Books by Colin Harper

One chanter, three drones, three regulators, thirteen keys, too many near-extinctions to mention and 300 years of heroes: that, with a frisson of fairies on moonlit knolls, is the Irish uilleann ('ill-in') pipes. The Wheels Of The World presents an epic tale of triumph and survival, where the soulful heart of a nation has been kept alive across ages by a slender thread of guardians - blind men, eccentrics, self-aggrandisers, noble heroes, bloody-minded revivalists and at least three people compared to Jimi Hendrix. Uilleann piping is Ireland's equivalent to the story of the blues in America, save that here the trail of legends and lore is richer and deeper by far. It is the sound of 18th-century blues - a microtonal virtuoso machine wielded by misfits and geniuses, often one and the same. This is the story of a continuum, from John McSherry, a 21st-century icon, backwards in time through Paddy Keenan, Liam O'Flynn, Finbar Furey, Seamus Ennis, Willie Clancy, Johnny Doran, Leo Rowsome and Patsy Touhey - at the dawn of recorded sound - and thence to find a litany of unrecorded legends before them. It is also a snapshot of professional Irish traditional musicians, after the gold rush of the late 20th century, keeping calm and carrying on.

The guitarists' guitarist and the songwriters' songwriter, the legendary Bert Jansch has influenced diverse stars. Born in Edinburgh in 1943, Jansch became an inspirational and pioneering figure during Britain's 'folk revival' of the 1960s. In 1967, he formed folk/jazz fusion band Pentangle with John Renbourn and enjoyed international success.

A browse in any music store reveals extensive collections of Irish folk, trad and blues. However, in the past great pioneers of the genre lived when the recording industry showed scant interest in the scene. This fascinating history reveals the frustrations and triumphs of trailblazers before acts like U2 existed. The main thrust of the book concerns the influence of homegrown pioneers, from Sweeney''s Men to De Dannan and Martin Hayes.