The point I was trying to make was that Billy Pigg's style was not in
the Northumbrian piping mainstream, and that those who have been heavily
influenced by him, like Kathryn can also be said to be outside the
mainstream as it was. Dave Bulmer's promotion of Kathryn's recordings
and non-release of Chris's (and possibly others) have distorted what
many view as the mainstream so that the fringe is now perceived as
mainstream and the "pure tradition" has become the fringe.
As an aside this is not just a Northumbrian piping thing. Debbie Lawther
who is also on this list used to live in a flat in London, below an
Indian couple. Mr Dasgupta was a sitar pupil of the senior member of
the Khan "dynasty" on Indian musicians, and had a number of pupils
himself. When Mr. Khan's children or grandchildren came to London to
play at the Festival Hall they would often follow that performance with
a private one in thw Dasgupta's flat in Tooting for him and his pupils.
And then they would sit around and discuss how Ravi Shankar had
corrupted the tradition....
Ian
Mike and Enid Walton wrote:
"Ian Lawther" <irlawt...@comcast.net> said
Enter those who saw the chance to make some money by promoting an
attractive young woman >who was marketable beyond the dowdy folkies.
So is the argument that piping would be far better off without all
those who came into piping at least partially as a result of said
young woman's playing ? Then we could be left with the "dowdy
folkies" who would at least not play wrongly ? We would thereby get
rid of a good number of those who love the instrument but don't play
very well, leaving this job to an elite few who have really mastered
the instrument and the correct way of playing. It would reduce
pipe-makers waiting lists, and really be a very positive contribution
to the continuation of piping. Pity I don't be involved though.
I would add (removing my tongue from cheek) that I really do enjoy
Chris Ormston's music. I also have never understood (or known half
of) the affair of the bloke who is sitting on folk recordings and
refusing to release them, but I do understand that this is affecting
many other folk artistes beyond the piping fraternity* and therefore
cannot be convinced that there is a conspiracy against certain pipers.
* Perhaps fraternity is an inappropriate term at the moment.
Mike Walton
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