“Invergordon Distillery” - my favourite new Scottish tune

I’ve mentioned previously that I co-present a folk / traditional radio programme on a local radio station. A few weeks back, we received a “promo” CD by 2 young Scottish musicians, Eddie Seaman [ Highland pipes, whistles ], and Luc McNally [ guitar & vocals ]. I was immediately taken by a tune they’d recorded called “Invergordon Distillery”, composed by the late Pipe Major John D. Burgess, which I’d never heard before. Yesterday I came across a recording of the tune Eddie had posted on “Youtube” almost a year ago, and I think some of you - especially whistle players - might like it.
Here’s the link :

http://youtu.be/ucpJy20_nbk

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I’m usually (I think) healthily sceptical when I see new tunes posted like this here.
Different this time.
That is one cracking lovely tune. Ticks all the boxes.
Totally within the tradition.
Yet wildly inventively beyond it.
Also, let’s clarify this, not just whistle players may find solace in this beautiful tune, I’m sure with judicious management it would go down well on flute, box, fiddle, pipes, etc.
And yet it still sounds session-ably playable …and dare I say it, “Catchy” [groan]..but is easily memorisable.
Thanks Kenny.

Lovely tune, sticks in your head instantly. I’ve tried to tab this one out.
Not quite abc yet as I use another system, but I think it’s fairly easy to convert to abc from here

Invergordon Distillery ADor (?)
ABd2edB2ABdABde2 deaaf#edef#edAB2
ABd2edB2ABdABde2 dea2f#ef#dBd2
f#gaaA2df#eef#e deaaf#e def#edAB
f#gaaA2df#eef#e dea2f#ef#dBd2

The tune appears in pipe books as “Invergordon’s Welcome to Queen Elizabeth II ”, by John D Burgess.

You’ll find it in the Scots Guards Vol 3.

Title switched around here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqfWm96zcD8

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As her royal highness isn’t on record as welcoming the entire inhabitants of Invergordon to her humble abode, I’ll take it that the pipe books have the title correctly listed (Clanranald collection adds “HM” to the title).

Anyway, she does apparently have a framed copy:

http://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/Features/Reflections/22-Years-Ago-6446.htm

Apparently there is a copy of the tune on the post office wall in Invergordon forbye:

http://www.theinvergordonarchive.org/picture/number632.asp

You can hear a clip of Brian Donaldson’s rendition here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marches-Invergordons-Welcome-Elizabeth-Crisis/dp/B00BGLWB2M

Thank you for sharing this -- it is such an uplifting tune!

“Apparently there is a copy of the tune on the post office wall in Invergordon forbye”

Duh….I misread. It’s in the “port office”.


A picture of the composer, presumably playing his tune, on the occasion:

http://www.theinvergordonarchive.org/picture/number483.asp

Beautiful tune, I hope to learn it.

Sweet tune.

I really enjoyed hearing Eddie and Luc live last night at Stonehaven Folk Club. They have a new CD - “Tirade” - just released, which I’ll post here later, but they did play this last night, and I’ve just come across a “live” version of it posted in August from “Piping Live” in Glasgow earlier this year :

https://youtu.be/uXxUTmx5Gag

play video