Séidte was published by Gael Linn recordings.
On THE DRONES AND THE CHANTERS VOL. ONE, Claddagh, Reck plays three tunes, for a grand total of four minutes and fifty five seconds, “The Scholar,” “Top it Off,” and “The Salamanca.” The liner notes say these were recorded in 1971. It would have been a terrible shame if his wife burned up that Kena set (circa 1794).
There’s some old Gael Linn stuff out there with Tommy.
Cait bhoideach / Tommy Reck, uilleann pipes
Dublin : Gael-Linn: CE 2, p 195-?-, 10 in. 78 rpm : mono
Contents: Cait bhoideach (Bonnie Kate), Ril Mhic Leoid (McLeod’s reel) , Girrseachai Fhearrnai (Fermoy lasses). Seosamh O hEanai (singer) on the reverse side
Comhsheinm Ui Chearbhallain / Tommy Reck, uilleann pipes
Dublin : Gael-Linn: CE 3, p 195-?-, 10 in. 78 rpm : mono
Contents: Comhsheinm Ui Chearbhallain (Carolan’s concerto). Seosamh O hEanai (singer) on the reverse side
There’s also a tape of an annual pipers concert in Dublin, forget the name just now, that has Tommy, and others playing.
Tommy’s Kenna set isn’t from 1794 as someone suggested. It’s by Kenna the younger, has 3 regs and looks very nice (in the photo at least).
Pat did you reed Tommy’s set yourself or did you take it to Matt, Dan or Leo? I assume then that Tommy didn’t make his own reeds. There’s a man in Sweden with parts of a Kenna set he got from Matt, we couldn’t get it playing in tune though.
Sean O’Riada had a series of programs on the radio in the sixties, lecturing on Irish music. RTE (I think) brought out a compilation of the series in a three-cassette format. Tommy was the piper used to illustrate the piping element of the series. He played the scale on the chanter and some tunes (I’m in work now but I will add in his contribution when I get home)
The notes on the cassete state;
Illustration of range of chanter (scale); Regulator chords, popping cran, roll
