Scottish piping legend Fred Morrison plays at Abertay University’s Hannah Maclure Centre in Dundee on Friday night.
Born and raised near Glasgow, it’s the celebrated Gaelic piping tradition of his father’s native South Uist that forms the bedrock of his intensely expressive, uniquely adventurous style.
His outstanding technical prowess saw him winning many top competition prizes while still at school, meanwhile being inspired by pioneering acts like the Bothy Band and the Tannahill Weavers.
Although his first-love instrument remains the great Highland bagpipes, over the years his mastery has expanded to encompass whistles, Scottish smallpipes, or reelpipes and Irish uilleann pipes.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dJ7D7pZxuD0%3Frel%3D0
He was also one of the first Scottish artists to forge dynamic links with his Celtic cousins in Brittany and north-west Spain, adding further to his repertoire of influences and tunes.
During the 1990s, as well as releasing his superb debut solo album The Broken Chanter, Morrison was a member of both the landmark Scottish supergroup Clan Alba and contemporary Celtic stars Capercaillie, featuring with the latter in the Hollywood movie Rob Roy.
He has since pursued a diverse array of collaborative and solo projects, releasing two more albums: The Sound of the Sun, in 2000, and 2003’s dazzling duo set with Irish bouzouki ace Jamie McMenemy, Up South.
In 2006 he launched his very own signature instrument, the Fred Morrison Reelpipes, which have swiftly become a popular choice among today’s top players.
His latest solo album was 2012’s Dunrobin Place and Fred continues to tour the country, with a date at Stirling’s Toolbooth Theatre on Saturday following Friday’s Dundee performance.
For more information visit www.facebook.com/fredmorrisonmusic.