by Alex Monaghan PROFILE The only piper in the village

Angus MacKenzie

abou, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia: an area famous for its Alex Monaghan talks to Angus MacKenzie, Mfiddle music and Gaelic cul- native of Cape Breton now living on Skye, ture, but not, it seems, for pipers at that time. Angus MacKenzie was definitely the exception rather than the rule when he took who is a piper with the group Dàimh. up the pipes as a child. “I grew up in Mabou Mines, just outside brother Iain MacDonald, so they were both so I was always exposed to that type of music, the village of Mabou,” explained Angus. “It’s a important influences on my piping.” and I was always more interested in recordings strong Gaelic-speaking area – my father came Angus is modest about his piping achieve- of Battlefield Band or Wolfstone, rather than over from South Uist, and my mother’s family ments. It seems he always has been. “I was the pure piping. The older I got, the more I found are Gaelic speakers from Mabou itself. There only piper in the village. My mother taught in that my piping style was shaped by non-piping were also families from other Gaelic-speaking the school, so I used to arrange to get the last influences. The fiddle played a big part, but I areas of the Scottish Highlands. I didn’t speak music lesson of the day, when everyone else was found through my teenage years that my style much English until I went to school. away. Nobody knew I played the pipes until I grew less conducive to competitions. “I got into piping because there was a guy, was coerced into performing at a concert when “There are so many different facets to piping, Ed Rogers, going round teaching in I was 15 or 16. I’d been playing for about seven and competitive piping is just one of them. I schools and he happened to play the pipes. years. The next day, everyone was saying, where don’t like the term kitchen piping, because it When I was eight or so, my parents decided the hell did that come from? We thought we can be a put-down, and often the players who it would be good for me to learn the pipes. knew you.” use that term couldn’t actually do what the Ed wasn’t well known as a piping teacher but Once he was outed as a piper, Angus began so-called kitchen pipers do. Non-competitive at that time there weren’t many pipers around to achieve recognition beyond Mabou. “I piping, the sort of thing I do with Dàimh, is in Cape Breton. I was his only piping student competed solo, and I toured with the Gaelic much more respected now than it was, and I – it wasn’t cool to play the pipes back then and College . The pipe band and the would put that down to , Gordon I kept my piping pretty much hidden until I competition scene were great for me from a Duncan and the MacDonald brothers —­ Allan, was about 16. Eventually Ed encouraged me to social perspective: it meant I could get out of Iain and Dr Angus — who won the competi- broaden my piping horizons, so I got involved Mabou, and when other people would travel tions and the medals but also played the pipes in with the Gaelic College in Cape Breton and to play hockey on the weekends I would go to other contexts. They gave it some sort of valid- joined their pipe band.” competitions. The college pipe band included ity. There were always people who just played This opened the door to a world of piping people from all over Nova Scotia and the East the pipes, went their own way and didn’t take influences for young Angus. Coast of the States as well. We were all about part in competitions, but they possibly weren’t “Bob Worrall ran the piping courses, he was the same age, taught by the same people, so given the credit they deserved.” a big influence. Bob is still probably one of the the social side was appealing. I was successful Visiting the Worlds with the Gaelic College best tutors I’ve had, because as well as being enough, but competitive piping wasn’t the be-all Pipe Band led to a tour of the West Highlands a tremendous piper he was just such a great and end-all for me.” and a hankering for Scottish sessions. teacher. We also had visitors like Mike Grey Success certainly wasn’t lacking for Angus, “We came over in 1994 for two or three and Bruce Gandy from Ontario. When John in solo piping prizes and pipe band competi- weeks, and went up to Lochinver and Ullapool Walsh moved from Ontario to Antigonish, I tions. Ironically, a trip to the World Pipe Band to play. We needed to have a concert group that was taught by him. Dr Angus MacDonald was Championships — winning grade 3 in the wasn’t just a pipe band,” said Angus. “Bruce living in Cape Breton at the time, so I would process — was another step towards the forma- MacPhee was our pipe major at the time and get lessons from him too: that wasn’t through tion of Dàimh. he put together a band with Ryan and Boyd the college, he was a full-time doctor and he He explained: “Growing up I also learnt MacNeil which was the beginning of Slainte didn’t do a lot of teaching then. The Hebridean the fiddle. I was completely surrounded by Mhath. Then shortly before I left school, connection introduced me to Dr Angus and his fiddle music. My brothers played the fiddle, Hamish Moore started to visit Cape Breton. I

PIPING TODAY • 34 ‘I don’t like the term kitchen piping, because it can be a put-down, and often the players who use that term couldn’t actually do what the so-called kitchen pipers do’ Photo: John [email protected] PIPING TODAY • 35 PROFILE

