Tag Archives: Scottish music

John O’Regan’s Massive Piping Omnibus Review

Various artists’ Glenfiddich Piping Championship – March, Strathspey and Reel (Lismor, 1999) Various artists’ Glenfiddich Piping Championship – Piobaireachd (Lismor, 1999) Various artists’ Glenfiddich Piping Championship – Ceol Mor Piobaireachd (Monarch, 1991) Various artists’ Dr Dan Reid Memorial Solo Piping … Continue reading

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The Scottish Power Pipe Band’s Cathcart, and Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band’s The Calling

There exist in the piping world today two kinds of Scottish pipe bands: those that play by the rules of repertoire and those that have an adventurous streak. This review highlights one very ambitious pipe band open to contemporary sound … Continue reading

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Aly Bain & Ale Möller’s Beyond the Stacks

One of the finest concerts my wife and I ever saw was Aly Bain and Ale Möller at the Center for Cultural Exchange in Portland, Maine, several years back. Like the music of Frifot, of which Ale is a member, … Continue reading

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Aly Bain and Ale Möller at the Center for Cultural Exchange, Portland, Maine, May 12, 2005

Donna Bird and Cat Eldridge co-wrote this review. Maine-dwellers will remember May 2005 as the month of ceaseless rain, wind and unseasonably cold temperatures. The weather was at its worst on the weekends. Most of us were house-bound against our … Continue reading

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Alex Sturbaum’s Slash

In an email conversation I had with Alex Sturbaum (they/them) after they contacted me about reviewing this album, one of my comments was something on the order of “this is an incredibly generous album.” And I didn’t just mean the … Continue reading

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Jochen Ross and Jens-Uwe Popp’s The Ten Islands

I must confess I’ve had this CD on my shelf for over a year. I listen to it regularly when my brain is abuzz with distractions and plans. The music of The Ten Islands has a calming effect. It’s quite … Continue reading

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Buddy MacMaster’s Cape Breton Tradition

Pat Simmonds wrote this review. The Cape Breton Island fiddling tradition is getting quite the press coverage of late. Surely one of the last strongholds of traditional fiddling in North America, its popularity has been growing in leaps and bounds. … Continue reading

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Natalie MacMaster’s Yours Truly

Natalie MacMaster is well on the way to becoming the Alison Krauss of Cape Breton Island. By that I mean that she is taking the traditional music of her homeland and putting a slightly modern, NPR-friendly spin on it that … Continue reading

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Natalie MacMaster’s Fit As A Fiddle

Naomi de Bruyn wrote this review. Natalie is something of a well-known personage in Canada, being one of the most prominent fiddlers – perhaps the most famous woman fiddler – to ever come out of Cape Breton. Natalie grew up … Continue reading

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Natalie MacMaster’s My Roots are Showing

Natalie MacMaster is blessed with extraordinary talent – nurtured by a musical family and honed through fiddle competitions. She is also possessed of perky blonde good looks that seem to cause many a young folkie’s brain to shift into neutral … Continue reading

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