C O N T E N T SFEATURESPage 4 June Tabor

A June Tabor album is always a precious thing. Colin Irwin explores some of the myths that surround her extraordinary dedication to folk music and reveals the album’s treasures.

Pages 7 - 10 Show Of HandsIf there’s a better song about Englishness than Roots, we’ve yet to hear it. On the eve of their third RAH gig Show Of Hands tell all to Chris Owen.

Pages 12 Brett DennenSix foot four and flame haired with the voice of an angel and some great songs too.

Pages 14 Beth Nielsen ChapmanThis DVD is a meditation on the quest for peace. Its combination of choir and live, St.Paul’s Cathedral setting is spine tingling.

Page 16-17 The BBC Radio 2 Folk AwardsAnd the winners are…

Page 19 Bassekou KouyateThe N’goni virtuoso steps into the current spotlight on the music of Mali with a stunning debut.

Page 21 Jackie OatesA former Young Folk Musician Of The Year and rising star records her solo debut with Phil Beer in the producer’s chair.

Page 23 AthenaThis is an issue full of stunning debuts and this is a stunning debut. Colin Irwin is lucky enough to get the inside story.

Page 24 BlurbYour editor jumps on the hobby horse. It’ll take several pints to calm him down. And another thing…

Page 25 Bob Harris presents…He is legend. We owe him so much and when he presents, we should listen.

Page 27 Fairport ConventionStill going strong and still passing milestone after milestone.

REVIEWSPages 5 & 6 Folk

Music of the folk, by the folk for you folk. That’s all folks!

Pages 11 & 13 Country AmericanaI’m a little bit country, I’m a little bit rock ‘n’ roll…

Page 15 Blues, Rhythm and SoulBorn under a bad sign…

Page 18 WorldWe’ll have Bassekou, you can have Robbie. Fair Trade..?

Page 20 Rock ‘n’ RollStars of yesteryear…The big bang as seen through the hubble-bubble telescope.

Pages 28 & 29 JazzA here’s who of who’s hot.

Pages 30 Review RoundupWe wouldn’t want you to miss anything.

Don’t forget the competition on page 26. Win more CDs than ever! We have 4winners to date and they all love us. It could be yoooooo…

Contributors for this issue:Tony Morly (TM); Sid Cowens (SC); Lewis Robinson (LR); Alan Levermore (AL); Mik Gaffney(MG); Brian Showell (BS); Cliff White (CW); Colin Irwin (CI); Simon Holland (SH); EstherTewksbury (ET); Chris Owen (CO); Jamie Renton (JR); Alan Price (AP); Michael J Channon (MJC)and Andy Farquarson (AF).

Photographs:Show Of Hands - All Jeff Cottenden except middle spread photo - Andy Greene/Devon Today.June Tabor - John Haxby.Bassekou Kouyate and N’goni ba - Thonias Dorn.Fairport Convention - Courtesy of Fairport Convention.Brett Dennen - Gabriel Judet-Weinshel.Jackie Oates - Taken from press area of website.Beth Neilson Chapman - Traci Goudie.Athena - Bob Rose.Bob Harris - Judy Totton.

Editor: Simon HollandArtwork: Sarah-May Stanley-Gustar

HELLOWelcome. We always start with a welcome and it’s heartfelt.Frankly anyone who’s gone to the trouble of picking up a copy ofour humble magazine is alright by us. There are a few too manyof you these days to promise a pint, but the other thing wealways do in the intro is mention the Dog and Duck. It’s on FrithStreet in London’s Soho and serves as a staging post for variousgigs (that’s our most obvious plug yet fellas). Perhaps I shouldask them to stock the magazine? Perhaps I should get free beerfor life?

Anyway I digress. Welcome to our world of music. This time we’lltake you as far as Mali, where the supremely talented BassekouKouyate proves himself ready and able to move into the currentspotlight on the country’s music. A recent pilgrimage led byDamon Albarn had the likes of Fatboy Slim and Zane Lowemuttering about life changing experiences. For anyone who haseven cast a glance in the direction of Ali Farka Toure, we cannotrecommend this strongly enough.

This issue is blessed with a very fine selection of female singersand song writers, all of whom are quite unique. June Tabor, BethNielsen Chapman, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joan Baez and Athenahave each delivered works that are as different as you can get,but each in their own way stunning.

Not that the girls get all the credit this month. Show Of Handsdeserve their cover star status as the most articulate ofcommentators on being British in the 21st century. They havethe small matter of their third appearance at Kensington VillageHall to negotiate (read the feature, you’ll understand!). We raisea glass in advance and hope for a celebratory one after theshow.

Then there’s the legend that is Bob Harris and Brett Dennen whowill be legend if his stateside success is repeated elsewhere. Ourfinal mention must go to the Fairport phenomenon that still rollson and can still make fresh sounding music. So that’s a nicediverse shopping bag for you and with all these drink references,in the words of Winey Amehouse, rehab for us.

3

Proper Music DistributionThe New PowerhouseGateway Business Park, Kangley Bridge RoadSE26 5AN EnglandTel Int ++44 (0) 20 8676 5100 Fax ++44 (0) 20 8676 5169www.properdistribution.comwww.myspace.com/propermusic

ny new June Tabor album is greeted with thereverence of a royal visit.

Not just because she’s one of the most consummatesingers ever produced by the folk revival who’s been at thetop of her game for over 30 years. Nor that her imperiousvocal style is totally individual and instantly recognisable.Not even because in all that time she’s never once offeredthe faintest suggestion of a compromise, resolutely anddefiantly following her own unique path without a thoughtfor commercial considerations or the mainstreamopportunities that undoubtedly have been dangled in frontof her through the years.

No, the enduring strength and fascination of June Tabor isthat she keeps you guessing. One of the truly greatinterpreters of song, Tabor will cross (serenely, of course)many ditches in pursuit of the song that will move herenough to want to get under its skin and deliver one of

those epic performances for whichshe’s become so justly famous.

Back in the day those songs werealmost always traditional – andright at the start she’d sing themunaccompanied. Often that stillhappens, but so widely has shespread her wings in theexploration of meaningfulmaterial in the last 15 years, younever quite know where it willtake her. Duetting with JohnJones of the Oysterband on JoyDivision’s Love Will Tear Us

Apart? Singing with Maddy Prior as one half ofthe Silly Sisters? Immersing herself in jazz in concerts andan album (A Quiet Eye) with the Creative Jazz Orchestra?Singing a song All This Useless Beauty – purportedly aboutLady Diana – specially written for her by Elvis Costello?Singing in Yiddish on Aleyn, one of the darkest, mostchilling albums ever released? Or in German and French onRosa Mundi? Or taking on weary old standards likeSomewhere Over The Rainbow? Or an unaccompaniedversion of The Beatles’ In My Life?

June has done all these things and it’s perhaps inaccurateto even classify her as a folk singer any more, even thoughshe’s one of the best there’s ever been and she still singsher fair share of folk songs. Her appeal has certainlystretched across many musical divides and she retains anirresistible sense of mystery and intrigue even for those ofus who’ve followed her career and adored her almost sinceday one. The simmering passion with which, with apparenthaughtiness, she delivers a ballad about love, death andrevenge. Her odd little quirks like titling most of her albumswith single words beginning with the letter A. The relishwith which she repeatedly takes on ‘difficult’ material andmakes no apology for the hoops she makes her fans jumpthrough (“Nobody said music should be EASY…” she says.)The fact is that you never know what she’s going to donext.

What she has done next is make another album beginningwith the letter A – Apples – which is surprising againbecause it’s so, well, accessible. Not easy as such, butalongside godlike melodeon genius Andy Cutting at the atthe heart of the action with pianist Mark Emerson, it’s alively affair and much more upbeat than we’ve come toanticipate from the singer whose calling card has oftenbeen heartbreak and disaster.

She’s never written a song in her life (at least not one she’sever dared to share in public) but hers is the great lost artof interpretation and one of her less appreciated talents isin bringing little-known songs to public attention…ordemanding a radical reassessment of songs that arealready there. On the new album we hear her diving fromRobbie Burns, Speak Easy, to the great traditional Scotsballad The Rigs Of Rye to a song from the French tradition,Ce Fu En Mai, to a heart-melting song of remembranceand nostalgia written by Andy Shanks and Jim Russell, TheDancing, to an anti-war song Standing In Line, written byLester Simpson (of Coope, Boyes & Simpson) of suchprofundity, it bears comparison with two of her previousmomentous anti-war epics The Band Played WaltzingMatilda and No Man’s Land (both written by Eric Bogle).

June Tabor has spent her whole career (which during herearly years she spent juggling with her day job as alibrarian) pulling different sorts of cats out of unlikely bags.But the one thing that’s been constant throughout it all isthe depth and purity of her singing, which can stir andmove people like no other. She remains peerless.

CI

June Tabor - Apples

A

4

FOLK reviews and news

RON KAVANA

SHOOGLENIFTY

ATHENA

RACHEL HAIR

EAMONN COYNE &KRIS DREVER

SWARB’S LAZARUS

Ron KavanaIRISH WAYS – THE STORY OFIRELAND IN SONG, MUSICAND POETRYProper Records PRDP4001

The words of the people in the songs ofthe Irish nation represent a unique, vividand accessible insight into the story ofIreland, giving voice to the views of apeople often denied all other means ofexpression and dissent. Painstakinglyresearched, creatively written andrecorded, more than six years in themaking, Irish Ways is the first audiorelease of its kind that tells the story ofthe Irish people through the songs andpoetry of Ireland. This unique collection iswritten and performed by internationallyacclaimed Irish performer Ron Kavana.

This 4CD digi-book style set contains 5hours of songs, poetry and narration anda 46,000-word illustrated book withchronology. It includes guest appearancesby Paddy Keenan, Niamh Parsons andBrian McNeill among others.

Songwriter/composer/musician RonKavana has been at the cutting edge ofthe international folk scene for threedecades. He has released ten multi-award winning albums to universalacclaim – his Home Fire album was themost highly recommended Irish folkalbum in MOJO’s 1,000 Essential CDs. Hewon the Folk Roots award for Best LiveAct for three consecutive years. Hiscompositions are covered by a virtualWho’s Who of contemporary folkincluding Dick Gaughan, The Pogues,Waterson:Carthy, Eileen Ivers, Cherish TheLadies, etc. He has collaborated withsuch artists as Alexis Korner, members ofthe Rolling Stones, the Pogues, PaddyMoloney, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, ElvisCostello and Doug Sahm & Augie Meyers.In 1995 he returned to university andgraduated with first-class honours in IrishStudies and Film Studies. He now divideshis time between research, writing,recording and film making. AP

ShoogleniftyTROOTSShoogle Records SHOOGLE06005

Described by the Guardian as ‘acidcrofters’ and by themselves as ‘folkfuturists’, this Scottish combo delight witha succession of rousing tunes that twistand play with traditions, forgingsomething brand new and historicallyrooted at the same instant. Theirinstinctive playing initially honed in barsand sessions has been given a jam bandedge with a constant stream of touring.

It’s a nifty looking CD as well with itssaucy fishing-belle image and ‘originaland best, superior quality’ label. It’s no surprise to find that the band usecustom made instruments and with GarryFinlayson’s banjax (a modified banjo)seem to have something of their owninvention.

For those with no previous Shooglingexperience, this is mostly instrumentalwith a couple of vocal interventions. Thepace is lively toe tapping, or for the moreadventurous even danceable. Percussion,electric guitar and bass and the odd bitof programming weave around thetraditional fiddle, banjo, and mandolinaxis and succeed in enhancing ratherthan distracting. The lasting impression ismusic with a smile on its face. Well nifty!

SH

Swarb’s LazarusLIVE AND KICKINGSquiggle Records SQUIGGLECD2

Recorded at four special shows in Marchand April 2006, this CD marks Swarb’striumphant return to the stage afterseven years and a life-threatening illness.Swarb’s involvement in some of thehinge-factor moments of British folk andfolk rock is beyond doubt. The fact thathis renown eclipses his two fellowLazerites reflects this history, as bothKevin Dempsey and Maartin Allcock canreadily match Swarb’s musical chops.

