‘Number Six’: Seán Potts
Catalogue Number NPUCD018
Distributed by Na Píobairí Uilleann www.pipers.ie
“To me, Seán Potts is the greatest whistle player I have ever heard. I share many happy memories playing, performing and recording with Seán from an early age but one thing that resonates still for me is his unique style.
Number Six is a testimony to that unique sound and Seán’s rich legacy,”
– Paddy Moloney
Na Píobairí Uilleann is delighted to announce the launch of Number Six, a unique recording of traditional Irish music on the tin whistle by legendary musician Seán Potts.
A former founder member of The Chieftains and Ceoltóirí Chualann, Seán Potts’ distinctive whistle playing has been a feature of the traditional music scene since the 1950s. Now in his 80th year and despite a lengthy and prolific recording career, this is the first time he has produced a solo work and Number Six is a celebration of Seán’s enduring love for music and musicians.
Famed in particular for his air playing, Number Six is testimony to Seán’s understanding and gift of interpretation while the selection of dance music is a tribute to Seán’s rich family heritage.
Seán is joined on this recording on guitar and piano by John Blake whose wonderfully enriching accompaniment underpins Séan’s incomparable whistle style. Also featuring on Number Six are renowned fiddle player Paddy Glackin, Peadar Ó Riada on organ and Seán’s son, Seán Óg Potts, on pipes.
A recipient of the prestigious TG4 Gradam Saoil award for 2010, Seán Potts’ contribution to Irish music extends beyond his own playing; he has dedicated over 30 years of his life to the promotion of the uilleann pipes through his involvement with Na Píobairí Uilleann, of which he was a former Chairman and currently Honorary President.
About Seán Potts
Born in Dublin in 1930 into a family steeped in traditional music, Seán Potts was naturally drawn to the music of his forebears. Patriarch of the Potts family tradition, John Potts, a piper originally from Co Wexford, passed a powerful legacy to his family, one carried significantly by his son Tommy, the legendary fiddle player, but also by his children Eddie and Theresa. Seán represented the next generation and although, remorsefully, he left his piping behind at a young age, his contribution to the family heritage is nonetheless extraordinary. In the early 1950s Seán began playing regularly with Dublin piper Paddy Moloney, a friendship and musical partnership that was to become central to Ceoltóirí Chualann and one which led to the foundation of The Chieftains. Seán’s close association with Seán Ó Riada through Ceoltóirí Chualann had a profound influence on Potts’ unique air playing as Ó Riada was the source for a lot of the airs he continues to play today. After leaving The Chieftains in 1979, Seán committed much of his time to the promotion of the uilleann pipes through Na Píobairí Uilleann and went on to form the group Bakerswell who helped fundraise for NPU during the 1980s. Turning 80 in October 2010, Seán still plays regularly with his son, piper Seán Óg Potts and Dublin musicians Paddy, Séamus and Kevin Glackin, Paul McGrattan, John Kelly, Mick Hand and the McKeon family.
Pipecraft
The proceeds from the sale of this CD have been donated to Na Píobairí Uilleann for the preservation and promotion of the music and manufacture of the uilleann pipes. For more details contact Na Píobairí Uilleann, 15 Henrietta St., Dublin 1, Ireland. Tel : +353-1-8730093. Email : info@pipers.ie
About Na Píobairí Uilleann
By the 1960s very few people in Ireland were playing the pipes, and far fewer, perhaps only five, were engaged in the making of the instrument – just two of them full-time makers. It was a matter of grave concern that the art would decline further and so, in 1968, the Society of Uilleann Pipers known as Na Píobairí Uilleann (The Uilleann Pipers) was founded at grassroots level by pipers themselves. The aims of the society are to perpetuate the spirit of the music – in particular the playing of the pipes and the production and maintenance of the instrument itself. To achieve these aims the single most important facet of the Society’s activities is the teaching of the Uilleann pipes, especially to young students, as it is through this that the playing of the instrument will increase, prosper and develop. The degree to which the work of the Society has borne fruit is reflected in the number of pipemakers, many professional, now producing pipes – about forty throughout the world.
Na Píobairí Uilleann’s primary funding agencies include The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaíonn, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and Dublin City Council.
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