US piper, Tim Cummings has released an interesting new album.
The Birds’ Flight is the culmination of several years’ worth of collaboration between Tim and Pete Sutherland (fiddle, song), and Brad Kolodner (banjo).
The Vermont-based composer and multi-instrumentalist has included traditional pipe tunes restyled as Appalachian-style hoedowns and waltzes. Tim said: “Traditional and otherwise familiar Scottish pipe tunes were handpicked and re-imagined to become compelling, authentic-sounding Old-Time/Appalachian-style hoedowns and waltzes … or perhaps that’s not at all what happened, and these are in fact genuinely traditional Old-Time tunes that, like much of the established repertoire, naturally possess Scottish DNA, but are only just now resurfacing after more than a century of dormancy. The truth is sometimes murky; but the tunes, songs, and performances featured in this collection are anything but!”
On the recording, Tim plays Border pipes and smallpipes.
Bagpipe.News has heard most of the album and recommends the recording highly. We hope to carry a review shortly.
• For more information and to purchase.
Cameron Bonar of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, was the overall champion at the 2021 Balmoral Classic, US Junior Solo Piping & Drumming Championships.
Bonar took first place in both the MSR and the Ceòl Mòr.
Held online last weekend for the second time in two years, this year’s competition saw 15 North American pipers invited to participate in the contest. Competitors submitted one video for each of two events.
Results:
Ceòl Mòr – 1. Cameron Bonar, Surrey, British Columbia (Lament for Donald of Laggan); 2. Sebastian Benedetto, Cape Neddick, Maine, USA (The MacGregor’s Salute); 3. Katherine Miller, Safety Harbor, Florida, USA (Mackay’s Short Tune); 4. Kevin Darmadi, Houston, USA (The Groat); 5. Roy Huang, Stouffville, Ontario, Canada (Glengarry’s March).
March, Strathspey, Reel – 1. Cameron Bonar; 2. Elizabeth Knox, Woodbine, Maryland, USA; 3. Alexandra Knox, Woodbine, Maryland, USA; 4. Kevin Darmadi; 5. Harrison Little, Fergus, Ontario, Canada.
Overall – 1. Cameron Bonar; 2. Kevin Darmadi; 3. Sebastian Benedetti; 4. Elizabeth Knox; 5. Katherine Miller.
Judges: Murray Henderson, Brett Tidswell and Michael Rogers.
Cameron Bonar is the son of the late Andrew Bonar who died in 2017. Here is a video of Cameron playing the MSR he submitted to the competition (The Braes of Brecklet, Dora MacLeod and The Grey Bob):
