Seamus Ennis

[wgority]

Comparing Ennis and Nunez is an apples and oranges thing. Sure they both play a type of bagpipes, sure they both are excellent musicians at the top of their field. But that's where the comparison pretty much ends. You've got to look at differences as well as similarities. Differences such as their respective ages when filmed, the eras in which they were filmed, the wild differences between repertoires and instruments. It doesn't bear out - most especially when you call Nunez a copy of Ennis.

Nunez is a brilliant gaitero, a great technician on his instrument and a first rate musician overall. If I were going to compare him to a musician from the rock pantheon it would be someone other than Hendrix though. I might choose someone renowned for speed on his axe....perhaps a guitarist such as Eddie van Halen or Angus Young of AC/DC or maybe a Jerry Lee Lewis on piano. None of these guys were afraid to experiment with their instruments and all were first rate technical musicians.

If I'm going to listen to a gaita, I tend to prefer Susana Seivane. She can play with the same speed and fire as Nunez, she also tends to vary her shows up with lovely ballad-like canciones in addition to the break-neck speed muneiras....and has she has the added advantage of being a great deal more pleasant to look at than Nunez. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss_LuYP1VBA Seivane comes from a long line of gaiteros and pipes makers in Galicia. I love it when younger generations carry on family traditions.

Another gaitera to look for is Cristina Pato. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tiijmwj6LY Love her green hair. She's currently studying in the US to finish her PhD. If she shows up at a festival near you, check her out.

A couple great bands featuring gaiteros are Llan de Cubel and Brenga Astur. Watch for them. I know Brenga Astur toured in the US 3 years ago and I caught them at the Potomac Celtic Celtic Festival during that tour. They, alone, made the trip worth taking.

Just for the sake of completeness, Nunez, Seivane and Pato all play the gaita galicia. Llan de Cubel and Brenga Astur use the gaita asturiana.

Bill