Search - Seamus Ennis, Peadar Broe, Leo Rowsome :: Drones & Chanters: Irish Pipering

Pipering from the old timers

Kevin L. Rietmann | Oregon | 01/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection features music from seven different pipers, representing older styles of playing by and large, although nowadays even the youngest, Paddy Moloney, sounds very quirky in comparision to the newer breed of pipers, who by the way have expanded in number a great deal since this record was released early in the 70's. The playing can be a bit out of tune or shaky in spots, and it's a shame Peadar Broe and Dan O'Dowd are given one cut apiece; Broe was an excellent player of dance music and O'Dowd a lovely player of slow airs, with a very beautiful sounding set of pipes as well. The room on the record for more cuts of them was delegated to Seamus Ennis (who gets six cuts) and Willie Clancy (who gets four), both fantastic pipers to be sure, but even at the time there were recordings to be had of each, albeit of limited release. Since then many more recordings of both have come on the market; it would have been nice to dig into the vaults for this CD issue and bring out more of what was recorded for these sessions.
These objections aside, this is a nice introduction to these pipers' music - nicest of all are the cuts included of Leo Rowsome, all of which are lovely and unique in some way - a very powerfully played lament on a flat pitched set of pipes, a lullably with an amazing chordal accompaniment on the regulators, and the only commercial recording of playing on a double chanter, which has two reeds, bores, and sets of fingerholes, sounding like two pipers playing at once. Even at the time of recording these chanters were in the hands of perhaps three pipers in the world. Truly a window into the past!"

Pure Irish Piping

liamdonovan | 06/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you like traditional Irish Uilleann pipes, this album is definitely for you. It is a wonderful collection of great Irish tunes by truly talented players. For the most part they are unaccompanied by other instruments, and without any slick producing. It is this unrefined music, thought, that can truly give one an appreciation of how beautiful this difficult to master instrument can be. If you like A beautiful Irish tenor or rollicking pub songs, this might not be for you, however, as this is just pure piping."