Robbie Hannan: The Tempest

ROBBIE HANNAN: THE TEMPEST

Robbie Hannan: uilleann pipes

Belfast native Robbie Hannan is considered one of the best pipers of this generation, and his playing, which exploits the possibilities of the tight (staccato) style, has been tremendously influential over the last twenty years. Hannan's last solo album came out in 1990, so the release of this new album is cause for celebration. As on his previous recording, Hannan performs here on his B Kenna set, a glorious sounding instrument made c. 1800, and now fitted with a modern chanter by the great German maker Andreas Rogge. Most of the tunes played here, many sourced from famous pipers of the previous generations like Willie Clancy and Seamus Ennis, will be familiar to those who have been listening to Irish traditional music for a while, but the arrangements resulting from Hannan's extraordinary imagination and musicianship make it worth listening to them all over again. Unaccompanied throughout, except by Hannan's drones and regulators.

Rating: ****

Price: $24.99 Recommended