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The Mudlark evenings roll on through 2008. Our May event took place on a warm reekin’  evening that was indeed rich in piping flavour.  Steve Waterston was our guest recitalist, fresh from winning 3 of the 4 events in the SPSL members competition in April judged by Pipe Major Gordon Walker and Hugh Jamieson. On this same evening half way, round the world in San Francisco, the Dan Reid Memorial Recital Competition was preparing to get underway. Although very different events, it is interesting to reflect how gatherings of pipers and piping folk take place all around the globe and the SPSL reinstigation of a monthly piping club/recital night is establishing a firm foothold on the menu of what’s around.

Steve kicked off the first half of his performance with a set of 9/8 marches, the first being the Bathgate Highland Gathering. A tune not written by a piper but it certainly could have been, as it was a fitting emphatic beginning to a fine evening's playing, delivered with impressive purpose. Given that the evening’s climate was more akin to summer in San Francisco, Steve wisely elected to play his more energetic marching sets in this first half. And so he followed up with 2 competition marches, Inveran and the Braes of Castle Grant. On listening, it is clear why no one will have disputed his success in light music events recently, as he followed with 2 competion type strathspeys and 2 reels finishing with the Duncan Johnston setting of Charlie’s Welcome. Fine stuff.

I haven’t reported on the Mudlark nights since February. The fabulous Gordon Walker Recital dedicated to the memory of Jim Caution and sponsored by Lochcarron Saville Row kilts replaced April’s evening. March saw eight society pipers take turn about playing. One of the features of the evenings has been pipers saying a little about their tunes before playing or else some minor personal piping related anecdote. Such narrative helps present the music and the player well, and adds to the informality and conviviality of these evening.

So it was on the March evening that we heard Hugh tell us how he acquired his impressive drones after having given us a taste of the Unjust Incarceration. They were bought brand new from Lawries in 1906 by his father and make no mistake that certainly was a sound investment. The youngest player was Calum Armstrong. Fine bold playing for one with such a bright piping future in front of him. He ended the evening off with a couple of tunes, the last he informed us didn’t have a name and was in fact his GCSE composition. Well there may be a name in the tune there I thought. One of the Mudlark night stalwarts is Lachlan MacDonald. I remember remarking how impressed I was with the practice Lachlan must have put in over the preceding few weeks as he had clearly improved since I last heard him. He later told me that his last performance at the Mudlark was effected by having spent several hours imbibing and watching rugby beforehand.

Lachlan played well on this particular evening in the warm up section before Steve began, however the highlight of that part was young Alec Cadzow at 12 years old making, I believe, his first public piping performance and showing great promise finishing his set with a daring Itchy Fingers.

Steve ended his first half performance with the piobaireachd The Rout of the MacPhees. Not often heard and certainly there were few in the room who had done so before. It seemed an excellent tune played with gusto and crystal clear technique in the later sections particularly the crunluath a-mach. It is a while since we heard one of those at the Mudlark in all its technical and musical glory such as Steve played it. Steve’s second half performance was mostly on the misleadingly named light side of light music. After warming up on some 6/8 marches and a well crafted personal interpretation of the Brown Haired Maid as a slow air, he played some hornpipes, jigs and finished off with three scintillating reels, including Mrs McLeod of Raasay, the Reel of Tulloch and the Mason’s Apron. In places Steve would play 3 birls where mere mortals such as myself could just about fit in one. There were wry smiles around the house and any regular listener of pipe music will know the feeling when confronted by such technical prowess woven into the musical fabric of an old classic - one can’t help raising a smile.

Best wishes to Steve in the forthcoming season. He is certainly on fine form and our thanks go to him for the evenings piping. The Mudlark evenings continue with society pipers playing on June 14th and a much anticipated evening of antipodean influence on July 12th with a quartette and solos from the Grade 1 Manawatu Scottish Piping Society Pipe Band. Keep looking at the website. There is more in the pipeline.

Alasdair Smith – Piping Coordinator