This new release from Scotland's Whirligig is a bit of a departure from the band's previous two albums. Gone are Fiona and Jennifer Cuthill's twin recorders, which (I imagine -- I haven't actually heard the band's other albums) changes the band's overall sound. Pipe duets on Leicestershire, Scottish and Northumbrian smallpipes have been added to the mix, which already contains a healthy variety of instruments.

Whirligig is Steve Lawrence (bouzouki, citron, mandolin, Leicestershire & Scottish smallpipes, recorder, percussion), Anne Chaurand (classical guitar, lute), Jim Morton (hurdy gurdy, Appalachian dulcimer) and Ken Campbell (Northumbrian smallpipes), all of whom show a great aptitude for the instruments they play.

The music made by the joining of these instruments is rather different. It has a prominent Celtic flavour to it, with undertones of Renaissance and Baroque music. "Medieval" would be a good word to start with, but doesn't really do justice to the overall sound. Certainly, many of the instruments one can hear on the album have been around since medieval times. However, they are played in a more contemporary manner with a strong Celtic influence, which sort of brings the past and the present together in a unique style.

I'm afraid that I haven't been able to decide whether or not I like Whirligig's style, however. Or more precisely, I like the style on certain tracks and certain types of tunes, but not in other places, which makes me a little uncertain with the verdict on the album as a whole. I have a feeling that I should be giving it the thumbs up, and that the right type of person will absolutely adore it. The instrumentals are indeed skillful and well-arranged. I simply found that certain types of tunes just didn't pique my interest.

So, here follows the "good stuff." I absolutely love the percussion on this album. It is lively and played deftly, with good tone and variation. Each and every tune where there is percussion, I like. In fact, I enjoy the percussion so much, that I have a feeling that the parts of the album I don't like are simply a result of its absence.

Instrumental harmonies and arrangements are another asset of this recording. The various types of pipes found on the album all harmonize well together, as do the strings. In many tunes -- "An Thou Were My Ain Thing," "First Frost," "William Kimber's Schottishe" and "Salterrello," for example -- there are wonderfully intricate harmonies and undertones amongst all of the instruments. Strings, pipes, recorder and percussion -- all seem to be interwoven, coming and going within a delightful pattern.

Each track has quite an original arrangement. Often, there is only one tune, but it is played so many different ways that one would swear it to be an entire set of tunes. The band members have many opportunities here for both solo and group playing, and shine at both.

With this album, I find that the more instrumentation there is, the better I like the tune. In a couple of places, there are pipe solos or duets, which (and this is definitely just a personal preference) I just don't enjoy. I do enjoy the pipes, and even solo pipes, but not in the context that they were used on this album -- more often than not, a long, rambling air. These airs and tunes show the pipers to be quite able musicians, but such tunes are just not my cup of tea. But, add some strings or a little percussion, (or better still, both!) and I really like the effect.

Although there's parts of the album that I would skip, there is also at least one part of every track that I would listen to. I think that fans of the smallpipes and/or Renaissance-Celtic music (and if you don't think there is such a thing, just have a listen to this album!) will quite enjoy this instrumental recording. The musicianship is excellent, there's a great mix of tunes and there's enough instrumental variety to suit many different tastes within the general genre of Celtic music.

[ by Cheryl Turner ]
Rambles: 8 September 2001