Tullochgorum

Tullochgorum is a Scottish country dance band formed in the Boston area in 1980. We love playing for dancing because we can express the tunes in their original dance-oriented incarnation, and because we always get a standing ovation!

We've played for lots of balls and weekends in the New England area and across the U.S. and Scotland. We feel we bring a sense of improvisation and drama to the dance music, while maintaining danceability and a respect for the last 75 years of recorded history of Scottish dance bands.

Our instrumentation has stayed fairly constant over the last several decades - two-to-three violins, piano, bass and drums, with champion piper on demand. Our personnel has evolved and the current cast has remained fairly constant since 2011, and we note that many of the soloists and members of other Scottish ensembles in New England and beyond are Tullochgorum veterans.

Yes, we can supply musicians for weddings, bat mitzvahs, birthday parties and ceilidh dancing as well as Scottish country dance parties and formal balls. Contact any band member or Barbara McOwen at bmcowenatcomcastpointnet.

Tullochgorum is the name of a grand old tune, a powerful strathspey. The name is variously spelled; Tulach or tulloch is a Scots and Gaelic word meaning hill, and Gorm is Gaelic for blue, green, or blue-green, so the meaning of the two words could be translated "blue-green hills." Funnily enough, the word massachusett is the local Wampanoag Indian word for "blue hills," and Boston is sometimes known as "Great Blue Hill."

We hope to see you soon! Take a look at the photos, and perhaps you will enjoy our CDs.