As with the Swarbrick Carthy album fromthe tail end of last year, this CD finds ourhero in fine fiddling fettle. A third of thetracks are vocal, with Dempsey taking thelion’s share, but it’s the instrumental classthat really shines. It would be fair to saythe sound is live and frill free, warts andall (not that there are many warts), withseat of the pants intricacy to test theplayer’s mettle. There’s a vibrancy to theinterweaving lines that affirms a deep-rooted passion for this music and theentertaining sleeve notes give a blow-by-blow provenance. Highly infectious in agood way. SC

AthenaBREATHE WITH MEEmbraceable Records EMRCD279

About half way through the opening cuton this CD, To Be With You, I was struckby the simple perfection of Athena’svoice over the spare acousticinstrumentation and simultaneouslysucker-punched by the emotional weightof the refrain. The words “I am not yourvision, I am not your drug your high, I amnot a shelter to keep you dry”, hit theirtarget with exquisite timing. Total K-O.

But there was to be no let up, as songafter song continued to hit the markdisplaying an emotional clout that marksthis a hugely impressive recording debut.The sweet pain of Inside Out and Shadesof Grey, the yearning of All I See Is You,the poetry of Eden and Wooden Horse allreverberate long after the CD hasfinished.

Athena’s pure voice is delicately poisedabove her own piano and the threeplayers in a road-tested quartet, thatunderstand restraint as integral to theplatform they create. It’s little wonderthat her shows are sold out and criticalexcitement is smouldering. Back in the

day when such things actually meantsomething, Green Eyes would have madea cracking single. SC

Rachel HairHUBCAPS & POTHOLESMarch Hair Records MHRCD001

Rachel is another of the youngeracademy of excellent musicians of folkmusic to have emerged over the last yearor so. At just 23 years old she has acommand of her chosen instrument, theClarsach (A smaller Scottish harp) that isquite staggering. Not surprising then thatshe also has a first class degree in music.

Any suggestion that the album is a dryacademic workout is dispensed from theopening track. Here we have a musicianalso steeped in the ‘feel’ of the music sheplays, coming from the north-westScottish Highlands, with a Scottish fatherand an Irish mother she has obviouslyabsorbed the true essence of bothmusical inheritances.

She plays solo on seven of the eleventracks, on three she is joined by pianistDouglas Miller and on one set, by flautistPeter Webster.

The sets are a mix of traditional and self-composed pieces and one of thestrengths of the album is the way sheseems to always get exactly the rightblend of dynamics for each of the sets.

As a CD by a seasoned performer thiswould be special, as a debut album itnothing less than astounding.

AL

“A highly accomplished album. A pleasureto listen to, and warmly recommended tothose who enjoy hearing the harpbeautifully played” Debbie Koritas The Living Tradition.

Eamonn Coyne & Kris DreverHONK TOOT SUITECompass Records COM44482

Renowned tenor banjo player EamonnCoyne has long been acknowledged asspecialist of the instrument. The deft,clear picking producing a very individualtone. Here he joined by guitarist/singerKris Drever, already a recipient of theprodigious BBC Radio 2 2007 HorizonAward for best newcomer.

Both come from a traditional Celtic musicbackground and this is the essence of thetrack selection, there are some neworiginal pieces as well as a version of TheViking’s Bride written by Kris’ dad IvanDrever

The way the two musicians take turn tolead the duets is a real delight and thecomplimentary nature of the playing has,at times, an almost telepathic quality.

5

FOLK reviews and news

JACKIE OATES

THE SIMON HOPPER BAND

More than a decade has now passed since April1995, when Joan Baez and her guests – Mary Black,Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mimi Fariña, Tish Hinojosa,Janis Ian, Indigo Girls, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, andDar Williams – took over the Bottom Line cabaret inthe heart of New York’s Greenwich Village for therecording of Ring Them Bells, a watershed event inpost-modern folk music, and her first live albumrecorded in the U.S. since 1975.

That said, there are some good news and some badnews. Sadly, the Bottom Line is no more, closedshortly before its 30th anniversary (in early 2004) bydear landlord New York University, another story foranother time. Guardian Records is also no more, theoriginal label that released Ring Them Bells in 1995,but that too is another story for another time. Mostregrettable of all, however, was the passing of Joan’ssister Margarita Mimi Baez Fariña in July 2001. Theduet with Joan on Mimi’s late husband RichardFariña’s “Swallow Song” is the last known (released)recording by her. Mimi’s death left a giant hole in theheart and soul of American folk music.

The good news actually begins with this expandededition double-CD available now: 90 minutes vs. theoriginal single CD’s 64 minutes. The latter’s 15 trackshave now been upped to 21 tracks – the additionalsix of which are previously unreleased – more

accurately reflecting the sequence of the recordingover the course of two nights, with two sets eachnight. Added in are three additional performances byJoan (Love Song to a Stranger, Geordie, You Ain’tGoin’ Nowhere), a second duet with Tish Hinojosa(Gracias a la Vida), a second duet with Indigo Girls(The Water Is Wide), and a second duet with MaryChapin Carpenter (Stones in the Road). Whilst we’reat it, credit should of course go to Joan’s greatrhythm section here – guitar virtuoso Paul Pesco,bassist extraordinaire Fernando Saunders, andpercussionist par excellence Carol Steele – all ofwhom remain very active in 2007. The two nights oflive recording at the Bottom Line were conceived byJoan’s manager Mark Spector as a long overduecelebration of her position at the very top of the folkmusic hierarchy as it had re-established itself in theyears leading up to 1995.

Of course Joan’s career continues apace with hertouring extensively each year, 2007 sees her giggingin the U.S and throughout Europe. The start of 2007has also seen Joan pick up a Lifetime AchievementGrammy and in keeping with her powerful legacy ofpolitical activism, she also delivered one of the mostunusual thank you’s of the night. “I’d like to thankPresident Bush for being the best publicity agent I’veever had,” she said. “Wherever I go to perform thesedays, every progressive within 200 miles turns up.”

AP

Joan BaezRING THEM BELLS – COLLECTORS EDITIONProper Records PRPCD031

Kris is also able to display his expressivesinging ability on three of the tracks andthe duo work is augmented on severaltracks by John Joe Kelly (Bodhran), ErikLaughton (Bodhran and snare), ManitobaMcGillicuddy Barbershop Three (vocals)and Koos Koos McAfferty (buttonaccordion)

AL“The result is an unusually enjoyable andsatisfying album of modern traditionalIrish music. Highly recommended.”Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Jackie OatesJACKIE OATESHands On Music HMCD255

Jackie Oates will already be a familiarname to some of you as part of RachelUnthank And The Winterset, who shejoined in 2004. The previous year shewas a finalist in BBC Radio 2’s YoungFolk Awards and Rachel clearly spotted akindred spirit. The two of them bothcome from musical families and spentformative years on the folk club andfestival circuit.

Jackie’s early schooling in traditionalmusic was sharpened when she movedto Exeter from the family home inCheshire to study English. From there hassprung a love of the ballad that fuels thestrong narrative thread to the songs onher fine debut album.

in content but elicit the gravitas of thetraditional ballad.

Whether addressing love and loss; WhenYou Fall Out Of love political protest TheBallad Of Verity Childe or the oftdocumented futility of The Great WarJeffrey And Robert And I, the songs havea resonance that remains long aftersliding the CD back into its case.

AL“The lyrics are razor sharp…absoluteproof, if proof were needed that TheSimon Hopper Band is a band youshould not miss” Tim Carroll. FolkWords

The move south has also brought herunder the sphere of influence of Show OfHands, with whom she gigs from time totime. Phil Beer sits in on production andshrewdly concentrates on Jackie’sexcellent voice and fiddle, with thevarious guests, and Phil himself,restrained in their contributions. Abrooding air of melancholy hangs overthese dark tales of murder, false promisesand lost loves. Perversely, it’s this qualitythat makes them life affirming and thisCD an undoubted gem, as today wedance for tomorrow, who knows whatfate holds. SH

The Simon Hopper BandA LAND FOR THE MANYControl-Shift Music CSMCD02

This trio from the Kent heartland led bySimon Hopper have been knocking onthe door marked success for a few yearsnow. Having received glowing referencesfrom the likes of Clive Gregson and IainMatthews, it would seem from therelease of A Land For The Many thatSimon Hopper has at last made itthrough the portal.

These songs are all from Simon’s penand his grounding in the folk musicfirmament, playing alongside Bert Jansch,John Renbourn, Wizz Jones et al, hastaught him how to convey a narrative.These songs are certainly contemporary

6

NEWSComing soon…� The Oysterband: Meet You There � Richard Thompson: Sweet Warrior.

Both sound the absolute business.

leven years ago, Steve Knightley and Phil Beer were waitingbackstage for a gig, as they had a thousand times before.

Inside the buzzing auditorium stage lights picked out an amazingarray of hand made instruments, aptly demonstrating the band nameShow of Hands.

But this time something was different. When the guys left thedressing room and stepped on stage the applause was deafening.This wasn’t just another village or town hall – it was the Royal Albert!And, against all the odds, they had sold it out.

The temerity of two little known Devon acoustic musicians taking onthe challenge of filling one of the best known concert venues in theworld had made tabloid headlines. To the London press they werethe “pub duo”, the jokers in the pack who had risked all for one crazynight in the spotlight and who days earlier had ironically been playingthe lowly Albert pub in Bristol. But they had the last laugh.

It was a defining moment – and a complete leap of faith. Since thenprolific singer songwriter Steve and multi instrumentalist Phil havebecome a tour de force in the acoustic music world – “one of thefinest folk duos ever to grace the scene” according to BBC Radio 2’sMike Harding – and with a fan base that is the envy of many.

Not that everyone would agree they fit the folk genre. In reality theyhave one foot in the folk camp and another seriously scuffing theedge of mainstream, with traces of their rock roots never far away.

E

7

They reprised their Albert Hall “moment” in 2001 andon Easter Sunday (April 8) they are poised for a hattrick – an unprecedented feat for a band of their ilk.Such is their high profile these days that this time itsold out months in advance and the venue decided torelease standing tickets. It will see them celebrating aunique 15-year partnership.

Says Steve: “This time around it will be more relaxedand really a thank you to our fans.”

Ten years ago it was a different story. Steve says: “We’dbuilt up a good following in towns and villages aroundthe country but it was difficult for what was perceivedas a West Country pub duo to get booked in London.

‘We were literally driving by the Albert Hall and thought‘why not?’ We phoned up and found it was £12,500 tohire the place so we thought we’d take the chance.

“We were amazed - we sold all our allocated ticketsand had a phenomenal night. The Albert Hall was topof the food chain of venues and we certainly weren’ttop of the chain of bands.

“The media of course emphasised the no-hoperschancing their arm, but it was a huge career boost.Now wherever we go we are seen as the guys whosold out the Royal Albert Hall and it looks as thoughwe’re about to do it for the third time.”

But no one should underestimate that it’s a hugelogistical exercise for the duo who will appear with aposse of musical collaborators, past and present.

Steve says: “Hiring somewhere as high profile as theAlbert Hall is obviously not something you undertakelightly, but it’s a challenge we relish. We’re luckyenough to have a fan base of about 17,000 people, notonly in the UK but also in France, Holland, Germanyand beyond and luckily it seems a lot of them want tohelp us celebrate this milestone.”

For all their success – not least recently being namedGreatest Devonians in a public vote in which they beatSir Francis Drake and mainstream music icons ChrisMartin, Muse and Joss Stone (!) – they have never soldout on the West Country. So it’s fitting that before theytackle Albert’s place again they embarked on an almostwhimsical tour of their riverside home town of

Topsham – playing to pocket sized audiences in thetown’s pubs, cafes and rugby club. Not surprisingly thegigs sold out before the ink had barely dried on theposters.

