Eliot Grasso - Standing Room Only
illen odyssey records
11 tracks, 46 minutes
by Alex Monaghan
Virtuoso piping is a weakness of mine, and this CD hits the spot. Eliot Grasso's repertoire includes such staples as Garrett Barry's, Toss the Feathers and The Monaghan Twig, as well as the ever popular Tommy Peoples' and Gan Ainm, yet there is nothing common about his performance of these well-known melodies. More unusual tunes such as Palm Sunday and Farewell to Kilroe are delightfully played, and Eliot has expertly adapted tunes by Ronnie Cooper and Jerry Holland to the uilleann pipes. There's also a handful of his own tunes here, well-crafted and catchy pieces.
The single slow air The Satin Slipper is also the single track which shows much use of the drones and regulators. Like most young pipers, Eliot concentrates on chanter pyrotechnics and leaves accompaniment to the accompanists. Zan McLeod and Andy Thurston take turns in this role, and fiddle parts are provided by Patrick Mangan and Jim Eagan on four tracks, but there's no real distraction from the brilliant and compelling piping which Eliot exhibits throughout Standing Room Only. If it's excitement you're after, and pipes are your bag, then this is an album for you. And I'd say there's plenty more where this came from: Mr. Grasso has now turned 20, but this album was recorded in 2002 when he was just a teenager. Roll on his next recording: I'd love to hear what he sounds like now. If you find him playing far from his native Baltimore USA, don't miss him - and let me know!
