I’ve just started playing the low D whistle and i have no recordings of great low D whistlers.
Which records do you think i simply must have, what would you recommend?
feel free to share what you think should be in my record collection!
many thanks and best wishes!
Seamus Egan played (I believe) a low D on some of the early Solas recordings. Might be worth a listen.
I think a lot of Mike McGoldrick’s Fused album is on a Goldie low D.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqTO6Yc8H_s&ab_channel=MichaelMcGoldrick-Topic
When making albums many whistle players will use a variety of different keyed low whistles to provide variety in the sets of tunes, so not every track by the following will necessarily be on a low D. The techniques and inspiration you’ll hear are all transferable to low D. They may of course also play other instruments as well.
Artists with decent sized catalogues to follow up include Davy Spillane, Michael McGoldrick, Cormac Breatnach (solo and with Deiseal), Stefan Hannigan, John McSherry, Ross Ainslie, Brian Finnegan (solo and with Flook), and there’s probably lots of other obvious candidates that I’m not immediately thinking of but others will add.
Terry Clarke-Coyne’s (unfortunately titled) album Whistle Walks is a bit of a who’s-who of collaborations
https://terryclarke-coyne.bandcamp.com/album/whistle-walks
My favourite low whistle album (mainly low D) by far is Between Longing and Belonging by Davy Spillane (available from him at https://www.davyspillane.com/music). Many low whistle players like him, Paddy Keenan and John McSherry also play uilleann pipes and low D whistle tracks are a minority but in this album low whistle is the main voice by design.
Drifting Through the Hazel Woods by Declan Masterson I also recommend, a beautiful album devoted, I think, entirely to the Low D whistle.
Not completely answering your question, but a lot of albums are awesome BUT also use a fair bit of audio processing to enhance (particularly reverb), which can also be a little dispiriting for me.
I aLao get inspired by some of the players on the Facebook pennywhistle group, a lot of very talented players there with relatively raw recordings, which might be worth doing as well.
The first low whistle album I heard must have been “Shadow Hunter” with Davy Spillane. Not entirely low whistle, and not only in D.
many thanks everybody: this helps a lot! I’m going to see which records i can get - lots of great music to listen to thi makes my heart sing!!!! many many thanks!!
