Standing Room Only

Eliot Grasso (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 15, 2004)
• Original Release Date: February 15, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: no label
• ASIN: B00064YWZE
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,378 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Reels: Miss Susan Cooper / The Sandpiper / Boys of the Lough

2. Jigs: My Darling Asleep / Hag at the Churn / Darby Gallagher's

3. Reels: Farewell to Keelroe / The Girl that Broke My Heart

4. Jigs: O'Hare's Tilt / Chiaroscuro Jig / Jig of Quills

5. Hornpipes: Tailor's Twist / Cuckoo's Nest

6. Reels: Gan Ainm / The Grandmaster / Bells of Tipperary

7. Jigs: Blarney Pilgrim / Palm Sunday / Gan Ainm

8. Air: The Satin Slipper

9. Reels: Barry's Trip to Paris / Hilda's Choice / Tommy Peoples'

10. Jigs/Slip Jig: Garrett Barry's / An Rogaire Dubh / Frainc an Phoill

11. Reels: Dave Normaway MacDonald's Wedding / Toss the Feathers / The Monaghan Twig

Editorial Reviews

Green Man Review, June 2004

"The overall impression from Standing Room Only is one of superb technical ability and remarkable display of good taste."

Product Description

"I first met Eliot Grasso in Achill Island, Co. Mayo in the west of Ireland in August 1999 at the island's annual summer school, Scoil Acla. After hearing him play the pipes for just a short while I was immediately aware that I was in the presence of a master musician, despite the fact that he was still in his mid-teens. Although he had only been playing the pipes for a few years at that stage, his technique and tone had developed to astonishing levels of excellence and richness and his repertoire was seemingly endless. This, combined with his intuitive sense of melodic and technical variation, makes him one of the most creative and dynamic musicians in the contemporary world of Irish traditional music."

"One of the most striking facets of Eliot's music is that he displays an intimate knowledge and understanding of every tune he plays. Careful examination of his playing reveals an emphasis on melodic fluidity which he largely achieves by viewing tunes as harmonic structures. This, in turn, enables him to develop original and attractive melodic variations which are among the most distinctive hallmarks of his piping. Another prodigious aspect of his playing is that he has succeeded in taking tunes not normally associated with the pipes and making them accessible to pipers in a manner which both compliments the pieces themselves and the idiosyncrasies of the instrument. He revels in playing tunes in keys such as G and D minor and A major, keys where many pipers fear to tread, despite the fact that many nineteenth-century chanters were designed to facilitate playing in these keys. To his great credit, Eliot has spent many hours absorbing the finer points of the music of a! range! ! of virtuoso performers, both pipers and non-pipers, and this experience in itself has given his music a very solid and authentic basis. His appreciation and performance of the standard piping repertoire leaves nothing to be desired and, furthermore, he has composed many fine tunes himself which show great understanding of both the pipes and traditional music itself."

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exceptional debut from a talented piper, April 13, 2005

By 

K. Labunski (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Standing Room Only (Audio CD)

As a newcomer to the world of Irish music, I must say that this CD alone has single-handedly made me a fan of the pipes for life. Whether in my car on the way to work or in the CD player around the house, the lively jigs and reels are a compliment to every activity as played deftly by this young virtuoso. Eliot's sound is vibrant and captivating, demonstrating time and again his intense personal relationship and hours of dedication to the study of Irish music. I recommend this album to all who appreciate fine music, Irish traditional fans and future enthusiasts alike.

5.0 out of 5 stars really awesome piping here, February 20, 2011

By 

musiclover - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Standing Room Only (Audio CD)

This a a truly engaging CD. I keep playing it over and over- good thing you can't wear out a CD I guess. The piping is fast and excellent. It is predominantly a piping album with the pipes front and center, unlike some other CD's in which guitar, banjo etc predominate. I haven't heard his latest one out, but of the two I have, this is my favorite.