Review: Borderlands by Kathryn Tickell

This edition is from our archives, so it is presented as scanned pages rather than text.

RECORD REVIEWS

Borderlands, Kathryn Tickell; Black Crow Records CRO 210
‘Borderlands’ is the third album to be released featuring Kathryn Tickell on Northumbrian Small-pipes. This is surprising in itself as Kathryn is only twenty years old, but this new recording clearly shows that she has acquired a technical facility and musical maturity beyond her years. I suspect that Kathryn may be tiring of the ‘remarkably young’ epithet already and the music on this album demands a critical attention of a less sensational kind.

As well as Northumbrian Small-pipes Kathryn also plays violin on this album, although eight of the ten tracks feature Small-pipes. There is a variety of material here demonstrating three categories of musical source used by Northumbrian pipers: (1) the traditional piping repertoire (2) traditional melodies adapted from the repertoires of other instruments (3) contemporary original material written for the Northumbrian Small-pipes, or adapted for them. In the first category we find melodies drawn from the playing Billy Pigg and Tom Clough, the second includes material from the repertoire of the North Tyne fiddler ‘Kielder Jock’ and ‘The Border Fiddler Tom Hughes’, and the third category includes some excellent pieces written by Kathryn herself. There is variety in the treatment of the material also, from the traditional formula of solo presentation to imaginative accompaniments provided by Alistair Anderson (concertina), Rod Clements (fretless bass), Martin Matthews (cittern), Mick Wright and Gerry Kaley (guitars), and Anth Kaley (piano). One of the notable features of this album is the way in which attractive arrangements soften the sometimes austere image of the Northumbrian pipes, opening avenues to a broader audience for the instrument.

Also included is a pipe duet with Martyn Bennet (Scottish Small-pipes). This encapsulates the Borderland theme of the album which closes with a rendition of ‘The Flowers of the Forest’; the informative sleeve notes tell us that this is ‘a lament written after the Battle of Flodden’ and near the site of the battle stands a cross inscribed ‘To the Brave of Both Nations’.

Kathryn’s playing is crisp, clean and rhythmic throughout, but it is her own compositions that impress me the most. I particularly enjoy ‘Grey Bull Hornpipe’ and its rhythmic variant ‘Grey Bull Waltz’. In this review attention should focus primarily on the pipe melodies, but I cannot resist mentioning the violin melody ‘Roly Gentle’ written in memory of a friend from Cambridge. This is an angular and distinctive melody; I look forward to hearing more of Kathryn’s playing and composition . . .

Peter Stacey

Kathryn Tickell’s records are available by mail order from:
Mawson and Wareham (Music) Ltd
Midgy Ha
Sharperton
MORPETH
Northumberland NE65 7AS

Coup de Quatre, Vielleux du Bourbonnais; Audivis AV 4516
This outstanding record comes from four leading exponents of the bagpipe and hurdy-gurdy tradition of Central France: Jean-Claude Blanc, Fréderic Paris, Patrick Bouffard, and Bernard Blanc.
Perhaps the main success of the record is that Bernard Blanc has made all the pipes used on this recording (Cornemuse du Centre, 14, 20, 26 pouces) and they all blend together perfectly. The music represented includes equal amounts of traditional and self-composed music — and it is hard to see the join between the styles.
Besides the usual bourrées there are also several more lyrical non-dance-orientated tunes which have become my favourite tracks. In particular ‘Conscription’ (F. Paris) and ‘L’Orientale’ (Mick Baudimont) deserve repeated hearing. The pipes speak beautifully in the upper register and there are some fine combinations of different styles of pipe in harmony. This is a most enjoyable recording — a must for all French traditional music enthusiasts.

(Available from Discovery Records, Broad Street, Beechingstoke, Wilts).

Brian Radford

Pass the Hat, Noise of Minstrels; Unicorn-Kanchana DKP 9060
Something of the atmosphere of medieval street bands can be imagined from the first offering on disc of Noise of Minstrels.
The group specialise in the performance of early and traditional music, both as a street band appearing at fairs and festivals and as concert/recital performers. The album features eight musicians playing an impressive range of instruments including bagpipes (English, French and Union), hurdy-gurdy, shawms, clarinet, bassoon, citole and gittern. The pipes are very much to the fore, being put through their paces to fine effect. This is a long record, with music drawn from a wide range of sources and has an overall feel reminiscent of the best of the Munrow output. Particular favourites are the opening set of French tunes, ‘Le Rossignol’, ‘Valse à Cadet’ and ‘J’ai vu le loup’, with a beautiful cascading bagpipe part and some nicely judged tempi; the French chanson ‘En Vraye Amoure’ that features some broad, powerful shawm playing, and another set of French tunes, ‘Morvandelle’, ‘Amusons nous fillettes’, ‘Mat Jeanet’ and ‘Branle du Rat’, which display some fiery hurdy-gurdy playing.

Chanter 39

The Bagpipe Society

Review: Borderlands by Kathryn Tickell