■  Yoshifumick Og MacCrimmori's Profile ■
First name : Yoshifumi
Family name : Mori
Sex : man
Date of the birth : 25th September 1954
Interest : purely piobaireachd
My Pipes : 1976 Hardies - real Ivory, 2004 Dunfions - silver & Imitation Ivory
Piping Career : since 1975
First contact with piobaireachd : 16th January 1973
■  Yoshifumick Og MacCrimmori's Self-Introduction ■
 I was born in 1954, the 200th anniversary of the passing of Iain Dall MacKay of Gairloch.

 During the first half of my teenage, I was nothing but a Rock freak.
One day in 1970, when I was sixteen, I happened to hear an unaccompanied singing by Jacqui McShee, a menber of The Pentangle (well-known British folk group). That singing really shocked me like being struck by lightning.

 From then on, I started to appreciate various British Traditional Music. Gradually, I was becoming fond of Scottish music especially. The most favorite tune in those days was a singing of Dick Gaughan on "MacCrimmon's Lament" from his album "No More Forever" (Trailer TER 2072/1972). Naturally, I didn't know who was MacCrimmon, in those days.

 16th of January 1973 is an unforgettable day for me, for that day I just happend to hear my first piobaireachd on a Ethnic musicr radio program. The narrator, who was a famous Ethnic music scholar, did not tell the exact title of the tune, although he has explained about the piobaireachd. Anyway, I was deeply fascinated by the piobaireachd at once.
About a decade later, I had chance to know the title and sauce of the tune as "The MacGregor's Salute" by John MacLellan from the album "Musique Celtique Iles Hebrides / Gaelic Music from Scotland (OCORA OCR45)"

 In February 1975, my girl friend (my future wife) traveled to Scotland, and she, at my request, have brought back a practice chanter and "Donald MacLeod's Bagpipe Tutor" which was enclosed with four EP records. I started to practice following wee Donald's tutorial by myself.

 In those days, my favorite album was John D. Burgess's "King of Highland Pipers" (Topic 12T199/1969). As a result, "The Desperate Battle of the Birds" the album's only pibroch became one of my favorite tunes ever since.

 After almost one year of sole chanter practicing, I joined The Tokyo Piping Society, which led by Dr. Masami Yamane who are well-known for the "KORG - Tuning Trainer".
A little while later in 1976, I have gotten my first pipes - R.G.Hardie's real Ivory mounted.

 In February 1977, I took one month trip to Britain. I visited several local folk clubs and attended some concerts of the British traditional music around London. Naturally, I visited to Scotland - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Loch Lomond, etc.

 Dr. Yamane had been taking part in the Piping School in California runned by the College of Piping from mid '70s. So, in March 1983, he invited Mr. Seumas MacNeill to Japan for an intensive tutorial. On that occasion, I have heard a live performance of the piobaireachd for the first time in my life.
 
Seumas played my everlasting favorite "The Desperate Battle of the Birds". It was a stunningly impressive experience.
 
Seumas's Japanese trip was reported by himself on September 1983 issue (Vol.35/No.12) of the "Piping Times". My name appeared in the article.

 In October of the same year, Mr. Thomas Pearston also came to Japan as a judge for the Highland Game in Tokyo. He taught me "MacCrimmon's Sweetheart" and "Black Donald's March" on that opportunity.

 Just after that occasion, P/M Angus MacDonald was invited to Japan for the British Fair held on a long-established department store. I rushed to the store, and asked him to play any piobaireachd. He played for me the urlar of "Lament for the Children". That was a really touching moment.

  Almost a decade later, in October 1992 and 1993, Mr. Angus J. MacLellan also came to Japan as a judge for the Highland Game in Tokyo. I spent with him a day in each year. He sang a lot of Canntaireachds and played various Piobaireachds.
  Thank God goodness, he kindly taught me "Lament for Mary MacLeod" and "Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon" on that occasions. And his canntaireachd singing of the "Lament for Donald Doughal MacKay" lives in my memory even to this day.
A picture taken at the occasion in 1993 which I contributed to "Piping Times", was carried on September 1997 issue (Vol.49/No.12).

 My encounters with real piobaireachd players are no more than above mentioned. The chance of meeting them is such a rare opportunity here in Japan, therefore I have been collecting almost all recordings of piobaireachd from LPs, Cassette Tapes, CDs, Videos, DVDs, etc. The volume of articles have reached nearly a thousand, in adition to Donald MacLeod's Tutorial Series,  Bobs' The Masters of Piobaireachd Series, and some others.

