Jack Armstrong (piper): Difference between revisions
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He also composed some tunes in traditional style, some of which are still played. |
He also composed some tunes in traditional style, some of which are still played. |
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He also involved in a concert in Alnwick, which was broadcast live to troops in 1942 - a press cutting relating to this is at [http://www3.northumberland.gov.uk/catalogue/dserve.exe?dsqServer=w2k3calm1.woodhorn.org.uk&dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=ImageView.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqImage=MU%20233-235.jpg Woodhorn Museum website]. In an interview recorded in the 1970's <ref>http://www.asaplive.com/archive/detail.asp?id=B1710000</ref>, he recalled regular dances at Powburn, led by ''The Northumbrian Minstrels'' including Jack on pipes and fiddle, [Will Atkinson (musician)|Billy Atkinson] on melodeon, Jack Thompson also on fiddle, and Bob Clark on drums. Jack founded his regular band, ''The Barnstormers'' in about 1949. |
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In 1948 Jack was made official piper to the [[Duke of Northumberland]]. He held this post for many years, retiring in 1971. He was succeeded by Tom Matthews. During the 1950s Jack made many recordings, with |
In 1948 Jack was made official piper to the [[Duke of Northumberland]]. He held this post for many years, retiring in 1971. He was succeeded by Tom Matthews. During the 1950s Jack made many recordings, with The Barnstormers, and solo, as well as many broadcasts for the BBC. |
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He taught himself to make pipes, and the reeds he made brought him a degree of international fame: they were used by [[Burl Ives]], who occasionally accompanied himself on Northumbrian pipes. Ives invited Armstrong to Hollywood, where they made an LP of music composed by [[Leonard Bernstein]]. Jack passed on his pipe making skills to the next generation of instrument makers. |
He taught himself to make pipes, and the reeds he made brought him a degree of international fame: they were used by [[Burl Ives]], who occasionally accompanied himself on Northumbrian pipes. Ives invited Armstrong to Hollywood, where they made an LP of music composed by [[Leonard Bernstein]]. Jack passed on his pipe making skills to the next generation of instrument makers. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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* [http://www.asaplive.com/archive/detail.asp?id=Q1000006 FARNE website] |
* [http://www.asaplive.com/archive/detail.asp?id=Q1000006 FARNE website] |
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* [http://www.asaplive.com/archive/detail.asp?id=B1710000 Interview with Colin Ross and Tony Wilson] |
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* [http://www.northumbrianpipes.com/DucalPipers.htm Ducal Pipers] |
* [http://www.northumbrianpipes.com/DucalPipers.htm Ducal Pipers] |
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Revision as of 21:01, 19 February 2012
Jack Armstrong (1904–1978) was an influential performer on the Northumbrian smallpipes.
Born in Wideopen, North Tyneside, five miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne, in 1904. He and his father, both coal miners, worked at Dinnington colliery, but Jack managed to get a job as a chauffeur shortly after World War I. In 1926 Jack married, and he was living at Skipton in North Yorkshire when he taught himself to play the pipes. His style, influenced by his father's playing, was steady and controlled; he favoured slow airs, which he played on a set of pipes with a rich, resonant tone. This style was in contrast to the faster, more virtuosic playing of Tom Clough and his followers, exemplified by Jack's friend and contemporary, Billy Pigg. His repertoire consisted largely of simple dance tunes and slow airs, from Northumberland and elsewhere, the latter often being given local titles. He also composed some tunes in traditional style, some of which are still played.
He also involved in a concert in Alnwick, which was broadcast live to troops in 1942 - a press cutting relating to this is at Woodhorn Museum website. In an interview recorded in the 1970's [1], he recalled regular dances at Powburn, led by The Northumbrian Minstrels including Jack on pipes and fiddle, [Will Atkinson (musician)|Billy Atkinson] on melodeon, Jack Thompson also on fiddle, and Bob Clark on drums. Jack founded his regular band, The Barnstormers in about 1949. In 1948 Jack was made official piper to the Duke of Northumberland. He held this post for many years, retiring in 1971. He was succeeded by Tom Matthews. During the 1950s Jack made many recordings, with The Barnstormers, and solo, as well as many broadcasts for the BBC.
He taught himself to make pipes, and the reeds he made brought him a degree of international fame: they were used by Burl Ives, who occasionally accompanied himself on Northumbrian pipes. Ives invited Armstrong to Hollywood, where they made an LP of music composed by Leonard Bernstein. Jack passed on his pipe making skills to the next generation of instrument makers.
Recordings
- FARNE (Folk Archive Resource North East) website includes several recordings featuring Jack Armstrong's playing.