Maverick pipers such as the late Gordon Duncan, Fred Morrison and Finlay MacDonald, while thoroughly versed in the conventional approaches of the competition platform, have forged new directions for the Highland pipes in a folk context, but this disc focuses firmly on the traditional aspects of the instrument and its heritage.
Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies is a very famous name in piping (he was described by one American academic as the Michael Jordan of piping), both as a performer and a teacher, and his performances here are as impeccable as you might expect – powerful, technically flawless and highly expressive.
The music was recorded in the course of various live performances last year, and with the exception of one formal Pibroch, his instrumental sets draw mainly on marches, Strathspeys, reels and jigs, both traditional and contemporary....NC. www.scotsman.com