Music

Take a Listen

The Piper Jones Band
Take to the Skies (2022)

Take to the Skies (reels)
EJ Jones

Description coming soon…

Sheep's Clothing

Wolf Loescher
Sheep’s Clothing (2020)

Legacy
Words by Deanna Smith Scotland, Music by Wolf Loescher

This song originally appeared on Jiggernaut’s debut album, and 20 years later it was the anthem of hope that Wolf chose as the lead off track to his second solo album. “Love is all encompassing, and the circle must expand!”

Revel Grove

Piper Jones
Revel Grove (2019)

The Flora Set
Bronni’s Blue Brozzi (M. Saul) / Unknown Reel (Trad.)

This first tune was played in the St. Thomas Alumni Pipe Band’s 2015 competition medley. STAPB is a Grade II band from Houston made up of former students of St. Thomas Episcopal School (where I was taught to play) and pipers from some of Houston’s piping community including the former Hamilton Pipe Band. Playing in a pipe band at some point is essential for any real piper and piping culture is spread out all over the world. Most pipers aspire to go to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow at some point in their lives, and STAPB has gone almost every year of the 2010s. Piping is a very social instrument and it’s a good way to make friends through music. Pipers all over the world share a very common repertoire and pipers of any skill level can generally find a group to play with wherever they live. The second reel in this set is one I’ve known for a long time but I can’t remember where I first heard it. That’s the case sometimes with tunes. A lot of music is learned by ear and I think I learned this one from a live Solas or Altan show about 20 years ago. If anyone knows its real name and composer, please message me!

Alcinoe

Frances Cunningham
Alcinoe (2018)

Door County #2 (Excerpt)

After 20 years of accompanying other musicians, Frances is being backed up by some of her dear friends on this first album released under her name.

Crossing the Sabine

The Piper Jones Band
Crossing the Sabine (2015)

Dalena McKay (Excerpt)
Dalena McKay (James Scott) / Gordon’s Favorite (Trad.) / Dancing Feet (GS McLennan)

EJ: When Frances and I first started playing together, she called me up and sang this tune for me over the phone and I looked it up to find the name. She had found it on a Tannahill Weavers album and as I write this, I’m happy to say that I just caught the ‘Tannies in Asheville recently. They were a band where I first heard the pipes played with other instruments, purely for entertainment rather than competition. I think the feeling of hearing them for the first time as a young piper would have been as if you raised a boy in a family that was into competing at dog shows and then one day when he’s 16 the boy discovers that you can play fetch with one, forever changing his perception of what dogs can be. In my mind, this is the inaugural tune between Frances and me.

The second tune is a traditional Irish tune that was played a lot by Gordon Duncan but I could never find the name of it so for now I’m calling it by this name. He had some of the best arrangements of Irish tunes.

Dancing Feet was written in the early 20th century by a military piper, GS MacLennan, considered one of the foremost players and pipe music composers of the 20th century. A great early Tannahill Weavers album was also named after this tune.

The Wandering Stars

Piper Jones
The Wandering Stars (2013)

Gordon Duncan Tunes (Excerpt)
Jock Broon’s 70th / Andy Renwick’s Ferret / The High Drive

Three tunes by the most brilliant rule-breaker ever to play the pipes.

Brizeus (2006)

Playford Dances (Excerpt)

Bagpipes, drums and percussive strings. Melodic, rhythmic, tuneful and true. EJ Jones accompanied by Al Cofrin with guests Wolf Loescher, Dave Machek, Richard Kean, and Emily Dugas Bollinger.

The Willow

EJ Jones
The Willow (2004)

End of the World (Excerpt)

All-instrumental CD by EJ with fellow musicians on fiddle, guitar, piano, percussion.