10/26/18

Tannahill Weavers: October 2018 Album of the Month


Tannahill Weavers
Òrach
Compass Records

Òrach is the Gaelic word for golden and, believe it or not, The Tannahill Weavers have been touring continuously for 50 years. To put that in perspective, only folks such as Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and The Chieftains have sojourned longer without a break or two. To commemorate this milestone, The Tannies have invited some alums and friends to assist this them on Òrach, their 18th recording. A lot of those guests—Kenny Forsyth, Iain MacInnes, Colin Melville, Duncan Nicholson, and Hudson Swan—are bagpipers, though current piper Lorne MacDougall is certainly a worthy peer.

Roy Gullane (vocals, guitar) and Phil Smillie (vocals, flute, whistles, percussion) are the Ur-core of the Tannies, and fiddler John Martin has been with them since Ossian disbanded in 1989. No matter the personnel, The Tannies have long been masters of the legendary Big Set—usually a march, strathspey, and reel combination—hence it is appropriate that they kick off with the title track, which is in that vein. The formula always works; let instruments drift in (keys, whistle, guitar, and fiddle), then add the pipes, pick up the pace, and then open the throttle. I will never forget seeing the band in one of their first American tours in the 1970s, when they let loose and the pipes peeled the paint from the walls. It was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever heard though, objectively, back then the execution was sometimes more loud than precise.

The discovery of grace took the Tannies to the next level. On songs such as “Jessie the Floo’er of Dunblane” and “Battle of Sheriffmuir” we can hear some wear and tear on the voices, but it remains the case that few Celtic ensembles have mastered three-part harmonies as well as Gullane, Smillie, and Martin. (The band's namesake, the 18th century poet Robert Tannahill wrote the first song, and the second comes from some guy named Robert Burns!) You will hear harmonies in their glory on “Jennie A’ Things” and “The Jeannie C.” If the latter title sounds familiar, it’s a classic Stan Rogers sea song. All you need to know to determine its arc is its repeating line: I’ll go to sea no more. The most surprisingly song is “Oh No!” Alison Brown guests on banjo and it sounds as if The Tannies have taken up bluegrass, though the piece was actually penned by actor/comedian Billy Connolly. As the Scots and Irish say, it’s great craic (fun, merriment).

I enjoyed each track on this anniversary album immensely, though four really knocked me kilt over tam. “The Asturian Sessions” takes the Tannies to the Celtic region of northwest Spain, where the band collaborates with members of Llan de Cubel. It’s an unusual piece made all the more so by added didgeridoo from ex-Tannie Dougie MacLean. This rousing set buzzes to the pace of the Scottish small pipes. 

Two pieces memorialize World War I. “Sunset Over the Somme” is a sweeping instrumental with vaporous vocals subsumed in an anthemic mix. “The Ghost of Mick McDonnell” takes us a step deeper into the mindless tragedy of war, with its beyond-the-grave account from a young Irishman who perished in the conflict. It’s a haunting piece, adorned with just a splash of sanguinary Highland pipes.

That instrument is aired out in the “Gordon Duncan Set,” written in honor of one of Scotland’s most respected masters and teachers of the pipes. Alas, Duncan struggled with alcoholism and died in 2005, either from ill health or suicide, depending on whose version you believe. This piece would have made him smile. It has a joyful opening, with the small pipes chirping away, but its gathering pace combo explodes into another Big Set, this one driven by the Highland pipes. The tune evolve into a dance-until-you-drop groove. The Tannies have been making us do that for a half century and the constant infusion of younger talent like Lorne MacDougall—who has also shown up with the Red Hot Chili Peppers—gives hope that 50 years hence there will be a centenary Tannahill Weavers’ album.

Rob Weir

If you want to snippets of Tannahill Weavers’ road stories, see the band’s Website, where they’ve excerpted a piece I once wrote for Sing Out! Magazine

And here's a link that captures The Tannahill Weavers live.  If this isn't rowdy enough for you, seek help!

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