The Ostrich reel

This reel was written by Jim Sutherland, who composed many other tunes including his greatest hit, The Easy Club Reel. His compositions all share a common element of syncopation and swing, which was the signature style of his great but sadly underrated band, The Easy Club. They combined the continental gypsy jazz tradition of Django Reinhardt with the tunes and energy of the Scottish fiddle tradition.
I love the fact that this tune stays within a single octave and takes a relatively simple phrase and then explores many different permutations. It has a slightly claustrophobic feel for me, and I like to follow it with something a little more liberating. Gordon Duncan’s tune, Break Yer Bass Drone, could be a good choice, since it also stays in that same octave but in the brighter key of A major.