Month: December 2015

Rutherglen Pipe Band Letter & Two New Piobaireachd Recordings

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We start today with a new letter from piping researcher Hector Russell, Helensburgh. Hector has been delving into the archives of the 214th Glasgow Company of the Boys’ Brigade Pipe Band and discovering many interesting old photographs and information about a band that was a hotbed of top-level piping and drumming tuition during the latter half of the 20th Century. The picture above is of the Rutherglen Pipe Band and features…

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P/M Terry Lee and L/D Reid Maxwell on How to Build Your Band’s Ensemble

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P/M Terry Lee and L/D Reid Maxwell made one of the greatest pipe band combinations of all time. Whilst they were at the helm of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, Burnaby, BC, they won no fewer than six World Championship titles. They travelled thousands of miles each year to compete against the world’s best and were never out of the top six in all that time. So when they talk of what…

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PP Editor’s Blog: SPA KO/ Gordon Duncan Book/ Kilberry Bagpipes/ Scottish Schools

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Vice President Hugh Anderson reports from Saturday’s SPA Knock Out: ‘We had a really good night despite high winds and heavy rain all day. You could hear the wind gusting in the hall fortunately it was at the back so did not affect the players or the sixty-odd audience. Chris [Armstrong] won the toss and played first and played really well then after the break it was Stuart’s [Liddell] turn…

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John MacDonald Recordings – Glasgow Police or Inverness?

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Many thanks to John Don MacKenzie, Dornie, for alerting us to this possibility regarding the John MacDonald recordings highlighted last week: ‘Hi Rab, I have been listening to Alan Lomax’s recordings; really good stuff and interesting indeed both in Scotland and abroad. It’ll keep me going for some time along with http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/ which has loads of John D. Burgess ceol mor on it. Willie Ross and John D are sparkling indeed…

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Highlands & Islands Festival Celebrates 30 Years of Music and Dance

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The popular Highlands and Islands Festival has celebrated its 30th anniversary at a reception held in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, writes Robert Wallace The festival began in 1983 as an idea floated round the kitchen table of former Chairman Neil Sinclair and his wife at their home in Oban. Since then it has enjoyed years of showcasing the best in Scottish music and dance. It has grown to such an extent…

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