The ‘world tour of Topsham’ could be seen assomething of a two-fingered, salute to former cultureminister Kim Howells. His 2001 comment in a House ofCommons debate that his idea of hell was “ threeSomerset folk singers in the local pub” led to a furiousbacklash from the folk and acoustic world.

But it sowed a seed in Knightley’s mind and from itsprouted Roots - the standout track on Show of Handslatest, highly acclaimed album Witness.

It laments the lack of pride the English have in theiridentity and musical heritage - as opposed to the Scots,Irish and Welsh who fiercely champion their rich cultureat every opportunity.

Now it’s being used as an anthem to mark theundeniable resurgence of English roots music. One fansaid:” There has been a huge debate as to whatEnglishness is all about and these guys get it in one.”

It has taken on a life of its own – people wanting it formarches or to help fly the flag at St George’s Dayevents or play down the rugby club – some even callingfor it to replace God Save the Queen as the nationalanthem! It’s a thought that amuses Steve but he says: “I must admit, the reaction to Roots has been greaterthan we could have imagined.”

Arguably his finest moment as a songwriter it wasreleased as a download single on February 5, the daythey were nominated in the Best Duo and Best OriginalSong (for Roots) categories at the 2007 BBC Radio 2Folk Awards - reaching number one in the HMV folkdownload chart. But to the amazement of many theeight times nominees left empty handed.

Beer, the “sultan of strings” whose wizardry from fiddleto mandolin and virtually all instruments in between,has enabled him to forge a hugely-respected reputationin the industry (one that should surely be recognised ina Musician of the Year nomination), said: “The daysaround the Folk Awards were actually an unqualifiedsuccess. We played live on Radios 2, 4 and 5 in thespace of four days. We also hit a couple of London areastations and possibly made history by being the firstband to perform live in the morning on Five Live!

“All that meant we played live to between six and sevenmillion folks in one go. I reckon that’s a bit of a result.We’ll live without the gong. “

Not that their hard work over the past 15 years hadgone completely unrewarded. They have undoubtedlybecome something of a “people’s band” and, in 2004,

they won the Best Live Act title at the Folk Awards - theonly category voted for by the public.

That came on the back of their insightful album CountryLife - a piece of work devoted largely to highlighting asector of society rarely thrust into the limelight - therural poor.

It’s a theme revisited regularly by Knightley on the 12-track Witness. On their Hands On label, their 13thalbum was hailed as “ a career best” by the Telegraphwhile Songlines called it “A beautiful portrait of modernrural Britain – intensely compassionate and filled withcarefully contained rage.”

Meanwhile MOJO commented “Steve Knightley’s songshave developed such an edge it’s hard to deny themany longer – this is a big album”, making it one of theirtop 10 folk albums of 2006.

More than a year in the making the disc is a result ofthe inspired collaboration between Grammy-nominatedproducer Simon Emmerson and Mass (Simon Massey)of Afro Celts fame.

All the Show of Hands trademarks are there - intelligentlyrics, startling melodies, a plethora of instrumentsand impeccable presentation. But Witness marks aconfident new direction for the band - moremelodically adventurous, edgier, assured.

Emmerson says: “Our aim was to bring out thedepth of emotion and energy in the band’sperformance. Show of Hands have an uncannyability of creating fresh, contemporary musicthat is also deeply rooted in the traditionalmusic of England and the West Country - andSteve is without doubt one of England’s finestsongwriters.”

Steve describes it as “a series of scenes from acinematic style journey of the West Country”. Thetheatrical title song was inspired by the alternativelifestyle of members of a Devon commune. WestCountry life is again illustrated in the sonar-echoing TheDive - a true story from the east Devon shoreline -whereas Undertow highlights the bleak, out-of-seasonlife in a small seaside resort.

The poignant Union Street tells of the last lettersexchanged between a Plymouth-based Royal Marine,serving in perhaps Afghanistan or Iraq, and his wife - aserviceman who would have been trained at Lympstone- just a stone’s throw from the guys’ Topsham base.

24 March 1996 Live At The Royal Albert Hall - HMCD01 - CD Lie Of The Land -HMCD02 - CD Dark Fields - HMCD03 – CD Backlog 1987-1991 - HMCD06 - CDLive - HMCD07 - CD Beat About The Bush - HMCD08 – CD Covers - HMCD12 –CD Cold Frontier - HMCD13 – CD Cold Cuts - HMCD17 - CD The Path: AnInstrumental Journey Around The West Country - HMCD18 - CD Country Life -HMCD19 - CD2 Rhythm Methodist - HMCD21 - CD2B As You Were - HMCD22 -CD2B Witness - HMCD23 - CD On Film: The Video Collection - HMDVD01 - DVD

SHOW OF HANDS back catalogue

Witness - HMCD23 - CD

In March, Proper will distribute Show ofHands’ double live album As You Were,giving a true taste of why they werevoted Best Live Act. After the Albert HallKnightley and Beer embark on solo toursbefore joining forces again with doublebass player and vocalist Miranda Sykesfor UK summer festivals includingGlastonbury, Sidmouth, Cambridge,Larmer Tree and Cropredy and anautumn two-part tour – the firstemulating their early days with a retrotrawl through their vast back catalogueand the second with special guests atlarger town theatres around the UK,including Bristol’s Colston Hall.

But first there’s the small matter of thatbig gig….

CO

www.showofhands.co.uk

They don’t come any better than Mary Chapin Carpenter.Disagree with me if you dare, but I hold in my hand theempirical proof. It’s The Calling, her ninth studio albumin a 20 year career that has hit lofty heights and paddledstill backwaters of fame. But, whatever the commercialmerits of this record, the measures of chart position andradio play frankly pale into insignificance. If you connectwith this album, then you will love it like I do and that iswhat this masterpiece deserves.

The opening, title track signposts a journey: it’s notlinear, nor is there a single destination, but stages, forksand options along the way. Maps and compasses,departures and arrivals litter the thirteen tracks.Sometimes all we can do is blow with the wind andsuccumb to nature’s intent; sometimes the very reasonfor starting out becomes lost; sometimes it is only ourbelief that better lies ahead that will keep us moving.The Calling is about our destiny and it’s not always oursto choose. As Mary sings “ I don’t remember a voice onthis dark lonely road, when I started this journey so longago, I was only just trying to outrun the noise, there wasnever a question of having a choice.” As if to answer itstraight away track two is We’re All Right, where sheoffers “No roadmaps, no signposts, no North Star, nolifeboats, no cavalry coming in sight, but we’re alright...”before asking “Have we ever woken up this free?”

Two tracks in and freewill itself is under the microscope,but there will be no easy answers, even when it getspersonal (and it does).

On And On It Goes finds Mary contemplating “Everynight the TV shows one more bad days news a worldaway from what I know and what I do, but I could savea strangers life if I had a clue.” So, it’s not just thespiritual, but the political that concerns us and twosongs in particular pick at thorny issues. Houston followsrefugees out of New Orleans waiting for the buses towho know what. Mary’s sympathies run to those who“Have never been to Texas” and are wondering “Neverseen the president, wonder if he’ll meet us there?” It’s adeeply affecting tune, simply delivered and of course,we all know the answer to that question.

On With The Song is dedicated to the Dixie Chicks andlines up the jingoistic, narrow minded America making itclear that “This isn’t for the ones who would gladlyswallow everything their leader would have them know,bowing and kissing while the truth goes missing...”Instead it is for “the ones who stand their ground”, andfor Mary herself, who needs to “be true to myself and toyou...” Why Shouldn’t We evokes our gods and ourhearts with the simple but telling “We believe in thingswe cannot see, why shouldn’t we...” Why indeed?

You will find your own moments, questions andhighlights in the lyrics, the voice or the tunes and theplaying. Now go and tell someone else.

SH

COUNTRY/AMERICANA reviews and news

ENDRICK BROTHERS

BILL KIRCHEN

HAL KETCHUM

Endrick BrothersATTRACTION VERSUS LOVEHypertension HYP7252

For anyone who had an ear for Murmurand Reckoning era REM and thesubsequent paisley underground (thatbeing the print pattern rather than theScottish town, although, er…) thebrothers Endrick will click certainsynapses into circuit for sure. For those ofyou who haven’t a clue what I’m onabout try Google, or alternatively don’tworry and trust me, you need this record.

Building on the promise of the firstrelease Built To Last here they delivertune after tune of classic, chimingAmerican roots rock via Scotland. JesseMalin and Ryan Adams are bothconfirmed fans and indeed the latterguests and earns a co-write credit on theopening track Thorns On Every Rose, astraight out of the traps stormer.

Niall Holmes is in fine voice and theguitar work throughout is punchy andfluid. The songs offer a gamut ofemotional resonance from the plangentballads, such as Dear Jane and BeautifulRejection, the yearning of Star Of TheSilver Screen, the Swagger of So LastNight and the haunting beauty of TheLoser’s Excuse, which brings the CD to anepic conclusion.

SH

Hal Ketchum ONE MORE MIDNIGHTCurb CURCD225

Hal Ketchum’s ninth release, stays prettytrue to his heart and soul. Adding a littleAmericana grit to his more traditionalcountry sound, the lyrics, as usual, are arich and meticulous overview of acharacter’s life composed in three and ahalf minute songs.

Of course there is always an exception tothe standard rules, and on One MoreMidnight that is Poor Lila’s Ghost. Thestand-out track of the album, it chimes itat nearly fifteen minutes and is a journeyin itself. A journey that follows a man ashe tries to shed the memory of Lila andfeatures hauntingly spoken words byspecial guest Tony Joe White.

The recent single, Just This Side ofHeaven, is a feel-good tune, with Hal’scomparing the love between a man andwoman to a religious experience. He alsodabbles with some blues-influencednumbers with Travelin’ Teardrop Bluesand Little Red Dress.

Whether it be the romantic love ballads,the blues-infused tracks, or the folk-inspired epic journeys, One MoreMidnight is an assured and expertly puttogether album.

MG

Bill KirchenHAMMER OF THE HONKY-TONK GODSProper American PRPACD005

Grammy nominated guitarist, singer andsongwriter Bill Kirchen is one of thefortunate few who can step on any stage,play those trademark licks which drovethe seminal Commander Cody classic HotRod Lincoln into the Top Ten in the U.S.,and elicit instant recognition for a careerthat’s spanned over 30 years andincludes performances with names likeNick Lowe, Emmylou Harris, Doug Sahm,Elvis Costello and Danny Gatton.

Named ‘A titan of the Telecaster’ byGuitar Player Magazine, he celebrates anAmerican musical tradition where countrymusic draws upon its origins in blues andbluegrass, and in the Western swing ofTexas and California honky tonks. An aptdescription of Bill’s singing, song writingand guitar playing skill is provided in thisquote from Nick Lowe: “He’s like adevastating culmination of the elegantand funky... a really sensational musician,with enormous depth.”

Kirchen is joined by the aforementionedMr. Lowe along with the rest of TheImpossible Birds, Geraint Watkins, RobertTrehern and Austin De Lone who serveup prime slices of roots drivencountry/rock with a big ol’ slab ofburning love. AP

11

Mary Chapin CarpenterTHE CALLINGZoe ZOE1111

Reading some of the press and coverage that has comeout of the US in advance of the UK release of So MuchMore, you would be forgiven for thinking that Brett Dennenhad beamed down from some far flung galaxy, fully formedat the age of 27, bringing a guaranteed formula for worldpeace. Oh how we critics love to froth when we thinkwe’ve found a good thing. The truth is less dramatic and inlife-the-universe-and-everything-terms a ripple rather thana wave. Not that we’re here to pour scorn, you understand,but nor saddle him with expectations that are liable to pingback and snare a nascent musical career of considerablepromise.

