dirty linen #94

José Angel Hevia Velasco, now known to the world as Hevia, has made quite a name for himself in the bagpipe world. Whether you love or hate his innovations (electronic bagpipes that have no physical drones and don't use actual reeds), he has certainly brought the bagpipe to the consciousness of thousands of new devotees in his native Spain and throughout Europe. His album Tierra de Nadie, and the unlikely hit single, "Busindre Reel," have made him a household word at home and abroad. In the wake of that success, Hevia released this video, recorded live in concert, before an adoring audience in Madrid.

It's hard to complain about the music on Live in Madrid. Hevia surrounds himself with an eight-piece band that features at least four percussionists. This may be a bit of overkill, as his sister María José Hevia, one of the percussion players, is completely inaudible about half the time but is clearly a talented musician when you can hear her. Other instruments you'll hear are fiddle, didgeridoo, oud, guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards. The band goes to town on versions of Hevia's Tierra de Nadie material, including "Busindre Reel," "La Linea Trazada," "Barganaz," and the Ramón Prada composition "Sobrepena." Some tracks feature Hevia's flute backed by roaring didgeridoo, swirling fiddle, and bass; others are fronted by his smooth-sounding electronic bagpipes, which look strangely bald without drones; and a surprising number feature the low whistle as the main instrument. Whatever he's playing, Hevia is clearly a master musician, and all the music is superb.

One of the nicest facets of this video is that Hevia invites some traditional musicians along to share the limelight. He is particularly generous to Collectivu Ethnográfico Muyeres, a group of women who sing in strong, sharp voices and play the pandero, or square tambourine. They provide most of the vocals on the video and are introduced by Hevia right after his opening number. Hevia also invites along a large pipe band made up entirely of his students, who join in on some tunes.

If there is a fault here, it's clearly that some of the arrangements get too busy. At one point, when the eight-piece and the pipe band are suddenly joined by what sounds like a boys' choir, it gets downright turgid. But Hevia keeps most of it lively and interesting without overloading us too much. For an encore, he picks up his good old acoustic bagpipes and treats the audience to some rapid-fire improvisation; it's a great way to prove he's not dependant on any of the bombast or electronics to make stirring, beautiful music. - — Steve Winick (Philadelphia, PA)

Next to having Mike Seeger come to your house with his banjo and teach you — while you have him stop, start again, go backward, etc. — this has got to be the best way to learn this style of banjo playing. The video is as simple and wonderfully unadorned as the Southern banjo style it teaches.

Each section features Seeger explaining the song, playing it all the way through at normal tempo, then breaking it down in steps through split screen and close-up views. There is discussion of the types of banjo being used (nine in all), and encouragement to stop the tape... and play! It's suggested that you use the tablature (in the accompanying amazingly detailed and informative booklet) only as a crutch. Once you get the fundamentals from Seeger, the rest will come with your actually playing the song and developing your own "style" simultaneously. Also included is information on banjo recordings, literature, and banjo suppliers/makers. As someone new to the instrument, I found Seeger's approach simple and sensible without being insulting. Learning an instrument is hard, and lessons can be expensive (not to mention that your local class probably doesn't teach this rather niche variety of banjo playing). At just under 90 minutes, this should be the only resource, other than an actual banjo, you need to get well under way. - — John Bobey (New York, NY)

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