A Celebration of the Music of Gordon Duncan, A National Treasure (Greentrax, 2008)
In 2007 Scottish musicians got together to celebrate the music of piper and composer Gordon Duncan. Duncan died at age 41 and he was one of the most reputable performers and composers in modern Scottish history.
The CD Celebrating of the Music of Gordon Duncan, A National Treasure begins with a a pipe band introduction by Atholl Highlanders Pipe Band and transitions to the masterful uilleann bagpipe of Iarlath Henderson and the Concert Band. The album continues with a compelling a cappella song in Gaelic by Jock Duncan, Gordon’s father.
The accordion and fiddles of Session A9 (originally formed by Charlie McKerson of Capercallie) perform a swinging Celtic version of two pieces, one of which was composed by Gordon Duncan. This is followed by powerful traditional Breton music on bombarde and bagpipe by Sylvain Hamon and Steven Bodénes.
Evocative Gaelic singer and clarsach player Maggie MacInness brings tranquility and melancholy to the album with the mesmerizing Thig an Smeorach as t-Earrach (The Thrush Will Come in the Spring).
Gordon Duncan composed music for many types of instrumentation. The National Youth Pipe Band plays "The ’98" by Gordon Duncan, a pice that he recorded on his album Thunderstruck in 2001.
The Pan-Celtic collaborations continue with the charming melody of the Asturian piece "Añada pa Gael" featuring master piper Xosé Manuel Tejedor (Asturias, Spain), fiddler Duncan Chisholm and The Concert Band.
Scottish piper provides his contemporary view of the Scottish bagpipe accompanied by Eamon Coyne on banjo (an American folk instrument that is now widely used in the British Isles). Coyne joins singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kris Drever on the next piece, the memorable song "Steel and Stone," from Drever’s album Black Water.
Iarlath Henderson returns and joins forces with banjoist Eamon Coyne and The Concert Band, playing traditional instrumental music arranged by Gordon Duncan.
The legendary folk singer Dougie MacLean, accompanied by Ross Ainslie, sings Charlotte, composed by MacLean and Gordon Duncan and which "grew from the strong friendship and musical understanding that existed for many years between Dougie and Gordon," according to the liner notes.
The album concludes with a grand finale, with a pipe rock medley which features outstanding dual bagpipes playing the music of Gordon Duncan performed by pipers Ross Ainslie, Ali Hutton and The Concert Band .
Gordon’s son, also named Gordon, is a multi-instrumentalist and sat with the House Band during the concert, playing percussion and guitar.
Buy the CD:
- In North America: A Celebration of the Music of Gordon Duncan. Gordon Duncan albums available: Just for Seamus, "The Circular Breath, and Thunderstruck
- In Europe: A Celebration of the Music of Gordon Duncan. Gordon Duncan albums available: Just for Seamus, The Circular Breath , Thunderstruck , and Just for Gordon
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
