His piping – this evening mainly performed on the small pipes – is almost indescribably excellent. “Co D’athair” laid the musical groundwork for what was to be a display of the best piping I have heard in my life.

With flute and fiddle standing as real pillars of the band’s groove, their quiet confidence and keen drive will undoubtedly age well. With Hector Henderson, Patsy Reid, Calum MacCrimmon and Andrew MacPherson standing each as multi-instrumentalists representing no fewer then 10 instruments, the evening was off to a genuinely toe-tapping start. Opening his gig was the young band “Co D’athair”, a quartet of talented students from the music programs of the National Piping Centre / RSAMD partnership and Strathclyde University’s applied music program. With small pipes, flute, and Uillean pipes, his show at the sold out National Piping Centre auditorium underscored this reputation in spades. The world at large and, more specifically, the folkie/Celtic music scene knows him as an outstanding all around musician, playing alongside the outstanding bouzouki-player/singer, Jamie McMenemy.

People in the competitive Highland piping world will know Fred Morrison for his Gold Medal-winning piping prowess. Here’s the first of his dispatches from Glasgow.

Celtic Connections Report: Fred Morrison and Jamie McMenemyĬeltic Connections, one of the world’s largest Celtic music festivals, is happening in Glasgow over the next three weeks and Piper & Drummer Online has asked Michael Grey of Dundas, Ontario, to report on as many piping events as possible.

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