In somewhat more prosaic terms, Brett Dennen is a tall,flame haired singer songwriter whose second album hasbeen released on Dualtone, with unexpected commercialand critical success in the States. Such things, of course,don’t happen without some reason and Dennen simplydoesn’t sound like anything else around. First there’s thevoice. He’s been compared to Billie Holiday and there’s acertain fluidity to the phrasing, but that seems to be inkeeping with his own guitar style and the laid back ethosof the record, rather than any attempt to be a jazz singer.Musically, a relaxed vibe permeates and the drums andbass give support rather than propel Brett’s guitar. Otherinstruments add subtle colour washes, but there are no bigepic sounds on offer. To the layman’s ears, however, itseems to be reasonably complex fare with Dennen’ssyncopated style, shifting rhythms and odd time signaturesadding unexpected, mercurial twists. The whole thingbreezes along with a confidence and cohesion that isquietly compelling.

By his own admission, Dennen is a big Paul Simon fan andGraceland in particular featured large in his early years.Apparently his parents played it non stop. That influence ismost keenly felt on tracks like Darlin’ Do Not Fear with itsTownship style guitar licks, but interviews with Brett have

revealed his interest in African musicextends beyond Paul Simon. If

Simon is an influence on his

writing, which he clearly is, he also cites the Bobs, Dylanand Marley as important in the makeup. The former isevident in his clever poetic verse, the way images trip oneafter another from his tongue. Melodically, She’s Mine alsoechoes I Want You and perhaps more obviously, I AskedWhen is a rewrite of A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall, although asthe title suggests, this is more questioning than apocalyptic.Mind you, it’s the questions that he’s asking. Marley is lessobvious, but I do note odd lines where the phrasing couldeasily transfer and there are perhaps melodies too, thatecho the Wailers.

But influences are of course only part of the story, as Dylansounded like Woody Guthrie and so forth and as statedabove, Dennen sounds like nothing else around. Whateverthe particular make up of tracks, there is a whole heap ofjust Brett Dennen in there. My understanding is that he islargely self-taught as a musician.

A quick flick onto myspace.com/brettdennen will give youthe insight that I can’t give you in words. Those of you whoregularly trawl that community looking for music will notesome pretty impressive stats attached to the tracks there. Itseems there are several hundred thousand people whohave already checked him out. In part this will be down tothe critical fever that has greeted this new release, but healso has a champion in John Mayer. Having seen Dennenplay, John Mayer invited him out on tour and has beenquoted in Rolling Stone singing his praises. Michael Frantialso seems to have picked up on Dennen’s questioningand is quick to note the political commentary that isimplicit.

So Much More seems to be just that. Certainly whencompared to the more anaemic offerings of the acousticbrigade, this stands out a mile. It is just possible that thiswill go down in history as an album to equal the stature ofAstral Weeks, but that will depend on whether any one isstill playing it in 20 or 30 years time. For the here and now,however, tracks such as She’s Mine and Ain’t No Reason(which you can check out on myspace), the potent andprobing I Asked When and the exceptional Because YouAre A Woman (for which you’ll need the CD or appropriatedownload), should have a place in your life. It’s a recordthat gets better with each listen, as the lyrics take shapeand reveal the narrative threads. Who knows where he

might go next. There is considerable potential, let’s hopehe’s allowed the time and means to realise it.

SC

Brett Dennen - So Much More

8030

2012

402

12

COUNTRY/AMERICANA reviews and news

UNCLE EARLE

LEFTY FRIZZELL

MINTON SPARKS

PATTY GRIFFIN

PONTUS SNIBB

Uncle EarlWATERLOO, TENNESSEERounder ROUCD577

Parallel to, or maybe in tandem with thecurrent UK folk revival, the US old-timeyboom is underway. Of course, it’s all adefinitions thing and the folk music thatpermeates bluegrass and informs somuch more of the musical spectrum, hasnever really gone away. By the sametoken, however, never has it been morevisible, audible and accessible. NickelCreek have been amongst the highestprofile exponents to reach the UK, with aseries of sell out shows and quietlysuccessful records. Although they are onan extended sabbatical, Chris Thile washonoured at this year’s BBC Folk Awardsfor his exceptional musicianship.

Enter Uncle Earl, a female four piece. Notjust any female four piece either. Thesefour g’Earls (as they would have it) havegathered from different corners of theUSA, where each has had a blossomingmusical career of their own. As thewebsite makes clear, however, theirremote lives make the getting together allthe more special and evidence of thatabounds on Waterloo, Tennessee, theirsecond album for Rounder. KC, Abigail,Kristin and Rayna clearly connect andtheir chemistry is something special.

Rounder is probably the most importantlabel for American roots music ever andUncle Earl are right at home. Pairing theg’Earls with John Paul Jones (Led Zep) asa producer proves to be an inspiredchoice. His affinity with bluegrass, goingall the way back to touring the Stateswith the rock behemoths, has beenrekindled by the rising tide of fresh youngtalent. JPJ actually got to know the g’Earlsa couple of years ago and professedhimself “surprised” to be asked to helmthese sessions. Shrewd enough, however,to realise that this music is all aboutperformance, he went for intensive pre-production sessions and then made thestudio as relaxed, but as focused and freefrom interruption as possible.

The result is instantly likeable andinfectious, however you might want tocategorise this string driven thing that isUncle Earl. There is no dogma or doctrineattached to the music and the emphasisis on the sheer joy of the playing andsinging. Individually they are all verycapable, but it’s when it all comestogether that the sun seems to shine.Seeing them live adds to this as theyphysically move around the stage, takingturn to lead, trading licks and combiningvoices in sweet harmony. The way thattheir originals fit seamlessly with thetraditional tunes also shows how theymould tradition. It’s a give and take thingthat makes this music as relevant todayas anything.

With BBC4 concert footage and a BobHarris session wrapped up in March,there’ll be plenty of opportunity to letthat sunshine into your life. YEEE-HAAA!

Minton Sparks THIS DRESSRural Records 8252797008

Having recently recorded a session forthe Bob Harris show on Radio 2 MintonSparks has got people wondering…is thismusic?... is this poetry?…hmmm and whothe hell is Minton Sparks anyway. Well JillWebb-Hill, psychology graduate andprofessor, began teaching poetry in 1998in Tennessee, in 2001 she released herfirst album Middlin’ Sisters on Dualtone,which featured Waylon Jennings.

Her stage name is drawn from thesurnames of Minton’s maternalgrandparents, and there’s certainly manya tall, sad, funny tale about charactersfalling out of the ‘family tree’. Uniquelyperformed these are word pictures,which merge two great Southerntraditions- literature and country music.

This Dress featuring Keb Mo and MauraO’Connell is Sparks’ second albumrecorded in 2002 and now available forthe first time in the UK. Stories of onelegged war veterans, moonshine,Mississippi moons- Bird In A Cage, theintensity of I Thought I Might Kill Herinsisted I pay attention to the here andnow and listen up. Magical!

ET“Minton Sparks is a great storyteller.Humanity with humidity all toldhumorously with humility…just what thedoctor ordered” John Prine

Patty GriffinCHILDREN RUNNING THOUGHATO Records ATOR362

By rights this is another huge record in amonth where female singer songwritersseem to rule the roost. Encouragingreports from the US suggest that Griffinfans have taken to it quicker and ingreater numbers than ever before. Maybeit’s the Dave Matthews patronage, whoseATO records this is released on. He maynot mean as much over here, but we canthank him for giving Patty the freedom tostretch out with the minimum ofinterference.

This is a surprising record that isn’t afraidto take risks. At its core are a dozen veryfine songs that give it the strongestplatform to launch from. Griffin is also invery fine voice, sometimes melancholicand vulnerable and sometimes defiantand proud, but always soulful. It’s thearrangements that push this record intoexceptional category as they typicallypitch from the opening You Remember,with its minimal bass and brushed drumsto Stay On The Ride with its bold brassystrokes. Up On The Mountain, dedicatedto Martin Luther King, suggests that shemight be a little closer to her statedambition of sounding like Aretha thanshe knows.

SH

Lefty FrizzellGIVE ME MORE, MORE, MOREProper PROPERBOX119 (4CDs)

Frizzell was born into the Texan oil boomof the late 20s and although the regionsuffered less from the depression thanmuch of the US, his family still foundthemselves at the wrong end of theeconomic miracle. Lefty found escape inthe sounds of Jimmie Rodgers and at ayoung age found he was able tocommand respect and attention with hissinging. Naturally enough, musicalambitions almost fell to the need to justget a job, but with the help of a $2 guitarfrom his uncle, he persevered.

A good job too. Lefty’s distinctive voicehit the mark with Don Law at Columbia,who signed him in 1950 and released IfYou’ve Got The Money Honey, in July thatyear. In 1951, Lefty owned the chartswith the release of I Want To Be With YouAlways (#7), Always Late (With YourKisses) (#1), Mom And Dad’s Waltz (#2),and Travelin’ Blues (#8). Frizzell held thenumber one spot for 26 weeks.

Although his career continued throughthe 50s, the advent of Rock ‘n’ Roll drewa line in the sand and Lefty rarely hitsuch heights again. The full story is toldin the 48 page book and the best of Leftyis on the 4 CDs compiled with the lovethat we have come to associate with thisexceptional series.

SC

Pontus SnibbADMIRAL STREETRECORDINGSRootsy Records ROOTSY007

Swedish Americana? How does that workthen? Enter the young firebrand, PontusSnibb! The opening track nails hiscredentials firmly to the mast as noneother than cult icon Jason Ringenbergjoins him on ‘So The Story Goes’

Our hero certainly knows his chosentrade; he works through the whole gamutof Hardcore Country, Americana, Bluesand unbridled classic rock riffs. The whole enterprise has a slightly noveltwist in that Pontus recorded 20 tracks,and then circulated these amongst fansand friends for their consensus on thefinal 14.The eclectic mix of styles and originalsreflects not only the varied tastes of atarget group of listeners, but also theartist’s ability to perform themsuccessfully.

After 5 albums with his bands,Mescaleros and Snibb, this is his first soloouting and it is evident that thisexperience in the studio plus outingswith the likes of Eric Bibb, CharlieMusselwhite, Kevin Welch and BuddyMiller, not to mention legends Dan Pennand Spooner Oldham, has not been loston him.

Crazy name, Crazy guy!SH AL 13

here are those of a certain age that will remember asingle by Free from 1971 called Little Bit Of Love. PaulRodgers doing his best soul/rock crossover thing

implores “I believe, if you give, a little bit of love to thoseyou live with, a little bit of love has got to come your way.”A year later, they were back in the charts with Wishing Wellwith it’s middle eight breakdown of “I know what you’rewishing for, time in a peaceful world...” Such sentimentswere of course nothing new and the hangover of theflower power generation is evident, although theinspiration of the lyrics is less clear cut. The point here isthe universality of the quest for peace and even in thesemost secular settings passions are roused.

Fast forward some 35 years to the DVD age, for BethNielsen Chapman’s If Love Could Say God’s Name,recorded in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London with the OrianaChoir. The credits describe it as “A meditation forpeace in words and music by Beth NielsenChapman.” It’s the result of a quest that Bethhas undertaken over recent years and a set ofhappy coincidences. The inspirations aredeeply rooted.

Beth was born into a military family thattravelled around, moving six times beforeshe hit her teen years. In this time sheabsorbed many different musical ideasand started playing guitar and piano atan early age. When the family finallysettled in Alabama, Beth became partof the local music scene. Takingparticular inspiration from thesinger-song writer generation (Joni,James Taylor, et al), she developedher own distinct style. Aftergetting married, she firstperformed out of need to earnmoney, but developedsufficient acclaim andconfidence to turnprofessional and move heryoung family to Nashville.Through the nineties, herwriting and recording careerblossomed, but personaltragedy hit and left herwidowed. Her husband died ofcancer and she herself has alsosubsequently overcome thedisease.

These events have had a profoundeffect on her song writing. Moresignificantly, she also revisited the catholicupbringing of her childhood to record analbum of hymns sung in Latin, which was asignificant staging post on the journey to this DVD. Whilstthe musical inspiration was directly Catholic, her spiritualinspiration was much less dogmatic. As she explains, “When I searched for a collection of my own favourite Latinhymns I couldn’t find one anywhere. That’s when I decided

to go into the roots of my own spiritual beginnings as partof the journey of recording all these other hymns fromaround the world.” She continues, “My belief has alwaysbeen that God is light and humanity is like a diamond.Imagine each spiritual perspective, or path of faith, as anangle cut into that diamond. The light shines through andreflects off all these angles in so many directions. If youwere standing on one face of the diamond it might seemlike the light was only shining on you.”

