Need recs on Pentangle/Fairport Convention

[jlhoots]

pre-ordered the Fay Hield!!

[A Lark Ascending]

It'll be good...if the things she played at a concert in November are anything to go by. Seeing her again next week (I'm not stalking her....she happens to be playing somewhere where I have free evening between two other concerts). 

[bluenoter]

(I discovered this thread recently and have only glanced at a few posts; please forgive any gratuitous duplication!)

Anne Briggs accompanied by Bert Jansch on a song that he'd learned from her much earlier---it's a showcase for Anne:

 

Here's an example of what Bert Jansch did with the song solo:

 

I think it's fair to say that everyone else was covering, however inventively, a rendition by Anne, Bert, or both.

The first video was drawn from

the DVD at Amazon.com   (there's also a soundtrack CD)          An article:  Acoustic Routes: celebrating a legend

The second video was drawn from the DVD Fingerstyle Guitar: New Dimensions and Explorations, Vol. One

Edited February 7, 2016 by bluenoter

[A Lark Ascending]

There's a bit here about the influence of the Briggs/Jansch; also mentions where Briggs got it from (Mary Doran via A..L Lloyd):

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_by_Blackwaterside

The first version I heard was the Sandy Denny on her first solo album...one of the places I first got hooked on 'folk' music.

That Acoustic Routes programme is excellent - I saw it on a rented DVD a couple of years back. The CDs from it are good too. There's also a 'tribute' album from around the same time that I've enjoyed:

  

There was an all-star tribute to Jansch a week or so back in Glasgow - fellow players plus influencees from Plant to Blur! 

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/01/bert-inspired-concert-bert-jansch-old-fruitmarket-glasgow-celtic-connections

Nice to see Martin Simpson there - any Jansch fans who've never come across Simpson should give him a listen. Jansch is very clearly an influence but he then strolls his own highway. 

Edited February 7, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

Not talkin' bout a revolution: where are all the protest songs?

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/22/protest-songs-folk-music-nancy-kerr-martin-carthy

Interesting article - though a bit one-swallow-making-a-summerish with regard to the 'Sweet Liberties' project. 

(A rare Guardian article that is not about Taylor Swift or David Bowie)

Edited February 23, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

Another interesting one just out:

Guitar/Nyckelharpa, Bass, Vocals and Sarangi

Has the feel of Pentangle album with dippy ISB vocals overlain with Indian music (Very 60s!). The bass is particularly effective, heping to loosen everything up and provide a flexible rhythmic feel, a la Danny Thompson. Getting quite a bit of attention outside the folk world:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/24/folk-jon-thorne-james-yorkston-suhail-yusuf-khan

Clearly a light day on the Adele/Taylor Swift/Amy Winehouse front at The Guardian. 

 

 

[Jazzjet]

15 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

Another interesting one just out:

Guitar/Nyckelharpa, Bass, Vocals and Sarangi

Has the feel of Pentangle album with dippy ISB vocals overlain with Indian music (Very 60s!). The bass is particularly effective, heping to loosen everything up and provide a flexible rhythmic feel, a la Danny Thompson. Getting quite a bit of attention outside the folk world:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/24/folk-jon-thorne-james-yorkston-suhail-yusuf-khan

Clearly a light day on the Adele/Taylor Swift/Amy Winehouse front at The Guardian. 

 

 

Thanks Bev. I've just checked this album out on Spotify and the feel is exactly as you describe.

[A Lark Ascending]

1 hour ago, Jazzjet said:

Thanks Bev. I've just checked this album out on Spotify and the feel is exactly as you describe.

I had a feeling you'd like that one.

Have you heard this:

Came out at the end of last year. Starts more from the Indian musical direction but the female vocalist is Welsh; some songs are Welsh but absorbed seamlessly into the more eastern feel. One of my favourites from last year.

Sadly not on Spotify.  You can hear a few tracks here:

The Guardian review is a bit imperious (there's a surprise! 'We don't do pretty! We eat nails for breakfast!') but most reaction I've come across has been instant love! 

