Norman Chalmers RIP

[aeolina]

I am sorry to have to pass on the sad news that the outstanding player of Scottish music on English concertina has recently passed away. Norman did much to explore and demonstrate the potential of the instrument for the playing of music from the Scottish piping traditions. He was known to many as a member of the band Jock Tamson's Bairns. There is information on him here: https://raretunes.org/norman-chalmers/ and more will follow in due course.

 

[Stephen Chambers]

I was very sad to hear of Norman's passing on Facebook last night Stuart. I knew him in Edinburgh in the early'80s, and he very kindly lent me has flat to stay in then.

[aeolina]

Yes of course. It was Norman who introduced me to you.

[John Wild]

Very sad news. I had the fortune to attend concertinas at Witney in a year when Norman Chalmers was the tutor for the English Concertina workshop.

He was a hard taskmaster but I did learn from it.

Later I had the good fortune to buy a treble concertina from Norman Chalmers, via Ebay. If I remember correctly, he said he was selling it to buy a baritone.

[Tiposx]

I wasn’t aware of this man until I read this thread and opened aeolina’s link. I was knocked out by the first tune in particular - Bagpipe Marches. So lively and bouncy! I would have sworn that he was playing an Anglo rather than an ec. It is exactly the sort of thing I aspire to. I will learn from it.

What a shame he has passed.

Edited March 27 by Tiposx

[Mike Acott]

A sad day when a fine player dies, I had several contacts with Norman in carrying out some maintenance of his concertinas ,I also purchased  a fine Wheatstone from him. This was some years ago but the memory of him is still clear.

Mike

[SteveS]

I'm sorry to hear of Norman's passing. 

 

I first met Norman at Newcastleton folk festival and hearing the pipe marches that he played - it inspired me to play Scottish music.  Later when I lived in Edinburgh, I occasionally met him at sessions, and members of Jock Tamson's Bairns, in Sandy Bells and other music venues.  We met up too at Edinburgh University's Teviot Row which hosted many of the events of the Edinburgh folk festival.

 

At one point I almost bought a concertina from Norman - and I may have fettled one of his 'tinas.

I have warm memories of hearing him play - he was one of the few players that really inspired me and my style of playing for dance music.

Edited April 2 by SteveS