Photo: Eileen Bell

I became friends with his sons and Hamish told me I should really get a set of Border pipes. This was something completely new to me, nobody was playing them in Cape Breton, but he said he’d make me a set. If it hadn’t been for Hamish, I’d probably have followed my plan to study accountancy. I came over to spend a year at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Skye before going to university and that’s where I met some of the boys in Dàimh. Gabe McVarish and Colm O’Rua both came over a couple of years before me, and they would come up to Skye or I would go down to where they were based in Glenuig or Glenfinnan. We kept on bump- ing into each other, and really enjoyed

playing tunes together. Photo: Louis deCarlo “When Hamish delivered my set of Border pipes in A, suddenly I could play in me on the pipes and Gabe on the fiddle. hallmarks: I’ve always been impressed sessions with other instruments. There was The ornaments he uses aren’t exactly how by the range of tunes Dàimh can handle never a session scene in Cape Breton, just you would copy the pipes but they certainly on the pipes. From John Kelly’s Slide to dances and house parties, although that’s fit in perfectly with how I play the pipes. Malfunction Junction, Da Scallowa Lasses to changing now. Colm had an idea to play in We didn’t have to do a lot of work to find a The Stone of Destiny, nothing seems to be the Highland Festival and I could drive a car common ground. beyond them. Daimh added singer Calum so the boys rang me. Dàimh was supposed “Playing with a fiddler like Gabe, I could Alex MacMillan to the band in 2007, giving to be about Celtic kinship and it worked start interpreting tunes differently and also them a full-time vocalist. I wondered what out really well.” taking tunes that don’t fit the pipe scale and the reality is of setting a singer alongside the Playing the Highland pipes with other adapting them. I was always frustrated that pipes. “Well we’ve always worked with sing- melody instruments is always a challenge there were only nine notes to play with, so ers, from Lisa MacKinnon, Anne Martin, but Dàimh seem to have overcome that reworking tunes to make them fit on the Alyth McCormack to Kathleen MacInnes. challenge without making too many com- pipes definitely appealed to me. I’ve never The whole Dàimh thing was about the Celt- promises. really written tunes, but I look back at old ic diaspora, songs and tunes were equally at I asked Angus how they managed this. collections, even at non-Scottish tunes, and the heart of it. Half of the band are Gaelic “I was playing the Border pipes in A, and I spend a lot of time seeing if I can put these speakers, and Gaelic is as important to me as then moving up to the Highland pipes on the pipes. Sometimes it doesn’t work but piping or anything else. I grew up speaking somewhere sharp of Bb, so there was a lot it’s great when you do find a new tune that it, speak it with my wife and children, use of sticky tape involved. But there was a sort fits on the pipes.” it teaching music in the schools and I still of instant bond, an understanding between This is certainly one of Dàimh’s live in a Gaelic-speaking area.

PIPING TODAY • 36 Da Scallowa Lasses Arr. for pipes A. MacKenzie PROFILE

The Antrim Rose Reel Comp. Paddy O’Brien / Arr. for pipes A. MacKenzie

Both of the above tunes were arranged by Angus MacKenzie to fit on the pipes and all the C notes in Da Scallowa Lasses are natural — played with the B finger down and the C and low A fingers up. Da Scalloway Lasses can be heard on Dàimh’s most recent CD, Diversions, and The Antrim Rose on their Pirates of Puirt album.

“One thing about Dàimh is we’ve always always hear everything but it generally seems Cape Breton for the Celtic Colours festival in been very good friends: we enjoy each other’s to work out well.” October, where we’re planning to record an company, and we happen to play a bit of music. Although Dàimh is getting busier and the album. I’ve also just finished an album with We were always waiting for the right person, a boys are keen to tour, Angus also has other my brother Kenneth, who plays pipes and fid- singer who really fitted in with the band. Calum projects, as well as a wife and kids, to keep him dle. That should be released at Celtic Colours Alex is that person. We tried a couple of songs busy. “I was part of Hamish Moore’s show Na as well. at a gig and it went really well with him. It felt Tri Seudan, the three treasures of song, dance “We’ve put together some Cape Breton natural, an extension of what we were playing, and music. Hamish made eight sets of Highland tunes and some Irish and Scottish tunes which so we decided to add a permanent singer. Calum pipes in A for the show, copies of a 1785 set I’ve wrangled onto the pipes. Ross Martin and Alex is also a piper and whistle player, so he’s in Inverness Museum: they’re beautiful pipes, Mac Morin are on the album too, guitar and fully incorporated into the band. It means we to look at as well as to hear, so Fin Moore piano, as well as Paddy Gillis and my other can have a more dynamic sound if we mix songs and I decided to form a quartet playing these brother Calum. So it’s all a bit hectic at the in with the tunes. Sometimes I do the whole pipes with Calum MacCrimmon and Angus moment. This has been the most manic few set on the big pipes, so there’s that big sound Nicolson. months ever.” behind the songs. It’s a bit of a leap of faith “We performed at Piping Live! and Lorient Sounds like there’s more than enough playing the pipes live with a singer, you can’t this year, and we’re taking the quartet over to happening for Angus MacKenzie just now. l

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