Which brings us to this DVD. Beth discussed her conceptswith fellow songwriter John Peppard while in England,explaining her vision of singing with a choir. As it happensJohn’s wife sings in a choir and fruitful discussions wheresoon under way. Beth had also previously met CannonEdmund Newell and once her concept had been explained

to him, he opened the possibilities of using thesacred space of St. Paul’s as an

environment of acceptance of Beth’svision of encompassing all paths of

faith. It was also his suggestion tointersperse the songs withextracts from Nobel Peacelaureates.

The proceedings still havemuch of the trappings of achurch service, but start witha new song from Beth, seatedat the piano, singing PrayersOf An Atheist. Christianhymns, spirituals and songssung in Zulu and Hebrewfollow, mostly it’s just Beth andthe choir with no instruments.The results will make your hairstand on end, as St. Paul’s worldfamous nine second reverbcomes into its own.

The spoken interludes offerdifferent perspectives on peace,

from defiance to acceptance andappeals not to consider other

people’s differences, but ourcommonality. The prayers and

solemnity of church sit comfortablywithin the context of the whole, there is

no applause and the lighting of candles isgenuinely moving. Whatever your religious

outlook acceptance and tolerance is the orderof the day. The sense that people from all walks

of life must wish for something better is deliveredwith spine tingling certainty.

Inspirational stuff and that’s thepoint. Even if Beth’s generationhaven’t all succeeded in finding it,there are the children for whomthere may yet be “Time in apeaceful world.”

SH

T

Beth Nielsen Chapman - If Love Could Say God’s Name

8981

6100

1116

14

BLUES, RHYTHM AND SOUL reviews and news

JJ GREY & MOFRO

THE HOLMESBROTHERS

IAN PARKER

FRANKIE LEE SIMS

STEVEN SEAGAL

AYNSLEY LISTER

JJ Grey & MofroCOUNTRY GHETTOAlligator ALCD4914

The title of this excellent country-soul setrefers to the rural poverty that hasafflicted generations from the NorthFlorida environs of Jacksonville, leavingtheir indelible marks on JJ Grey. Dollarpoverty is one thing, but this guy hasclearly grown rich on a cultural diet thatdraws on the story telling traditions of hisown family and an open musicalmindset.

Calling on the spirits of Howlin’ Wolf,George Jones and James Brown in equalmeasure and fired by the evangelisticfervour of street preachers and old schoolradio DJs, the result is a complex stew,further flavoured with horns andHammond and seasoned impeccably byGrey’s passion and Daryl Hance’s spare,but telling, guitar.

Grey draws on the history of his homelife and the exploiters of the localpopulation, through timber barons to thecompany store. All good solid blues fareof course, but he also finds room tocelebrate and on Mississippi and The SunIs Shining Down, he is more in awe thanpain. The title track is also tellinglybelligerent and proud. There’s more tolife than a dollar from the man!

TM

The Holmes BrothersSTATE OF GRACEAlligator ALCD4912

The Holmes Brothers’ sound is steeped ina lifelong appreciation of the sheer joy ofmaking music and in particular, singing.Be it praise or pain, wonder orwandering, pity or putdown, fear orfervour, Wendell (all gravel soul shouter)and Sherman Holmes (gospel baritone),along with Popsy Dixon (falsetto) have anintuitive grasp of singing and a song forevery occasion. They’re also a fairly tidyguitar, bass and drums trio.

As befits men of their generation thechurch and family sparked the musicalinspiration. Equally fitting is the jumpingoff point, where the sacred and secularcollide head on and the ecstatic,heavenward gaze gets grit in the eye. It’stheir straightforward musicality that hasendeared the trio so much to the likes ofJoan Osborne (a long time champion andcollaborator), who guests here as doRosanne Cash and Levom Helm. Songsfrom Lyle Lovett, George Jones, HankWilliams Sr. and John Fogerty rubshoulders with Holmes originals, but It’sNick Lowes What’s So Funny AboutPeace, Love and Understanding that isthe albums high spot.

TM

Frankie Lee SimsWALKING WITH FRANKIEAim AIM1089CD

This is the first official release of this rareand sought after session only previouslyavailable as a bootleg. A Texas bluesmanand cousin of Lightnin Hopkins, Sims hadhis first hit in 1953 with Lucy Mae Blues,recorded for the Specialty label.

Moving to Ace in 57, he had furthersuccess with Walking With Frankie andShe Likes To Boogie Real Low. His lack ofinterest in touring, however, restricted hiscareer although his influence was felt bya range of musicians, including a youngKing Curtis who Frankie mentored as thesax player turned pro.

The favour was almost repaid as Curtiswas the instigator of these sessions. In1960 Curtis was a success andencouraged his label boss at Fire/ Enjoy,Bobby Robinson, to record Frankie inNew York. The results are presented hereand rework some of his classics from the‘50s with some new material. The resultis raw and passionate, if occasionallyerratic, but steeped in the real blues.

Frankie certainly lived it like he sang andplayed it and when these sessions wereshelved, his life took several wrong turns.He died unrecognised in 1970 at the ageof 53. TM

� CD of the Month Blues & Rhythm (Feb ’07)

Steven Seagal’sMOJO PRIESTHypertension HYP7253

Almost inevitably there is a high degreeof novelty, not to mention scepticismattached to this release. When you are asfamous as Seagal, you don’t get to makethis kind of career lurch to the musicalspotlight, without a whole heap ofbaggage coming with you.

So whilst the cynics line up to take pot-shots, Steven has assembled a line-upthat includes blues luminaries of theMuddy Waters Band, Ruth Brown, JamesCotton, Pinetop Perkins, Bob Margolin,Robert Lockwood Jr, Hubert Sumlin andthe one and only Bo Diddley. With a UKtour to support the release playing topacked houses it seems that publicinterest has been piqued at least.

The truth is he sure as hell can play. OnDark Angel he intones “We’ve all got todie someday”, with an authentic smokeydrawl before wrapping his fingers roundsome speedy trills. Elsewhere Dust MyBroom is authentic high octane stuff, RedRooster smoulders and Shake, the Diddlyco-write, is great fun. If at times he’sguilty of a few too many notes, there areplenty of others with longer careers whohave made worse mistakes. Myunderstanding is that he takes this asseriously as his martial arts. So I for onewill not be arguing, I’ve seen the films!TM

Aynsley ListerUPSIDE DOWNRuf RUF1124

It has actually been three years sinceAynsley’s last solo record, but the timehas been far from wasted. As part of theRuf Records’ Blues Caravan, Aynsleyrecorded an album down in the Deltawith label mates Ian Parker and ErjaLyytinen in September 05 and then mostof last year on the road touring it. Thewhole experience informs the new albumright to the core. Firstly the US sessionsproved to be an eye opener, with theregions noted musicality and easy, laidback studio vibes giving Lister cause topause. Secondly the constant successionof live dates that followed gave him ataste for the chemistry of the immediacyof performance. The impact wasthreefold with the decision to producethe sessions himself, the choice of studiobeing dictated by the live room and thesubsequent adoption of the single takerecording mentality.

The result kicks like a mule with Aynsleybuilding on his blue roots to deliver a,highly energised charge though 10 hardrockin’ tracks and a couple of equallyfizzing acoustic numbers. It’s the sort ofstuff the Humbucker and volume 11were invented for. TM

Ian ParkerWHERE I BELONGRuf RUF1120

It’s not that this is any radical departure,but just that there seems a confidenceand purpose, that shows a man squaringup to the history of the Blues and stakinghis pitch within it. This is definitely bluesin a classic rock mode, but that said ithas a timeless immediacy that issurprising and more to the point, Iansounds like, well, er, Ian...

There are certain retro stylings, whichreflect the analogue techniques used tocapture the sounds: this was recordedthe old fashioned way, onto tape. The CDis black both back and front to look likeyour old money LP. A brass section thatcould have walked straight from in frommany notable 70s’ sessions and judicioususe of backing singers also push the retrobuttons.

Parker’s emotive vocal mixes some ofCray’s soulful hurt with a snarl andswagger that is definitely British bluesrock. He’s in fine form on the openerWhere I Belong a fine up tempo tunewith a driving guitar line. The soulful YourLove Is Home is next up and gives theflip to the stinging attack of the opener.The same passions flare on ComingHome, a song that has me searching mymemory tips for an elusive or illusoryclassic from my teenage years. Personalfavourite (although that may change),has to be Love So Cold with it’s moodytempo and Peter Green-esque openingsalvo. Retro or not...Frankly I care not.This is just pure quality. SH 15

For the past three years, Proper Distribution has createda special CD set that collates tracks from all of thenominees. This year the set is expanded to three discsto include special, exclusive live highlights from theYoung Folk Awards as well. It’s as good a summary ofthe excellent health of the folk music circuit as youcould hope for.

Current stars, such as Seth Lakeman, who of coursestarted with Proper and has recently been awarded asilver disc (60,000 sales), is ample proof of the growingfolk audience. His recent tour was a sell out. MarthaTilston too has been feted, with the Observernewspaper underlining her talent as one to watch thisyear. She has also been busy on the live circuit playingto growing crowds, although her enjoyable whimsy,intimate romantic ballads and gorgeous, hushed tremorof a voice couldn’t contrast more with Seth’srumbustious fiddling frenzy.

The Bellowhead phenomenon is also gathering morecolumn inches of press coverage than many of the rockand pop darlings that make up your average Brits night.Glastonbury beckons for them over the summer insharp contrast to a recent performance at London’sOpera House that had government ministers in theaudience. Spiers and Boden, the collective’s leadinglights, were also nominated in their own right in theduo category

It’s not all bright and new, however, as special mentionfor some of the old guard is also due. Dave Swarbrickappears twice, both with his own Lazarus and also intandem with Martin Carthy. He was also part of theclassic Fairport line up that featured Sandy Denny,whose Who Knows Where The Time Goes won theaudience vote as favourite track and although he didn’tplay on the Fairport recording, he will doubtless haveplayed it live a few times. Carthy too notched up abrace of nominations, with his dynastic Waterson:Carthynever far from the awards lists.

Inevitably, not everyone can win and there are somewho are left empty handed. Like everyone else whogets involved, we have our own favourites and wishlists from the nominees not all of whom came uptrumps. But, such issues are for the Dog And Duckrather than these pages. This piece, after all, is aboutthe celebration of this most vital of British music forms.Whether it’s the history of the tradition, or the freshnessof the increasing numbers of articulate, contemporarysinger song writers, or even somewhere in between,there’s something here for everyone. The Folk Awardsthree disc set is an essential purchase.

While you’re at it, here’s a quick selective guide tosome of the winners…

BEST DUOMARTIN CARTHY & DAVE SWARBRICK

They Say… Famously the subject of apremature obituary in the Daily Telegraphin 1999, Dave Swarbrick was too ill toclaim his Lifetime Achievement award in

2004. Now recovered due to a successful doublelung transplant, he has recently released twoalbums, one with new band Lazarus and one withold compadre Martin Carthy. We Say… See the folkreviews for our appraisal of Swarb’s Lazarus. TheCarthy:Swarbrick release is everything you’d expectfrom these doyens of folk music.

BEST GROUP BEST LIVE ACT BELLOWHEAD

They Say… Formed by the duo JohnSpiers & Jon Boden, the eleven-strong bigband made their debut at the 2004Oxford Folk Festival and were named Best

Live Act at the Folk Awards in 2005. Theirspectacular multi-genre arrangements of traditionalsong are truly unique. The line-up includesacclaimed individuals like Benji Kirkpatrick (guitar,banjo, bouzouki, mandolin), Paul Sartin (fiddle,oboe), Pete Flood (percussion), Rachael McShane(cello, fiddle), Giles Lewin (fiddle, bagpipes) andGideon Juckes (sousaphone, tuba). We Say…Burlesque united the critics in praise and mademany end of year best of lists. The E.P.Onymous EPthat predates it is also worth checking out.

