Hi, I'm really honoured to be piping at this year's Hope Over Fear rally for Scottish Independence on Saturday September 12.
Organisers have asked me to do a half hour 'electric' set with backing tracks and I'm really looking forward to it.
This year's rally will be in the large beer garden at the Eagle Inn in Coatbridge as renovations in Glasgow's George Square are still ongoing. The Eagle Inn is a great venue and my good pal Edinburgh singer/songwriter Kevin Gore is just one of a cracking list of musicians who will be performing on the day.
Top quality speakers will be taking part too, including Alex Salmond's niece Christina Hendry - a very impressive young woman who currently works as a child psychologist in the Scottish Borders and is definitely one to watch out for in the future.
Proceedings start at 1pm and it should be a great day. Maybe see you there...
I'm also posting few pics from a busy summer of piping with engagements, weddings and bookings from the Isle of Skye to the Lothians. September and October are shaping up to be busy months too. Thank you everyone for the work and support.
Just a gentle reminder, if I may, to anyone thinking about booking me for functions in 2027, to 'get in quick' as the work diary is already filling up and I hate letting potential clients down. Thank you.
All the best and I hope you enjoy the pics. Slainte Mhor!
'Ancient Pibroch Medley' from Jimi's album 'Global Gathering - the music of clan Macrae' (McRaeMusic002) is his most streamed and downloaded track in countries around the world.
One of Jimi's online music distributors - a Dubai based company - invited Jimi to produce a music video for the track to help promote it further.
"They asked for a rollicking, no holds barred, Highland adventure with castles, mountains, motor bikes and great scenery" said Jimi. "They seem happy with what I've come up with."
Now Jimi will produce more vids for the track with the end credits in Mandarin, Russian, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, Japanese and Spanish so distributors in Dubai can target specific audiences.
"Google translate is obviously a big help with a task like this" added Jimi. "It should hopefully only take a few hours to complete, fingers crossed.
"Many people in the English speaking world listen to music via Spotify. These folk will no doubt be aware that Spotify is making it easier for artists to post videos to accompany tracks. Well, other streaming sites catering for different countries, languages and cultures are doing exactly the same".
'Ancient Pibroch Medley' features an arrangement of traditional Highland Pibrochs 'Duncan Macrae of Kintail's Lament', 'Blind Piper's Obstinacy' and 'The Battle of Sheriffmuir'.
During recordings Jimi added harmonies and also arranged for the medley to be performed in 4/4 time.
"I wanted the track to have a pipe band feel to it" he said. "I was really keen to bring my pal and sometimes collaborator Eric Clark in on the drum kit. Eric was performing with a decent metal band around Scotland at the time and his drumming was really on it. Most impressive."
Another one of Jimi's pals Crispin Caunter was called upon to provide some 'deep bass' didgeridoo. The result is a track which 'The Scotsman' newspaper described as "a very satisfying listening experience".
"I think it's great that the track has remained popular" added Jimi. "I know there are a lot of artists who moan about music streaming and the lack of recompense to performers, but, I'm just grateful people are listening to my music and if many of these listeners are in far off lands and from different cultures, well, that's quite interesting I think."
Jimi would like to thank the owners of Eilean Donan Castle for permission to film there. "I have done a fair bit of piping at Eilean Donan over the years for the Clan Macrae Society - the castle is regarded by many as the clan's ancestral home.
"Some say the Pibroch 'Duncan Macrae of Kintail' was composed in honour of a legendary Macrae warrior who single handedly saw off an attempt by raiding Macdonalds to capture Eilean Donan, so perhaps it is appropriate that some of the filming took place there"
Jimi is currently working his way through another busy year of engagements, bookings and live performances around Scotland and overseas. For regular updates keep checking this site. Slainte!
Here's a short music video from Jimi's recent visit to Southern Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway.
During the trip, Jimi visited a once important hill fort on the Solway Firth where the most southern Pictish carvings ever found are on display.
He also performed a pibroch recital beside the magnificent Neolithic era standing stones and chambered cairns at Cairn holy, overlooking Wigtown Bay.
On the journey to Cairn holy Jimi chanced upon a "10 meter high scarecrow made from wicker" standing in a field. "It was a quite remarkable sight to say the least" said Jimi.
He added: "However, given that much of the classic 1970's horror movie 'The Wicker Man' starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward was filmed at places along the Solway coast perhaps the presence of such a structure is not too surprising!"
Surprising or totally normal? Judge for yourself by clicking on the link below to the vid. If you enjoy please remember to like and subscribe to Jimi's YouTube channel.
Music is a version of the classic Celtic air 'Theid Mi Dhachaid 'Chro Chinn T-Saille' with didgeridoo accompaniment from Jimi's album 'Global Gathering - the music of clan Macrae'. Available for download and streaming at all good music stores.
Please find a link below to video footage of Jimi's performance at a very special 'chamber concert' in the Pokrovskaya Tower, Pskov during the annual Pskov International History & Culture Forum, held between June 10 and 15, 2026.
