Regimental Pipe Bands & Compilations by Various Artists
The list of reviewed albums below includes recordings by two of Scotland's most beloved pipe bands, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the Black Watch, as well as CDs of piobaireachd and popular tunes by various artists. Please be advised that some of the selections are not exclusively played on the Great Highland Bagpipes; where noted in the review, the album may also include Border pipes, Uilleanns, Scottish smallpipes, etc.
Compilations
Here's to the Highlands: Music for Highland Bagpipe Review
Here's to the Highlands: Music for Highland Bagpipe
This compilation features all-instrumental tracks by traditional soloists
and groups whose music prominently features the Great Highland Bagpipes;
in addition, you'll hear some fine work on the fiddle, guitar, tin
whistle and other Celtic instruments. Among the performers are Wolfstone,
Rare
Air, Tannahill
Weavers, and Phil
Cunningham.
Ceol na Pioba (Music of the Pipes) -- A Concert of Piobaireachd Review
Ceol na Pioba (Music of the Pipes) -- A Concert of Piobaireachd
Even within the rigid format of the piobaireachd repertoire, there
is still room for a variety of playing styles. This album presents
a number of pipers with a more modern approach, such as Roddy MacLeod
and Willie McCallum,
mixed in with traditionalists like Allan
MacDonald and Barnaby Brown.
This recording was made in Edinburgh University's Reid Hall, on August 30, 1999, under the auspices of the Edinburgh International Festival. Reid Hall is an excellent venue acoustically for a concert on the pipes, and the production values are superior.
On the more modern side, the standout track is Willie McCallum's stately rendition of the piobaireachd rarity Lament for Hugh. Meanwhile, Barnaby Brown makes a strong case for the traditionalists, playing in period style on a reproduction of an 18th-century set of pipes crafted from Scottish almond wood. No matter which playing style you prefer, you may find yourself enjoying every single track of this superb collection.
Piping Hot: Celtic Bagpipe Collection Review
Piping Hot: Celtic Bagpipe Collection
This Celtophile compilation presents tracks culled from the archives
of Green Linnet records, so the artists featured are first-rate. The
disc includes tracks from the likes of Joe McKenna, Matt Connolly, Seamus
Ennis, Joe Burke, Tommy Reck, and Patrick
Street, and a couple of tracks each from Jerry O'Sullivan and the Tannahill
Weavers. Expect solo and ensemble-played tunes that showcase the
Uilleann pipes and Scottish
smallpipes, in addition to the Great
Highland Bagpipes.
Grand Concert of Scottish Piping Review
Grand Concert of Scottish Piping
On November 10, 1995, the Lowland & Border Pipers Society, under the
leadership of Hamish
Moore, recorded this live album in concert at the Old Royal High
School, Edinburgh. The tunes in this collection are not only performed
on the Great
Highland Bagpipes, but also on the Lowland pipes and Scottish smallpipes.
The performers include some of the top names in every variety of pipes,
including Gordon Mooney, Gordon
Duncan, Iain
MacInnes, Martyn
Bennett, Angus D. MacColl, and Allan MacDonald.
Some of the best tracks on the album are the three sets by Gordon Duncan,
Angus D. MacColl's
The Mason's Apron set, and a tune called The Magic Flute written by
Martyn Bennett and dedicated to Irish flute master Cathal
McConnell.
Bagpipes of Scotland: Celtic Collections, Vol. 4 Review
Bagpipes of Scotland: Celtic Collections, Vol. 4
The repertoire and instrumentation on this CD range far and wide; look
for smallpipes tunes with Hamish
Moore, tracks from several top-notch pipe bands, and Gordon
Duncan making his usual fine
and stylish contributions. Highlights include a rendition of Scotland
The Brave
from the Lothian and Borders Police Pipe Band, Gordon Duncan's set
of Three Jigs, and a live concert set from the Vale Of Atholl pipe
band. Also featured are the Drambuie Kirkliston Pipe Band, Ceolbeg,
Dougie Pincock, and the Scottish Gas Pipe Band.
Regimental Pipe Bands
Highland Cathedral Review
Highland
Cathedral by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Have you ever seen a piper drive a tank, or a tank driver play the
Great Highland Bagpipes? Hang around the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
for even a little while, and you'll get your fill of both. These pipers and
drummers all serve as Army tank crewmen, and the Guards have participated
in numerous armed conflicts as part of the 7th Armoured Brigade, including
action in Iraq, Kosovo, the Gulf War, and in North Africa during World
War
II. This regiment can trace its proud lineage back through the Royal
Scots Greys, the Cavalry of the Line first raised by King Charles II in 1678.
When
not deployed to dangerous corners of the globe in service to the Queen, the
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards are touring or in the studio recording
one of their highly successful albums. This particular recording is
also available
in a DVD
version that showcases video footage of the Guards playing
at some of the most scenic and historic sites in Scotland.
The Black Watch: Scottish Pipe Band Favorites Review
The
Black Watch: Scottish Pipe Band Favorites by the Pipes & Drums of the 1st Battalion, Black Watch
Among Scotland's premier pipe bands, The Black Watch (Royal Highland
Regiment) is arguably the best-known. Its roots are in the 42nd Foot,
one of the oldest Highland regiments in the British Army, which was originally
raised in 1725. The Black Watch was officially formed in 1881, through
amalgamation
of the 42nd Foot and the 73rd Foot.
The band first rose to fame in the United States when they played at the funeral of John F. Kennedy in 1963, and their music has been extremely popular with Americans ever since. This collection gathers many of the band's finest recordings from 1969-1972, the selection representing a nice balance of regimental and popular tunes. Piping aficionados and history buffs will want to hear this CD to discover the ways in which the Black Watch of today contrasts with the more martial-sounding band of 35 years ago. Most of the 18 tracks on the disc are medleys of three or more tunes, so there is much here to appreciate.
Historically speaking, the first track, the Crimean Long Reveille (a medley of The Soldiers Return/Grannie Duncan/Sae Will Ye Yet, The Wearing of the Green/Grannie Duncan/Miss Girdle/Erchless Castle/Johnnie Cope) may be the most significant; this medley has been in the repertoire of the Black Watch since the days of the Crimean War (ca. 1854).
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