BEST TRADITIONALTRACK BARLEYCORN: TIM VAN EYKEN

They Say… Best known as a member ofWaterson:Carthy and Dr Faustus, theDorset singer/melodeon player shone in

2006 with his own band and the stunning albumStiffs Lovers Holymen Thieves, bringing startlingfreshness and new ideas to the English tradition.The 20-something Van Eyken (the name is fromBelgian ancestors who settled in Wells) won theBBC’s Young Folk Award in 1998 and has justannounced he’s leaving Waterson:Carthy toconcentrate on his own band, which includesfiddler-singer Nancy Kerr and renownedguitarist/producer Olly Knight. We Say… One of our previous features andsomeone who’s career we intend to follow closely,his outstanding debut is dark and brooding (in thebest possible way of course).

MUSICIAN OF THE YEARCHRIS THILE

They Say… The sole American on thisyear’s nominations list, 25-year-oldChris Thile (pronounced Thee-lee) isnow regarded as the greatest mandolinplayer in the world. He started playingthe instrument at the age of five and

recorded his first album when he was 13, but cameto international attention in the progressivebluegrass band Nickel Creek. The bandsubsequently announced their split and Thilelaunched his solo career with his trailblazing albumHow To Grow A Woman From The Ground. WeSay… He coaxes music from mandolins thatscarcely seems possible.

GOOD TRADITIONAWARDNIC JONES

They Say… A giant of the 1970s Britishfolk scene, Nic Jones has been unableto play since the appalling car crashthat ended his career 25 years ago. Yethis distinctive voice, inventive guitar

playing and ambitious arrangements of traditionalsong have had an impact on everyone from BobDylan to Kate Rusby and his Penguin Eggs album isfrequently name checked as one of the mostimportant folk albums of all time. We Say… If youdon’t own Penguin Eggs, be very ashamed

FOLK CLUB AWARDTHE RAM, CLAYGATE

They Say… The relaxed and intimate atmosphere ofThe Ram Folk Club makes it a firm favourite withboth artists and audience. Since 1983 the club haswelcomed top folk, roots and acoustic acts from theUK and beyond in the garden room of the FoleyArms in Claygate, Surrey. We Say… And they haveProperganda too!

AUDIENCE VOTE –FAVOURITE FOLK TRACKWHO KNOWS WHERE THE TIMEGOES: SANDY DENNY/FAIRPORTCONVENTION

They Say… Although only with the bandfor 18 months, Sandy Denny remains formany the abiding voice of FairportConvention. Who Knows Where The TimeGoes was her second composition,written in 1967. She first recorded itduring a brief stint with The Strawbs in1968 and Judy Collins popularised the

song later that year, but it’s Sandy’s own recordingwith Fairport, underpinned by Richard Thompson’sglorious guitar, which remains the definitive version.We Say… Also in the every-home-should-have-onecategory is A Boxful Of Treasures giving acomprehensive overview of Sandy’s career, withloads of unreleased material and the orignalStrawbs’ version of Who Knows…

The BBC folk awards has been runningsince 2000. Each year, a panel of some 120experts and music business figuresconvene to acknowledge specialachievement in the folk world over theprevious 12 months. As with all suchcelebrations, special awards are also givento others who have made long standingand consistent contributions, or, as withNic Jones this year, created special andinfluential records.

17

Folk Awards 2007

Clara MorenoMEU SAMBA TORTOFar Out FARO115CD

Clara Moreno’s new release features astellar line-up of Brazilian musiciansincluding Clara’s mother, the legendaryBrazilian singer and songwriter Joyce, andthe celebrated songwriter and guitaristCelso Fonseca.

Meu Samba Torto features two newcompositions written especially for Claraby her peers. Joyce contributes SabeQuem, and Celso Fonseca has pennedLitorânea. There are also interpretationsof classic bossa nova tracks such as MoçaFlor, originally recorded by the TambaTrio, Vem Morena Vem, from Jorge Ben’sdebut album, and Morena Boca de Ouro,made famous by João Gilberto. Surprisesare delivered in a version of MonManege a Moi, originally recorded by theFrench singer Edith Piaf, and a beautifulcover of the American jazz standardTenderly.

Songlines have been quick to join in thepraise. “Moreno and her cohorts craft awarm, intimate vibe that nods to thatcornerstone of Brazilian music - 60sbossa nova - but which has acontemporary and occasionallyexperimental feel to boot.”

We think it transports us to beach bars,where the cocktails are cheap and thesun shines all day. Sigh! LR

Moishe’s BagelSALTEachday Music EDMB02

Moishe’s Bagel are the “EasternEuropean” musical phenomenon fromNorth of the border, the UK one that is!Formed in Edinburgh in 2003 andboasting some of the bestinstrumentalists that Scotland has to offer(Salsa Celtica, Scottish ChamberOrchestra, Celtic Feet, Scottish NationalJazz Orchestra) these guys got togetherto make some authentic and not-so-authentic Klezmer and Balkan tunes.

On their latest studio album PhilAlexander, Greg Lawson, Pete Garnett,Mario Caribe and Guy Nicholson bringpassion, soul and irresistible energy to aheady mix of of Eastern European dancemusic and Middle Eastern rhythms, theyhave penned some great originalcompositions and successfully crossedmusical borders with flair andimprovisational style to boot!

Incidentally bagels were originally asuperstitiously “lucky” delicacy datingback to seventeenth century EasternEurope and their shape was taken tosymbolize the great circle of life. Well onething’s for sure the musical melee ofMoishe’s Bagel sure is invigorating andlife affirming stuff and also very good.

ET

Seckou Keita QuartetAFRO-MANDINKA SOUL:TAMA-SILOArc EUCD2028

Born in Senegal and now based in theUK Kora maestro and percussionistSeckou Keita comes from a long line ofgriots (a performer who perpetuates theoral traditions of a family/village bysinging histories and tales). Havingworked with the global fusion groupBaka Beyond and toured with folkguitarists Martin Simpson and TonyMcManus, Keita is now firmly on themusical map with his latest offering.

The Seckou Keita Quartet brings togetherthe best of Afro-Mandinka Soul music,some African Blues, soulful grooves andrich melodies reflecting the many stagesof Seckou’s musical paths. Some greatmusicians join him too, with a finelytuned ensemble combining Europeanand African instruments and influences.

Beautiful rhythms blend seamlessly withthe gorgeous cascading sound of thekora (West African harp) alongside thesounds of the Egyptian violin, Gambiandrums, double bass and the singlestringed riti fiddle. Mellow, uplifting andfine musicianship.

ET“…an album that reveals it’s charmsslowly and without fuss…it’s a beautifuland rewarding experience.” fRoots

Tito Paris ACUSTICOWorld Connections WC43064

Welcomed by an enraptured audience atthe outstanding Mariza concert at theRoyal Albert Hall, London in November2006, Tito Paris (pronounced Parish)shared some of his new (and old) songsand made some friends and fans alongthe way. Relitavely unknown to a UKaudience, the multi talented singer andcomposer who also plays guitar and bass,has worked alongside Cape Verdeangreats, such as, Maria De Barros, Banaand Cesaria Evora, and Tito shares notonly his musical roots with the ”BarefootDiva” but also his birthplace, the town ofMindelo on the island of Sao Vicente.

Regarded by many as ”the prince of CapeVerdean music” he sings in Portugesebased creole, and is accompanied by awonderful string orchestra. Its actuallybilled as a ”greatest hits live”. Althoughyou may not know them, it quicklybecomes apparent that Tito has the rangeand skill to successfully blend the joyfuland melancholy elan of his Cape Verdeanroots with the contemporary sounds ofhis current home Lisbon. This albumincludes the Cape Verdean classicSodade and also several of Tito’s earlierhits, Morna PPV, Estrela Linda and Febredi Funaná.

Even Charlie Gillett felt it necessary tonote “Tito Paris first song was one of thehighlights of the night.” in his review ofthat Mariza gig. ET

WORLD reviews and news

Soweto Gospel ChoirAFRICAN SPIRITShanachie SHANCD66040

In the short time since their first CDrelease, Soweto Gospel Choir hasbecome one of the most celebratedworld music groups performing today.Their releases have hit the Top Ten of theBillboard World Music Charts and theircoast-to-coast tours have electrifiedaudiences across the USA as well asaround the world, with regular visits toBritain always amonst the critics nust seerecommendations.

Regardless of your religious persuasions,there is something intensely movingabout the sound of voices joined in suchrapt praise and this, the choir’s third CD,is their most accessible project yet. Withit’s irresistible mix of their versions ofinternationally-known inspirational songsand distinctive South African gospel, itincludes some of their most audiencefriendly live favourites.

World renowned superstar Bono of U2 isa special guest vocalist on the choir’sscintillating version of Bob Marley’s OneLove. Other highlights of the album arethe choir’s powerful versions of such hitsas Many Rivers To Cross, Bob Dylan’sForever Young, Jimmy Cliff’s Sitting InLimbo and Nina Simone’s Balm OfGilead. This CD can lay claim todebunking the myth that the devil has allthe best tunes. TM

VariousHANGVETO 2006-2007Hangveto HV03

Great value for money. This superb,intriguing and eclectic budget sampler isa great introduction to the world ofHungarian music capturing flavours fromthe traditional, jazz, pop, electronic, folkand contemporary scenes. Compiled bymusician and label founder Andras Lelkesit contains tracks from top Hungarianlabels, such as FolkEuropa, Etnofon, X-Produkcio as well as several independentreleases all coming via the Hangvetoteam.

There’s musical mayhem from the urbangypsy wedding band Besh o droM,beautiful vocals from female folk singerBeáta Palya and many wonderfulinstrumental solos. From thecontemporary it features Kerekes bandwhose album Pimasz was a SonglinesTop of the World album in 2006 andWomad favourites Mitsoura who recentlyplayed to a full house at the LinburyTheatre at the Royal Opera House.

This collection will open your eyes andears to the diversity of music currently onoffer from Hungary and neighbouringinfluences and countries such asTransylvania and Romania. Thoroughlyentertaining and great value for moneythis diverse cocktail from the Hangvetocatalogue truly is the best of Magyarmusic-making! ET18

CLARA MORENO

MOISHE’S BAGEL

TITO PARIS

SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR

SECKOU KEITAQUARTET

VARIOUSHANGVETO 2006-2007

hances are you haven’t heard ofBassekou Kouyate, although ifyou’ve got even a passing

interest in African music, you’veprobably heard him. The Malianmaster of the n’goni (the ancienttraditional lute which is playedthroughout West Africa) featuredprominently on Savane (WorldCircuit), last year’s TV advertised CDfrom the late West African bluesmanAli Farka Toure and more recently onthe acclaimed self-titled debut fromAli’s son Vieux. He’s performed withnumerous artists over the years,everyone from US bluesman Taj Mahalto Spanish flamenco group Ketama.But like the simple instrument that heplays, it appeared as though Bassekouwas destined to always provide asupporting role on other’s projects.

Segu Blue, his first recording as aleader, looks certain to change all that.This beautiful new album released bythe German Out Here label (previouslybest known for compilations of Africandancehall and hip-hop) findsBassekou returning to his rural roots,to the village of Garana on the banksof the Niger River and the music ofthe Bamana people who haveinhabited the region for centuries.More than any other African style,Bamana music sounds like the directantecedent of the blues.

Recordedlive in a studio

in Mali by renownedBritish producer, writer and

broadcaster Lucy Duran and mixedin London by Jerry Boys (best knownfor his work with the Buena VistaSocial Club) the album featuresBassekou’s groundbreaking groupN’goni Ba, a quartet made up entirelyof n’goni players, with guest musiciansand singers adding to the mix. Theseinclude Bassekou’s wife Amy Sackou,known as the “Tina Turner of Mali”, forher wild hair and all-stops-outperformance style, the raw, bluesysinger and guitarist Lobi Traore (whofeatured on Daman Albarn’s MaliMusic project) and the extraordinaryKasse Mady Diabate, blessed with oneof the most powerful voices in all ofAfrica.

