Music

On stage at Towersey photo: Daisy Mercedes Jones

Chris Walshaw plays English & French bagpipes, flute and whistles in a number of bands and projects. He has appeared at festival & clubs in Europe and across Britain including at venues as diverse as St Chartier Festival, France; Rudolstadt Tanz & Folk Fest, Germany; Stallet, Stockholm; St Martin-in-the Fields, Trafalgar Square, London; the Purcell Room, South Bank Centre, London; and Liverpool Cathedral. With his bands, he has made 10 CDs and his music occasionally appears on BBC Radio 2, 3 & 4.

Chris is also responsible for abc music notation, now used all over the world, primarily to notate folk & traditional tunes, but also in academic research and as a text based resource for blind musicians. The abc website lists over 300,000 tunes at around 200 websites and has around 500,000 visitors a year.

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Current projects

At Alton Assembly Rooms photo: Frances Walshaw

Angles: European couple dance music with a twist

Angles' debut CD is now available

Climax Ceilidh Band: orgasmic music for ceilidhs and dances

Five Play, Climax's latest CD, is still available

Come Dancing, Climax's debut CD, is still available

Moltenamba: instrumental pyrotechnics ... folk, blues, and all that jazz

Zephyrus: - The English Bagpipe Orchestra - Jon Swayne's ensemble performing exquisite drone-based harmony

English Suite, the second of Zephyrus' paired CD release, is still available

Halfe Hannikin, the first of Zephyrus' paired CD release, is still available

A list of forthcoming gigs for these bands can be found on the Gig list

To book one of these bands contact Chris on 01622 814 625 or by .

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On the back burner

Some projects are still available for bookings but aren't actively seeking them:

Meridian: ... raw folk energy, laced with finesse ...

Second, Meridian's latest CD, is still available

Prime, Meridian's debut CD, is still available

Stocai: eclectic English ceilidh music ... direct to your feet

Stocai's latest CD, After the Brawl, is still available

Stocai's debut CD, Champagne Brawl, is still available

Past projects

Some projects are no longer active:

The Chase: a sensual swirl of new music and dance spun from the tangled threads of European traditions.

Cornemusiques: Jean-Pierre Rasle's one man bagpipe extravaganza expanded for occasional special performances.

The Duellists: with hurdy-gurdy players Nigel Eaton and Cliff Stapleton.

The Duellists' CD, English Hurdy-Gurdy Music, is still available.

Stepback: an extravaganza of English and American Traditional Dance interpreted for theatre performances.

Stepback at Chequermead Arts Centre, East Grinstead, 2002

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Discography

In the recording studio
photo: Chris Mitchell

• Moltenamba - Extended Play
  Moltenamba (AMB 360), 2012.
• Angles - Angles
  Angles CDs (ACD 001), 2010.
• Climax Ceilidh Band - Five Play
  Beautiful Jo Records (BEJOCD 53), 2008.
• Zephyrus - English Suite
  Rocke Records (ROCCD4), 2007.
• Zephyrus - Halfe Hannikin
  Rocke Records (ROCCD3), 2007.
• Climax Ceilidh Band - Come Dancing
  Beautiful Jo Records (BEJOCD 49), 2006.
• Meridian - Second
  Reiver Records (RVRCD 05), 2005.
• Meridian - Prime
  Harbourtown Records (HARCD 043), 2003.
• Stocai - After the Brawl
  Harbourtown Records (HARCD 042), 2002.
• Stocai - Champagne Brawl
  Harbourtown Records (HARCD 033), 1998.
• The Duellists - English Hurdy-Gurdy Music
  Panic ATC Records (PATCCD 20397 DU), 1997.
  

Guest appearances:

• Julian Goodacre - Some of Me Pipes, White House Musics (WHCD04), 2009.
• Hardcore English, EFDSS, 2007.
• Jenny Newman - Toms Fiddle, Glasshouse Records (GHCD 001), 2000.
• Julian Goodacre - Pipemaker Calls Yer Tunes, White House Musics (WHCD03), 2000.
• Michèle Welborn - Tongue and Groove (MWCD 01), 1998.

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Some handy links

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