 Besides, I have obtained all the Piobaireachd Books, Proceedings, and other printed matters of the Piobaireachd Society, and almost all miscellaneous Books concerning about piobaireachd and Highland Piping cultures.

 I suppose that there are dozens of pipers in Japan, though almost all of them play only Ceol Beag and have little interest in Ceol Mor, exept only a few pipers. Therefore, I used to be a lonesome piobaireachd devotee in Japan for a long period.

 I have started my own website which is concentrated on piobaireachd and other Scottish culture from 2002. The main purpose of the website is a memorandum for myself, which ensures that I should not forget the contents of books and various printed matters concerning about piobaireachd which I have read. Being a Japanese, I have difficulty in memorizing the contents in English. Of course, I wish my site would make other Japanese pipers to become a bit more interest in Ceol Mor.


My repertoires on the Pipes (in learning order)
・The Desperate Battle of the Birds
・The MacGregor's Salute
・Lament for Mary MacLeod
・The Prince's Salute
・Corrienessan's Salute
・Lament for MacSwan of Roaig
・Lament for the Earl of Antrim
・The Vaunting
・Lament for Donald of Laggan
・The Battle of Auldearn No.1
・The Old Woman's Lullaby
・Lament for Donald Doughal MacKay
・Lament for the Children
・Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon

・Ronald MacDonald of Morar's Lament

Nearly on the Pipes
・The Sister's Lament (Donald MacDonald setting)
・Lament for the Laird of Annapool
・The Daughter's Lament
・Lament for Allan, My son
・The Park Piobaireachd No.2
・War or Peace

Wish lists
・Piper's Warning His Master(Donald MacDonald setting)
・Big Spree
・Beloved Scotland
・Earl of Seaforth's Salute
・The King's Taxes
・Rory MacLeod's Lament
・The Old Men of the Shells
・Lament for the Viscount of Dundee
・His Father's Lament for Donald MacKenzie
・MacDougall's Gathering
・The Groat (Donald MacDonald setting)
・Lament for the Departure of King James
 and more …

Especially favorite renderings of specific tunes
・Lament for the Children
  by Gavin Stoddart on "Piping Centre Recital Siriese 1997/Vol.3"
・The Desperate Battle of the Birds
  by Sumas MacNeill on "Purely Piobaireachd"
・Lament for Mary MacLeod
  by Hugh MacCallum on "Piobaireachds from WGP Siriese"
・Ronald MacDonald of Morar's Lament
  by John D. Burgess on "Great Highland Bagpipe / Piobaireachd (Lismor)"
・Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon
  
by Greg Wilson on "25th Glenfiddich Piping Championship"
・The Park Piobaireachd No.2
  by Murray Henderson on "Solo Piper"
・Rory MacLeod's Lament
  by Murray Henderson on "Solo Piper"
・The Sisters Lament
  by Niall Stewart at The Donald MacDonald Quaich 2015(⇒ YouTube
・Clan Campbell's Gathering
  by Andrew Wright on "Pipers of Distinction Series"
・Lament for the Laird of Annapool
  by Stuart Liddell at 2015 Glenfiddich Piping Championship (⇒ NPC Vimeo)
・The Vaunting
  by Brian Donaldson on "Pipers of Distinction Series"
・The Daughter's Lament
  by William McCallum at 2010 Glenfiddich Piping Championship
・Lament for Allan, My son
  by Robert Wallace on "Bows and Drones"
・Beloved Scotland
  by Michael Cusack on "Winter Storm 2003"
・Earl of Seaforth's Salute
  by Fred Morrison on "Up South" & 2014 FIL Lorient (⇒ Youtube

・War or Peace     
      by Jack Lee at Mosspark Armoury in Toronto, January 3(⇒ pipes|drums YouTube
・Pipers Warning His Master
      by Faye Henderson at The Donald MacDonald Quaich 2012(⇒ YouTube

・The Old Men of the Shells
      by Craig Muirhead on BBC Radio Scotland "Pipline" 2011/2/12〜18
・Lament for the Viscount of Dndee     
      by Lewis Russell at 2017 Echoes of Oban(The Argyllshir Gathering)

My favorite books
・"Piping Traditions of 〜" Series by Bridged MacKenzie
・"Masters of Piping" by Sumas MacNeill
・"The Highland Pipe and Scottish Society 1750-1950" by William Donaldson

My Bibles
・"Piobaireachd" by Seumas MacNeill
・"The History and Structure of Ceol Mor" by Alexander John Haddow


I wish I could paly "Lament for the Children" and "Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon"
beside The MacCrimmon Cairn at Boreraig in Skye, some day.