[Jazzjet]

7 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

I had a feeling you'd like that one.

Have you heard this:

Came out at the end of last year. Starts more from the Indian musical direction but the female vocalist is Welsh; some songs are Welsh but absorbed seamlessly into the more eastern feel. One of my favourites from last year.

Sadly not on Spotify.  You can hear a few tracks here:

The Guardian review is a bit imperious (there's a surprise! 'We don't do pretty! We eat nails for breakfast!') but most reaction I've come across has been instant love! 

I enjoyed it, maybe not so much as the Yorkston/Thorne/Khan one but definitely worth a listen. I hadn't made the connection that Thorne was the Jon Thorne who made a nice album with Danny Thompson (Watching The Well) and one with his own Oedipus Complex (Manchester Road), both albums I bought a few years ago and enjoy a lot.

[A Lark Ascending]

Yes, both Thorne and Yorkston seem to have extensive backgrounds. I must admit to being immediately attracted to an album with the title of "The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society" by the latter. Wish we had one in Worksop. 

Edited February 28, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

Womenfolk: British Folk Music by Women

Nice article here from the States about some of the current wave of female folk talent - mentions Lady Maisery, The Rheingans Sisters (also cover stars of the new fRoots), the Songs of Separation project and Nancy Kerr.  

And a nice little review on another outstanding young contemporary folkie, Jim Causley:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/mar/09/jim-causley-review-west-country-folk-cecil-sharp-house-london

Devon based with a lost of West Country material in his repertoire.  

  

 

Edited March 10, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

On their way to superstardom:

[page]

Looks good, I'll check it out later. Still listening to the live report of the news now, not feeling at ease enough to listen right now. It seems like my cup of tea though, I'm into folk , wish I could go to that festival.

[jlhoots]

I bought the most recent Rheingans Sisters CD based on Bev's suggestion. It's very good.

[A Lark Ascending]

A marvellous mix of British, Scandinavian, French and self-composed music - and Rowan Rheingans is showing enormous promise as a songwriter, songs that don't quite go where you expect them. There's a beauty on the 'Song of Separation' project CD. 

Nominated in a couple of categories for the up-and-coming folk awards:

 http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2016/02/bbc-radio-2-folk-awards-2016-the-nominees/

Like all these award things the Folk Awards greatly distort and simplify what is actually happening. But what's impressive here is that they largely reflect the newer performers to emerge onto the scene in the last 5-10 years rather than sanctify the older 'legends'...though RT gets a look in in the Musician of the Year section. Much as I love RT and enjoyed his album of last year, I'd vote for Andy Cutting (who is halfway between 'young' and 'established legend')....he should get the award just for being on every record recorded in the last year. 

[jlhoots]

I looked into ordering fRoots magazine. It was more than 120 US$ for 1 year, so I didn't.

[A Lark Ascending]

1 hour ago, jlhoots said:

I looked into ordering fRoots magazine. It was more than 120 US$ for 1 year, so I didn't.

They do a digital edition at £36 p.a. (presumably no postage). You can see what it looks like here: http://content.yudu.com/A25zpx/frootsjune13/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frootsmag.com%2Fdigital%2F I assume you also get the code for the album download that comes with every other issue. They are amazing for opening your ears. 

Easily the best music magazine (in any genre) I've ever bought (Jazzwise, the UK jazz magazine pales by comparison seeming to be much more in lock-step with record company promotions) - I've been reading it since it started in the early 80s (and even a few copies of 'Southern Rag' as it was when it was only a regional mag for the south-east of England). It's my main source of information for the folk world.  

You don't just get folk - Ian Anderson, the editor from the off, is absolutely zealous about world music. He was there at the meeting that coined the marketing term and fought a long battle in the 80s to get the British folk community to widen its horizons. Also a constant supporter of up-and-coming new performers. He can be bolshie and wrong but on balance he's very much on the side of the angels. African, Asian, South American, European, Blues, Bluegrass/Americana - it all gets in there. If you want an article on 78s of 1920s Greek music, this is your mag!  