In the clip Jimi performs versions of well known Russian classical and folk melodies - 'Slav'sya' (Glory to the Tsar) 'Pol'ushko Polie' (Song of the Plains) 'Korobeiniki'(Tetrus theme) 'Pri Linka' (Cossack dance) and Kalinka.
This year's International History and Culture Forum was attended by musicians and academics from many countries including India, Italy, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, China, Canada, the UK and Russia.
Jimi was very honoured to be invited to perform at such a prestigious event. He appeared in three concerts in Pskov and also two sold out shows in the towns of Pechory and Opochka.
A week of healthy discussion and music culminated at the sell out Pokrovskaya Tower concert when Jimi performed alongside top musical acts from India, Italy and China.
Pokrovskaya Tower itself is a grand structure towering over the banks of the Velikaya River. It is widely considered to be one of the most impressive monuments of military defensive architecture in Russia, Europe and probably the world.
Its base diameter is about 28 metres and it's total height is 40m. At its base the thickness of its oval walls reach 6m. At its top the thickness is 3.5m.
Built in 1470 the tower witnessed fierce battles against invading armies, none more so than during the Polish invasion of Russia in 1581 which saw the tower play a key role in the defence of the city.
Today the tower has been made suitable for concerts and public events. It provides a classic atmosphere and is a truly amazing, historic venue.
"It was a huge privilege and honour to be invited to play my pipes there" said Jimi. "The acoustics were amazing and, as always in Russia, the audience were very knowledgeable and appreciative. I'd like to say a big thank you to everybody."
Hi, hope all good. I was absolutely delighted to realise a lifetime's ambition by visiting Mousa broch during a recent trip to the Shetland Isles.
Mousa Broch is the best preserved Iron Age tower in existence. Visitors can still climb the staircase to marvel at the commanding view and workmanship of this 2000 year-old building.
Music is an arrangement of the classic pipe tune or piobaireachd 'An Daorach Bheag' (The Wee Spree) arranged and performed by myself (including vocals) from my album 'The Last King Of Pictland', which is available to stream and download at all online music sites.
Standing over 13.3 metres (44 ft) high on the now uninhabited isle of Mousa, the broch is still over 95 per cent complete - unlike all other brochs in Scotland where most of the original stonework has been removed over the years for reuse in other buildings and drystane dikes. Mousa broch features in a couple of the old Norse Sagas as a place of captivity and hiding, and in comparatively more recent times as the secret store for smugglers.
The island of Mousa is now an RSPB Nature Reserve and home to many breeding wildlife colonies of seals and birds. Through spring and summer, Mousa hums with populations, such as Black Guillemots and Arctic Terns, Harbour Seals, Great Skuas, Snipe, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Oystercatcher and Dunlin.
The RSPB have been studying Storm Petrels, Arctic Terns and Arctic and Great Skuas on Mousa since the early 1980s. Today, they also monitor Red-throated Divers, waders, Shags and Harbour and Grey Seals.
Sheep and Shetland ponies also live on the island.
Big shout out to everyone at Mousa Boat Tours which sail from
historic Sandsayre pier with trips operates daily (except Saturday) from late April to September. Sailings are all dependent on weather, so please check their website in advance. (https://www.mousa.co.uk/)
I hope you enjoy the music and video. Slainte Mhor!
Piper Jimi McRae plays the classic traditional bagpipe tunes 'Lochaber No More' and 'The High Road to Gairloch' during a visit to Dun Deardail hillfort in Glen Nevis following a busy weekend filming a Hollywood movie in Glencoe. (more info soon)
The version of 'Lochaber No More' performed here, though seldom heard nowadays perhaps, is a fine arrangement by influential early 20th Century piper PM Willie MacLean.
'The High Road to Gairloch' is a popular and uplifting Highland 2/4 march thought to have been composed sometime during the 16th Century.
McRae recorded the video live with his mobile phone during a visit to Dun Deardail fort and other locations near Fort William, Lochaber on April 27, 2026.
Dun Deardail occupies a prominent knoll on the north facing spur of Sgurr Chalum in Glen Nevis, close to the popular West Highland Way with impressive views of Ben Nevis, the Mamores mountain range, Glen Nevis and much of Lochaber.
Archeologists believe the fort was built sometime during the second millennium BC and occupied until the fourth or fifth Century AD, probably by
local chieftans and tribal elites. Recent excavations have unearthed stone tools, metal objects and evidence that bronze and ironworking took place there.
Exactly who lived there we will probably never know for sure. However, Dun Deardail is a popular spot to visit for walkers on the West Highland Way
and a cracking spot to chill and sound the Piob Mhor if time and weather conditions allow.
Slainte Mhor!
Hi, my new release "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (bagpipe version) is available to stream and download at all popular online music sites.
Please click on the link below for a direct link to the track at your favourite site. (The pic is a screenshot of the top half of the link page. Youtube music, Amazon music, Tidal, Deezer, KKBox and Pandora are out of shot)
A Youtube video for the song can be viewed in the proceeding post here.
Thanks again for the awesome support. Back with more exciting news soon.
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