The Vale of Atholl pipe band of the 1980s and ’90s were indeed true originals. Led by Pipe Major Ian Duncan and his famous brother Gordon, ‘The Vale’ pushed boundaries of form, style, content and structure from day one of their arrival in the premier grades.
Arguably, the pinnacle of their artistic output was the 1995 concert at Motherwell Civic Centre, ‘Live n’ Well’. I was busy being seven. My father’s Carluke band was ingrained in my ear, or so I thought. Somewhere between Christmas ’95 and the Spring of ’96 ‘Live n’ Well’ was released on CD. It was to have a lasting influence on me and a whole generation of pipers.
By Dan Nevans
When Piping Press announced last November that as part of the Gordon Duncan tribute at the 2026 Celtic Connections the concert would be re-run, I immediately contacted Ian and put forward a case for being involved.
He responded very politely to say that they had a full roster already but if someone pulled out then he’d drop me a line. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, I was happy enough to have asked and to have had the opportunity to describe a little of my own relationship with that record to the ensemble leader of the ’90s.
On a pre-Christmas day out my phone rumbled. It was Ian telling me there had been a couple of pull outs and asking if I was still game to play. If that message came in at 21.20, Ian had a response at 21.20.
The scores I was sent were mainly scans of the originals The Vale used for their Motherwell concert. Having come off the back of the 2025 pre-Worlds concert myself, I still felt pretty daunted by the previous generation’s repertoire.
We were asked to learn El Paco Grande, MacCrimmon will never Return, the Gargoyles/ Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, Kilworth Hills/ Farewell to Nigg, the Nameless Piobaireachd, Molendinar, MacIain of Glencoe, Smecono Horo/ Elav the Terrible, Eileen Mary Connolly and Steam Train to Mallaig.
Our first rehearsal was on Tuesday the 6th of January in the King Robert Hotel in Stirling. I hope I can be permitted a short analogy from the classics. You may know of the classic Greek myth ‘Jason and the Argonauts’. Jason forms a band of heroes from across Greece to sail The Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. Well Ian Duncan formed a crew of heroes from across the piping world to search for a golden moment.
I sat down at a table of solo champions, world pipe band champions, pipe majors, piping tutors and luminaries of the art. A true career highlight of mine to be included in their number.
Our first rehearsal really was just an opportunity to get a feel for playing together. Our weekend rehearsals at Knightswood British Legion social club in Glasgow were much more in depth. It was here that the show really came together. A mixture of personal professionalism and reassuring leadership made the rehearsal process joy-filled and smooth.
In a certain sense it was like playing in the pipe band that every pipe major wishes for – everyone turning up with a good instrument and confident in the material from the first practice.
Our last true run-through was last Friday afternoon in the Piping Centre. That was it really. All the group preparation was done inside of two weeks and there was a major show to play in the morning.
On the day, high spirits saw the crew rock up at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall promptly for 0900. We were all excited to play. Tuning up in the concert hall is always a bit difficult due to the size of the dressing rooms but again, 17 pipers who have all played in that venue multiple times made for a lack of drama.
I did have a moment of horror when my bass drone stopped a couple of times in the tune up, but it seemed to settle once we got closer to stage time. That’s just playing cane for you really.
If you were there, you know the rest. Former Vale band member and founder of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Stuart Cassells, ably led the audience through some band history and context.
We were committed to the show, and I felt that this came out in the playing and we produced a laudable performance. The golden moment for me happened in MacIain of Glencoe. A phenomenal piece which in my opinion ranks above Journey to Skye in terms of multi voiced ensemble music for the bagpipe. They say there’s no magic left in the world but there is – if you know where to look.
Just before the last set Ian made a short speech about how gratifying and enjoyable the experience had been. He mentioned how incredible it was to see the effect of Gordon’s music and that of the Vale over the years and how proud he was of the community of current and former Vale members out in the world.
To complete the show Seumas MacNeill’s speech from the 1994 SPA knockout final for the Piping Times Trophy was re-run. It was between Gordon Walker and Gordon Duncan – virtuosic abilities in a more competition field, versus wild fingers and exciting repertoire. The call was close, Gordon D getting the shout.
Before Seumas read the prizes he gave a speech lambasting both players and concluding, ‘if this is what piping has come to, I shall go back to the fiddle!’
Gordon would go on to write the tune Just for Seumas, the title track for his debut solo album. From this recording began a legacy that affects everyone who has picked up a pipe, whistle, fiddle or accordion since.
For the finale we donned our multi-coloured sombreros, and marched down from the stage to the call of the whistle and the groove of RS MacDonald’s El Paco Grande. A great end to a great day.
- Listen to a concert solo spot from Stuart Liddell featuring Gordon’s tunes:
MacCrimmon Piobaireachd, the Classic Tunes
Download a complete tune played in full on the practice chanter by ceol mor expert Robert Wallace. By using circular breathing he is able to demonstrate the linking of lines, variations and phrases so vital to good piobaireachd delivery. These tunes are all associated with the great MacCrimmon family, hereditary pipers to MacLeod of Dunvegan. Most are suitable for the piping competitions at the Skye Gathering such as the Dunvegan Medal and Clasp. Recordings may sometimes vary slightly from the printed score…