The best thing about it is that it is overwhelmingly positive - the reviewers will say if they dislike something but you rarely get that "look how wonderful I am because I'm not impressed by..." posturing the spoils so many magazines (though Anderson had a downer on American singer-songwriters in the 90s!). 

The highlight of the Sidmouth Folk Festival for me is the afternoon series they put on over the week, focussed on the up and coming or the marginalised. This is what I have to look forward to in August:

fRoots-curated Cellar Full of Folkadelia

The increasingly popular fRoots-curated Cellar Full of Folkadelia afternoon sessions move back to their original home in the atmospheric Cellar Bar at Kennaway House. The confirmed line-up for 2016 – some cult figures of old and some shining stars of the future – features: WIZZ JONES, the iconic acoustic blues guitarist and singer with an eclectic repertoire and "a right hand worthy of Broonzy"; one-off English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist TYMON DOGG whose eclectic 40-year solo career also took in a stint as a member of Joe Strummer’s last band, The Mescaleros; the "quite simply extraordinary" RHEINGANS SISTERS with their duelling fiddles and symbiotic voices, and rich tapestry of banjo, bansitar, viola, kantele, feet and percussion; LUCY FARRELL brings us her captivating interpretations of Kentish songs as well as her own material; TRIO DHOORE – an exciting young group of three brothers from Flanders, on hurdy-gurdy, diatonic accordion and guitar; THE DEAD RAT ORCHESTRA – Nathaniel Mann, Daniel Merrill and Robin Alderton – whose fascinating work has sprawled from electro-acoustic music to free improvisation without ever loosing a distinctive ratty character; a rare reunion date for folk blues duo HOT VULTURES featuring the voices, bass and slide guitars of Maggie Holland and Ian Anderson; young NE songwriter/banjo player and fiddler RHONA DALLING whose debut digital album, Walk Me Round, has captured hearts and minds with its resonant songwriting and tunesmithery; and cinematic multi-instrumentalists THREE CANE WHALE.

http://www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk/index.php?page=intimate-concerts-sessions

Good lord...I saw Hot Vultures around 1974! 

Edited March 22, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

RIP Pete Zorn

Probably not a name known outside the world of British folk/folk-rock. A regular side-person in RTs band. 

[alankin]

New release from Real Gone Music
http://www.realgonemusic.com/news/2016/4/20/fairport-convention-live-in-finland-1971-cd.html

FAIRPORT CONVENTION LIVE IN FINLAND 1971. CD

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2016 AT 06:07PM

• Fairport Convention Has Been the British Folk Rock Band for Almost 50 Years

• Famous for Hosting the Annual Crop redy Festival

• Fairport’s 1971 Line-Up of Drummer Dave Mattacks, Guitarist Simon Nicol, Bassist Dave Pegg, and Fiddler Dave Swarbrick Was

  Their Hardest-Rocking Line-Up If Not Their Most Widely Known

• This UNRELEASED August 1971 Concert Captures the Band in Between Their Underrated Albums Angel Delight and “Babbacombe” Lee

• The Set List Includes Rare Tracks Like “Mason’s Apron” and “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament”

• Also Includes Favorites like “Sir Patrick Spens” and “Matty Groves”

• Excellent Recording with an Ample Bottom End, Remastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision

• Richie Unterberger’s Notes Include Quotes from Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg

• Added Photos and Memorabilia from Fairport’s Own Collection

• A Major Addition to Their Vast Discography 

  AVAILABLE June 3, 2016 PRE-ORDER COMING SOON!

Hosts of the annual Cropredy Festival and a mere year shy of their 50th anniversary, Fairport Convention is THE British folk-rock group, and many of the most talented and celebrated musicians in the scene have passed through their ranks. Of their many line-ups, generally it’s the Richard Thompson-Ashley Hutchings-Sandy Denny era that gets the most attention, followed by the return of Denny in the mid-‘70s with husband Trevor Lucas.