It’s a concept album, celebrating themusic and culture of the BamanaEmpire, which ruled throughout WestAfrica in the 18th and early 19thCenturies. You want to hear the rootsof blues, funk, soul, rock and justabout every other contemporarymusical form you can think of? It’s allhere.

The album opens with Tabali Te,Bassekou’s lone n’goni ushering in aplaintive chorus. Things really kick intogear with the second track Bassekou,which has Amy Sackou singingsoulfully in praise of her husband overa twisting web of n’gonis, all poweredalong by the crack of Moussa Sissoko’spercussion. Jonkolomi is based on atune which Bassekou learnt from hisgrandfather, a renowned n’goni player(he comes from a long line ofmusicians). It’s a ripe old tale of

warriors and witchcraft from theBamana Empire, here sung by AndraKouyate, with a catchy “ah-ha, ah-ha,ah-ha” refrain. Jura Nani is also basedon a traditional song learnt fromBassekou’s grandfather. A stately pieceenlivened by the ache and firepowerof Kasse Mady’s voice.

The bluesy Mbowdi features theraw vocals and soku (one stringviolin) of Zoumana Tereta, whilstthe instrumental River Tune is a

haunting piece Bassekou believeswas taught to one of his ancestors bya djinn (water spirit). Andra’s Song isdedicated to Bassekou’s bass n’goniplaying brother “Play the n’goniBassekou” proclaim the lyrics, “Playthe n’goni Andra. before we regret it”.

The urgent N’goni Fola is both a pleafor tolerance in modern Malian societyand a celebration of the healingpower of the n’goni. “If you can’texpress something with words, youuse the n’goni,” Bassekou told me. “Itis the instrument that best solves anypotential arguments or battles. Assoon as the n’goni plays, people calmdown.” Malian blues man Lobi Traorebrings the only electrical element tothis otherwise acoustic recording,adding biting guitar licks to Bamani.Bala sings the praises of a Bamanawarrior who won many battles andshared the spoils with the griots(musicians), a sure fire way to get asong written in celebration of you!

Segu Tonjon puts the spotlight backon singer Amy Sacko, building from ahypnotic introduction to a pulsingfinale. Kasse Mady returns to sing thepraises of a Bamana ruler on Sinsani.The suitably mournful (and veryaffecting) Lament for Ali Farka isBassekou’s tribute to his fellow Malianblues playing friend.

The closing title track is an adaptationof Poyi a tune played to warriorsbefore they went into battle, here it’sfull of taut blues improvisation. In fact,the blues is never far away on one ofthose rare albums that can be listenedto in its entirety, without any recourseto the ‘skip’ button. JR

C

A comprehensive piece onBassekou Kouyate by Jamie Rentonwill feature in the May issue offRoots magazine(www.frootsmag.com).

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL reviews and news

BUDDY HOLLY

CLASSIC ROCKABILLY

Skiffle is a curious but essential part of musicalhistory that has another of those trans Atlanticmigrations at its heart. All of the purveyors of thispurely British phenomenon, were jazz men, whoearned their corn in the Dixie and traditional stylebands that toured the circuit in the 40s and 50s.

It came about when the rhythm section of theband started playing a novelty interlude within theprincipal bands set.

The spotlight shone on the bass, drums and guitarwho ran through renditions of American blues,country and gospel songs. This breakdown took ona life of its own as audiences came first to expectit and later demand it. It soon became clear thatthe younger members of the audience in factappreciated it a good deal more than all that jazz.

Times were of course very different culturally tothe later punk rock boom, but as Britain stilllingered in the gloom of post war austerity insome ways the social climate was similar.

The seventies after allhad their minersstrikes and three dayweeks and skifflecertainly had some ofthe characteristics ofthat new broomrevolution. Musically

too it was a short sharp snap when compared toextended improvisations of jazz.

All of the important records of the genre are here,although it was also fairly short lived as rock ‘n’roll was on the horizon.

Which brings us to the British rock ‘n’ rollcollection. Some would argue that we Brit’s didn’tdo rock ‘n’ roll terribly well, until a couple of yearslater than the conclusion of this set, when CliffRichard charted Move It. To some extent they maywell have a case as the jazz and pop stars of theirday struggled to adapt to the real revolution thatthreatened to simply sweep them away.

This set at least does a very thorough job ofcollating the wind of change that clearly had someof the jazzmen nervously watching the youngermembers of their crowd jumping ship in droves.It’s curious and probably to be filed undernostalgia. But as well as those for whom this

music will hold some immediate memory, this ishistorically fascinating.

You get tracks from the Deep River Boys, whowere actually American but recorded over here,alongside the classically trained Winifred Atwell,who had her other piano tuned to boogie-woogieand Tommy Steele who probably can lay claim tobe the first British rock ‘n’ roll star.

The rockabilly set is more instantly enjoyable andoffers two CDs of classics nicely sequenced. Youare at very least much more sure of what you aregetting and names like Elvis Presley, JohnnyCarroll, Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent will beinstantly familiar. There are also plenty of moreobscure gems to keep you guessing. You also getplenty of twang and slap for your buck with 64tracks in all.

Finally there’s the great Lonnie Donegan set thatbrings all of his skiffle recordings together andstops short of his decline into more mediocremiddle of the road fare. It obviously links with theskiffle set above, but Donegan was the obviousstar of the genre and thus warrants this collectionon his own.

His importance cannot be overestimated, as he cuta swathe through the 50s, sparking the Quarrymeninto action, as well of a host of other imitators.The Quarrymen were of course just a name andline up change away from becoming the biggestband on the planet. TM

Buddy HollyHOLLYBILLY1956: THE COMPLETERECORDINGS EI Toro 2CD ETCDIOI2

From Lubbock, Texas, Buddy Holly foundrecognition in September 1957 with That'llBe The Day, an international No.1. Severalhits later he died in a plane crash inFebruary 1959. During that brief year and ahalf Holly proved to be an instantlyrecognisable singer and an enduringlyinfluential songwriter and guitarist.

It isn't so widely recognised that CharlesHardin Holley had been trying his luck andhoning his skills for sometime before hisinternational breakthrough. This 41 trackdouble CD of all known Buddy Hollyrecordings during 1956 - a combination ofprofessional studio cuts in Nashville,including the original of That'll Be The Day,and private demos - is a bravura roundupof him juggling all the elements thatwould coalesce into making him a legend.

There is nothing here that is quite sopolished as his hits but that's the delight:the professional studios cuts are raggedbut right on rockabilly, the unadorneddemos show him to be having a ballcracking into 50s rock n roll and R&Bfavourites. All with that distinctive vocaldelivery and impressive guitar playing andso neatly collated into one double packCD. A rumbunctious ear-opener for anyone

Bill HaleyFROM WESTERN SWING TO ROCKProper PROPERBOX118

Rock Around The Clock has sold a total ofover 25 million copies and is almostcertainly instantly recognisable toeveryone who will read this. What youprobably don’t know is that Bill Haley wasa married man of 30, with a recordingcareer stretching back over a decadewhen that righteous racket first set thecollective teenage pulse of America racing.

As with all Properboxes, this 4 CD setgoes a long way to putting that stellarmoment in context, both with the musicthat documents Bill’s recordings over 10years from 1946, and with the fascinatingessay in the expansive booklet thatcaptures this extraordinary and pivotalperiod in detail.

I used the word righteous above and ofcourse, Rock Around The Clock wasregarded as anything but. Bill had to ridea crusade of moral indignation and pureracial bigotry that threatened violence atevery turn and for the record, he was alifelong friend of Big Joe Turner, so theydidn’t win.

When Bill arrived in the UK in 57, a hero’swelcome greeted him. Back home,however, the arrival of one Elvis AaronPresley was to eclipse Bill’s star. TM

who thought Buddy Holly came fresh outthe box in 1957. CW

Various CLASSIC ROCKABILLYProper PROPERBOX122 (4 CD set)

As a companion piece to PROPERBOX100that traced the roots of rock ‘n’ roll this is afascinating Cadillac ride through a soupedup selection of hot rod classics. Unlike thequesting r ‘n’ r collection that offeredvarious routes to the origins, this collectionis more definite in lining up its chickensand its eggs.

First prize for kick starting the wholerockabilly genre must go to Elvis Presley,whose legendary Sun sessions distilled thenascent rumbles and twangs into a fullyformed style. It’s That’s Alright/Blue Moonof Kentucky (SUN209) that this set has asthe first rockabilly record, which along withElvis’ incendiary live shows lit the firesunder this most southern of Statesidemusical phenomena.

So amongst the familiar names are a hostof more obscure cuts and for every hitmaker there are host of canny imitatorsand genre hoppers. There are far too manyto name check here, but for fans and themerely curious, it offers a great overview ofa style that realistically was out of fashionby the end of the decade it started. Asalways the booklet tells in 68(!) pages astory that I can only hint at here. TM

JUST ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS!GREAT BRITISH SKIFFLE 1948-1956 - SCCD1122GREAT BRITISH ROCK ‘N’ ROLL 1948 –1956 - SCCD1124GREAT ROCKABILLY 1955-1956 - SCCD 1125Lonnie Donegan - THE ORIGINAL SKIFFLE RECORDINGS 1953-1956 - SCCD1123

BILL HALEY

The final of the Young Folk Awards has become a MUST inthe calendar for anyone remotely interested in the future offolk music.

Apart from anything else, it’s a cracking night that alwaysends with a bunch of wise old sages propping up the bar,looking deep into their diminishing pints with watery eyessaying things like ‘Aye lad, the future’s in great hands…’

They may be ratted, but they’re right. If you ever neededreassuring that Brit folk is an exciting, vibrant scene full offine young artists who play music for the right reasons, aretechnically light years ahead of earlier generations at thesame age, and heads brimming with inventive new ideashow to take the music forward, then go visit the YoungFolk Awards.

Recent winners have included Tim Van Eyken, now firmlyestablished as one of the scene’s top talents in the wake ofhis wonderful Stiffs Lovers Holymen Thieves album lastyear; Bodega, whose debut album and various festivalappearances was received with great acclaim in 2006; andUiscedwr, who’ve gone on to make a couple of fine albumsand become a major live force.

And then there are the finalists who DIDN’T win, mostnotably Jim Moray, controversially beaten in 2001 by youngScottish sisters Give Way. Oh, and Jim Moray’s youngersister Jackie Oates, who lost out to the graceful Scotsfiddler Lauren MacColl in 2005.

Much like her brother, Jackie hasn’t looked back since. Thatday she played fiddle – beautifully – but few realised at thetime she was also an outstanding singer. Perhaps weshould have done. She had, after all, a childhood drenchedin folk culture, going from one festival, session or morrisdance gathering to another. Her dad danced and playedmelodeon, her mother sang and by the age of seven Jackiewas playing piano and violin.

Studying English at Exeter University (she’s from Staffs viaCheshire originally) she became immersed in the localsession scene and evolved the distinctive fiddle-singingstyle now winning her so many admirers. As entrenched intraditional music and folklore as she is, there are evenresonances in her vocals of the earthiness of traditionalsingers of old and glimpses of the very English ruralcountry style of Shirley Collins. Phil Beer, producer of herdebut album, certainly thinks so. “I feel Jackie is carrying onwhere Shirley left off,” he says.

Shortly after her Young Folk Award appearance, Jackierepresented England in a trio at the European TraditionalMusic Festival and started to nail down her own style. Herreputation was enhanced further when she joined one of

the best young bands in the land, the still underratedRachel Unthank & The Winterset (whose debut albumCruel Sister is a beauty, with a second album due soon,hopefully) blending easily into the laid-back jollity of the allfemale song and dance act. Jackie’s solo slots with theband were always a highlight.

