1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my new favorites, September 14, 2007
This review is from: Willow (Audio CD)
EJ Jones came out of the strong bagpipe tradition of St. Thomas Episcopal in Houston, Texas, and he continues to compete while maintaining a demanding performance schedule and building small pipes. Not only a nice guy, but a fine musician as well; "The Willow" provides him with an opportunity to explore traditional and nontraditional arrangements and ensembles. He also wrote several of the tracks, including the title track and the stand-out "The End of the World;" the liner notes include interesting thoughts on the writing and arranging of these tunes.
Unlike some bagpipers, EJ never allows this recording to become bombastic. It is by turns energetic and soothing, generally positive, often dreamy. He is ably assisted by his background instrumentalists, especially the nice guitar work on "The Willow Reels." The only disappointment I have had on listening is in "The Castle of Dromore." Though this is generally one of my favorite tunes, I balk at the addition of slide guitar. The flute work is nice, and the rest of the arrangement is good, but the slide guitar seems to protrude unnecessarily.
With that single exception, which is primarily a matter of personal preference, "The Willow" is an excellent example of EJ's work; well worth listening to repeatedly!
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