But if there is one line-up that really doesn’t get its due, it would be the quartet of guitarist Simon Nicol, bassist Dave Pegg, fiddler Dave Swarbrick, and drummer Dave Mattacks that remained after Richard Thompson departed following Full House. Together, the four made two fine, underrated studio albums, Angel Delight and “Babbacombe” Lee, but live—as this unreleased August 1971 concert demonstrates—they were a revelation.

Never during any of its eras did Fairport rock harder, and, though the band lacked any lead vocalist of the stature of Denny or Iain Matthews, all four members of the group sang and sang well, which lent their on-stage act extra energy. The show begins with the viola/violin duet between Nicol and Swarbrick on “Bridge over the River Ash” that appeared on Angel Delight along with the second track, “The Journeyman’s Grace,” but then the set list gets delightfully obscure for Fairport fans with a piledriving version of “Mason’s Apron,” a tune that never showed up on any of their studio albums. Old faves “Sir Patrick Spens” (from Full House) and “Matty Groves” (from Liege and Lief) follow, but then the band launches into the rollicking three-song medley “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament” which only appeared on a 1970 single and whose extended original title vied for entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest of its kind.

The show winds up with the more elegiac “Sir William Gower” from Angel Delight, but, make no mistake, this is one blazing set of music, and the ample low-end of this concert recording—mastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision—will have you dancing a jig across your living room. With notes by Richie Unterberger featuring quotes from the band, and photos from the Fairport archives, this is a major addition to the band’s vast discography.

Track listing:

 

1. Bridge over the River Ash

2. The Journeyman's Grace

3. Mason's Apron

4. Sir Patrick Spens

5. Matty Groves

6. Sir B. McKenzie's Daughter's Lament

7. Sir William Gower

 

[A Lark Ascending]

Looks interesting - this was the version of Fairport I heard do a session for John Peel earlier in that year, first alerting me to them, just before 'Angel Delight'. I don't think I've heard anything live from them beyond a few tracks scattered on things like the BBC box (think some of those might be what heard that afternoon). 

Edited April 22, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

Nice to know the spirit of '67 is still with us:

The man who sings with nightingales

But what about the larks, Sam? 

[A Lark Ascending]

Nice interview with Olivia Chaney, one of the current crop of excellent young folkies talking about her interest in Purcell: 

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/11/olivia-chaney-henry-purcell-baroque-london-festival-folk

I like this bit very much:

"I’m not a baroque specialist and essentially follow my instinct, which is to combine my love of folk, pop and baroque. It’s a balance I hope Purcell would approve of – he was acutely aware of the need in his own songwriting to communicate to an eclectic audience. We can’t be too purist today. Too much of that attitude negates the essence of why the music has travelled and survived in the first place.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep old music alive – musicians, promoters and listeners should all get our hands (and ears) dirtier, or else audiences might forever be unwrapping boiled sweets and coughing during movement intervals. Venues should be a mix of old and young, rich and poor, where some can stand and some can sit, where there is less performer-audience hierarchy. In this way the blood, sweat and tears of the music is more visceral and better shared."

Just make sure there are enough places to sit! 

Edited May 13, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

Obituary for Dave Swarbrick:

 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/03/dave-swarbrick-obituary

 

[six string]

I didn't know he had both lungs transplanted.  That bought him twelve more years, worth it, it seems.  A giant among men in the British Folk genre no doubt.  He's left plenty of wonderful music for us to hear whenever we want to be reminded of his brilliant talent.

Edited June 13, 2016 by six string

[A Lark Ascending]

Programme about Anne Briggs on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday at 11.30:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07syrrs

Will be on iPlayer as usual after broadcast. 

Part of a short series which also looks at Marta Sebestyen (with Ian Partridge in between).