Leo Richard’s piping lineage is much influenced by the late Johnny Donan and Leo Rowsome. Richard himself has taken wisely from the source, but augmented the influences with some very individual characteristics.

His style and penchant for bending notes in the fashion almost of a blues guitarist is a joy to listen to, particularly on pieces like ‘The Ace And Deuce Of Piping’, which totally engages the listener. His fast fingering on the ‘Flax In Bloom’ set is particularly fine – you wish for the track to go on forever, its closing phrase shot through with rhythmic and melodic richness.

With ‘Pure Piping’, Leo Richard has, like his mentors before him, made an album of significance and integrity which will, when benchmarked in years to come, mark him out as one of our finest. May he never run out of puff!