Subduing the uilleann pipes

On stage at the second annual Spanish Peaks Celtic Music Festival, from left, William Jackson, Jerry O'Sullivan, Grainne Hambly.

Jerry O'Sullivan of New York City is an outstanding player of the uilleann pipes. I just bought one of his CDs.

It had been a few years since I watched the pipes played close-up. If you have not, consider that the uilleann pipes look like a three-way collision between a musket, a fife, and a sofa pillow.

During a jig or other fast-moving piece, the player does not look so much as though he is playing the instrument, but rather as though he is trying to subdue it.

But in the hands of a master, it sounds so grand!

Tag: Celtic music