Roger Huth
07-14-2008, 12:36 AM
Those Londoners who could be bothered to get off their ....., and there were quite a number of us, crowded into the Mudlark on Friday night to hear a treat rarely heard in England. A quintet of Grade One Pipers playing four year old wooden Sinclair chanters.
Oh the tone.
As I climbed the stairs clutching a glass of red I could hear the tones of a fantastic bagpipe being played. It was Jamie Forrester readying one of his sets for a later solo. I pulled up a chair next to the elusive Bob Voles and waited for the show to beguin.
At eight o'clock Alasdair Smith, brother of John Angus, then prepared us all to welcome Pipe Major Stewart MacKenzie and his four pipers from his Manawatu Pipe Band.
He marched his pipers on and and halted them professionally in a semi circle to start their first selection.
It is the first time that I never heard an attack on E after a silent two three paced rolls.
The drones came in and then the E blended with those drones ghost like. There was no join. No attack. It was just there.
Their tone was just absolutely fantastic and unvarying as they played 'Battle of Waterloo' and two other 4/4's.
Same detail for a fantastic March, Strathspey and MacAllister's Dirk.
Not a blemish or a waver from those controlling these fantastic instruments as they then played their Grade One Selection Sets.
These five guys were totally switched on and focused, yet their Pipe Major also kept them relaxed just enough.
We were treated to some great solo spots from the quintet, but I and those around me, just wanted to more and more of the five layers of sound.
It was all over far too soon and I had to race up escalators to get the last train home.
Well done the new Piping Society of London Team for giving us this fantastic night of Grade One Piping.
Bravo.
Roger
Oh the tone.
As I climbed the stairs clutching a glass of red I could hear the tones of a fantastic bagpipe being played. It was Jamie Forrester readying one of his sets for a later solo. I pulled up a chair next to the elusive Bob Voles and waited for the show to beguin.
At eight o'clock Alasdair Smith, brother of John Angus, then prepared us all to welcome Pipe Major Stewart MacKenzie and his four pipers from his Manawatu Pipe Band.
He marched his pipers on and and halted them professionally in a semi circle to start their first selection.
It is the first time that I never heard an attack on E after a silent two three paced rolls.
The drones came in and then the E blended with those drones ghost like. There was no join. No attack. It was just there.
Their tone was just absolutely fantastic and unvarying as they played 'Battle of Waterloo' and two other 4/4's.
Same detail for a fantastic March, Strathspey and MacAllister's Dirk.
Not a blemish or a waver from those controlling these fantastic instruments as they then played their Grade One Selection Sets.
These five guys were totally switched on and focused, yet their Pipe Major also kept them relaxed just enough.
We were treated to some great solo spots from the quintet, but I and those around me, just wanted to more and more of the five layers of sound.
It was all over far too soon and I had to race up escalators to get the last train home.
Well done the new Piping Society of London Team for giving us this fantastic night of Grade One Piping.
Bravo.
Roger