She’s also played on both of her brother Jim Moray’s twoalbums, as well as Laurel Swift’s Beam and Show OfHands’ Witness, but the various facets of her work andbackground have all come together in style on her ownself-titled album debut. “The album is a collection ofmostly English traditional ballads and songs of a bleaknature” is how Jackie herself describes it. Well, it is full ofdark ballads like Banks Of Green Willow (infanticide andtreachery on the high seas); The Cruel Ship’s Carpenter(treachery and murder on dry land); The Flower OfNorthumberland (treachery and seduction by a Scotsman);The Mistletoe Bough (death by hide and seek) and LordAbore and Mary Flynn (mother murders her 14-year-oldson and his teenage lover)…you get the picture.

A throwback to old school folk it may be, but Jackie Oatesis the real deal and tells the stories with such honest,beguiling conviction and enlightened accompaniments theysound fresh and new.

Suddenly out of the shadows taking centre stage and isrevelling in the challenge. There’s been such a positivereaction to her album both from the grass roots scene andbeyond (it was one of Mojo mag’s 10 top folk albums ofthe year) that she’s had to step down as a Rachel Unthank& The Winterset bandit to fit in all her own work.

She may not have won the BBC Young Folk Award acouple of years ago, but the smart money’s on Jackie Oatesgoing one better in the next year’s main awards…

MJC

Jackie Oates

21

or anyonedesignated the dreadedjob of categorising CDs into the different compartments

shelved in stores, Athena is their worst nightmare.

For a start, is she Greek or English? Do you file under folk?Jazz? World? Soul? Is she a roots artist? Contemporarysinger songwriter? Torch singer? Traditional performer?

Questions, always there are questions. The warm, engagingAthena would like to know the answers to some of themherself because all and none of the above are true. Shewas born in London, raised in Greece and – give or take ashort spell in the US – has spent half her young life in bothcountries. So she feels very much a part of the two culturesand her musical journey has drawn heavily on both in anattempt to make sense of it. It makes for unique music –and a marketing dilemma. But you can’t worry about thatwhen you’re following your heart and if there’s one thingAthena has always done, it’s follow her heart.

“I’ve been through various stages trying to find my musicalidentity, exploring traditional roots and everything else,”she says, “but lately I’ve been more drawn to my Englishroots and writing more and more in English. The Greeknessis there in the melodies and some of the rhythms but it’ssubtle and blended into the whole thing.”

The Andreadis family was always musical and Athena grewup listening to her mother singing traditional Greek songs.But she also listened to Pink Floyd, classical music, westernmusicals, anything she could lay her hands on. And, alwaysbilingual, she was obsessed by T.S. Eliot.

She moved to England to study commerce at BathUniversity with a view to taking over the family business,but a Juilliard School of Music tutor heard her singing whileshe was on a work placement in New York and insistedmusic was the path she must take. Back in London she gota place at Trinity College of Music studying different vocaltechniques ranging from opera to jazz and that’s when shefirst started performing her own music.

Since then things have moved fast. A lot of jaws hit thefloor last year when she went on the road with one EP(Snapshot) and a majestic range of eclectic, emotionalsongs which she performed in intense, passionate mannerwith a low-key but highly adept jazz-inflected acoustic trio.There were traditional Greek songs then, too – not tomention a gobsmacking exhibition of Tuvan throat singing

– and, recognising the extraordinary rapport shewas making with audiences, major labels

came sniffing.

It didn’t get them far. Determined andfiercely individual, Athena decided torelease her debut album Breathe WithMe under her own steam. She did,

though, have weighty support, recordingthe album in Athens with production

shared by famed Greek composer/producerGeorge Andreou and Joe Boyd, legendary producer of

albums by the likes of Nick Drake, Pink Floyd and FairportConvention.

“It made such a difference having someone of hisexperience, attitude and aura contributing,” says Athena ofBoyd. “I asked him if he could give me some advice aboutmaking the record so we met for dinner and I played himmy songs and he listened and said ‘I’d like to get involved!’That felt amazing.”

Touring the album with a trio (Norwegian guitarist WernerKristiansen, Tom Mason on double bass and Ben Bryant onpercussion) her gigs invariably end with queues of teary-eyed souls telling her she’s spent the evening mirroringtheir innermost thoughts.

“There are usually layersin my songs so they’reopen to interpretationand people dointerpret them inmany different ways.But there areuniversal truths thatpeople relate to andif you’re honest toyourself they canidentify with that. Lyricsare very important to me.I’ll write and re-write themagain and again –sometimes just one word -until I get it right. When I go‘Ouch!’ or it cuts me, then Iknow it’s right.”

Indeed, there’s a sense of deep-rooted tragedy in her voiceas she wrenches every last drop of emotion from her lyricsand when she sings the heartbreaking ‘All I See Is You’ onthe new album you wonder if the loss is her own…

“It’s a blend of my own and other people’s experiences,”she says. “It’s drawn from several situations, part fiction,part reality. What’s important thing is that it’s an honestemotion and when I sing I think of that emotion. My voiceis a vehicle to serve the song and yes, I do feel movedwhen I sing these things.” CI

Athena - Breathe With Me

F

23

So, is the first decade of the new millenniumgoing to go down as the decade whennostalgia officially ceased to exist? Will it alsobe the decade that the entire entertainmentindustry, built to such conspicuous heights inthe preceding century took mortal blows? Willit be the decade that finally puts paid to ourplans of retirement and the notions thatscience dared to propagate of infinite leisuretime? Will any of it matter as the very MotherEarth chokes and gasps a dying rattle? Is thereany end to this apocalyptic post modern navelgazing? Not while there are column inches tofill. And that last one’s a banker. I’ve readserious polemic on all of this in the last weekwithout having to look for it.

OK. So we shouldn’t get trivial and flippant,but the number of commentators who arelining up to point out our doom surely flags upa lot of what we’re doing wrong. Stick with meon this one. It’s that most post modern ofjokes, “How many (fill in occupation of yourchoice here) does it take to change a lightbulb?” Now all you have to do is come up withthe witty punch line that indicates how uselessand impractical your target profession is. Thetruth in the humour is there are not enough ofus changing light bulbs anymore, or doinganything else practical for that matter. We canall sit and nod sagely at each damning articletelling us the barbarians are at the gates (andseem to be on the guest list, as they claim).But what are any of us doing other thansurrendering to media diktats that will changewith the wind, in an effort to bolster our ownmoral foundations? Surely there are twoslightly more fundamental questions that weshould all be asking. What have we got outthere that’s worthwhile and how do we hangon to it?

No, we’re not about to give you the solution tosave the planet. None of us here have a PHDin planet saving (although as individuals,perhaps we will all try a bit harder). We’re arecord distribution company, right. The recordindustry is in crisis, so what are we doingabout it?

Well, is it? In truth, yes it is and we are in noplace to be complacent about it. So, whatexactly is the crisis all about? Falling sales, theunstoppable rise of the download, the spectreof Tesco targeting music, the downwardpressure on prices and the growth of ageneration who see no more value in musicthan the fast food cartons they discard in ourstreets. You will have read the same articles aswe have. But is it all bad? People haven’tstopped making great music and our busiestmonth ever came towards the end of last year.If things go to plan, we have a strong chance

of eclipsing that in the very near future.

So it’s not all bad news. Certainly not. But as Ihave indicated, complacency is out. We stillbelieve in the music being made and stillbelieve we can do a good job of putting it inplaces where you will find it. If that isachievable, then there is every chance that youwill like it too and want to buy it , or some ofit at least. But we do have to be on our mettleand striving to get better at fulfilling our part ofthis unwritten pact. It’s not going to get easierfor us. Record shops are closing quicker thaneven we imagined in our gloomiestpredictions. You may have recently lost acherished record outlet, or wondered, or evensneered at the closure of a store that has beentrading for 30 plus years. Maybe you thoughtthey were snotty, elitist or even grubby, butthey are not there now and will soon bereplaced by a shoe shop, hair salon or TescoMetro store. Even the so called big recordshops are hurting as major retail chains areposting huge losses. What’s happened to MVCand Music Zone? (Note: steer clear of M ifyou’re christening a record shop anytimesoon!)

We keep trying. For example you hold in yourhands one of our efforts to reach out and tellyou there’s still good stuff being made that welike. Getting a few friendly journalists tocontribute and doing some damn hard workourselves is worth it. Afterall there are preciousfew other ways you’ll get to hear about theCDs in here.

We can also make some suggestions abouthow you can get involved too. We’d love youto buy some of these CDs. You might likethem a lot. You might not and if the latterapplies, tell us and we’ll try and swap them forsomething you like better (and you’ll begenuinely surprised at what we have). Try andbuy music from specialist record stores, thewalk up the high street or down the backstreets will also have health benefits. Don’tburn a copy of a disc for a mate, buy themone instead. They will appreciate it all themore and might even buy you one back. If youare ever tempted to download stuff for freeask yourself, “What have I done to deserve thisperson or group’s hard work for nothing?”

Take them or leave them. They are just ways toengage with the light bulb. We make nopresumptions about your personal economicsituation, but remember financial hardship isone thing, poverty of the human spirit isanother. Now there are some real issues thatmaybe we’ll discuss later. Over a pint naturally.

subscription details can be found at:

www.frootsmag.comwww.countrymusicpeople.comwww.folkmusic.netwww.songlines.co.ukwww.jazzwise.comwww.bluesmatters.comwww.wordmagazine.co.ukwww.maverick-country.com

Bl

ur

b

February 2nd 2007 saw theofficial launch for the firstinstalment in the new BobHarris Presents… series. Thelaunch included three of theacts appearing on the album,namely “roadhouse rockqueen” Eve Selis (who despitebeing six months pregnant stilltore the place down with herperformance), Canadiannewcomer Alana Levandoskiand fresh from the Alabama

mountains Grayson Capps (who turned in a showstopping performance) and was a sell out!

Bob himself was bowled over by the ground swell ofsupport for the show and the album, and is keen to getworking on the second release in the series.

Bob, as you’ll be aware, is a legendary TV (who can forgetthe musical depth and breadth of the seminal Old GreyWhistle Test) and radio broadcaster (hailed by many as the“John Peel of country music”) and has for decades been ahuge supporter of country music and its rockier off shoot,Americana.

It was fitting then that the debut release in this new rangeof Bob Harris branded CDs is an overview of some of thefinest Americana acts working today.

The album contains seventeen tracks all of which werepersonally picked by Bob and all have featured heavily onhis acclaimed Radio 2 shows (which were recentlyconfirmed as having the biggest listener figures of anyspecialist show ever on the BBC!). Each act has developeda healthy fan base in the UK and it’s through Bob’scontinued support of these acts that artists such as SlaidCleaves, Sarah Harmer, Chris Knight and Alecia Nugent areinstantly recognisable by many music fans outside of theirnative countries.

Mixing established Nashville names such as Alison Krauss(winner of more Grammy awards than any other artist), theunmistakeable John Prine and the stalwart Billy Joe Shaverwith mavericks such as James McMurtry, Todd Snider andGrayson Capps who in turn rub shoulders with some of thefinest female voices you’ll ever hear including Eve Selis,Patty Griffin and Tracy Bonham and not forgetting thefuture stars of the genre in Alana Levandoski, Hayes Carlland Kathleen Edwards.

Bob Harris Presents… Americana collects togetherseventeen of Bob’s personal favourites with the soleintention of taking the music to a wider audience.

In a time when big named country artists won’t leave theirair-conditioned, all mod-cons homes to come and visit theUK and its many country music fans, it’s a refreshingchange that every artist featured on this compilation haveappeared in concert in the UK within the past couple ofyears. Testimony, once again, to the fact that through Bob’sdedication to the cause, the fans will buy the albums andwill come out to support the live scene.

As was previously stated this is the first of what is an ongoing series, each one will be a themed release, with plansthis year for a bluegrass special (it doesn’t begin and endwith O Brother… you know), new-folk (featuring some ofthe most exciting new singer/songwriters around today)and a death metal overview. (OKwe lied about the death metalone…).

The past few years haveseen a steady rise inmusicians and songwriterseschewing the traditionalmajor labels in favour of amore organic, d.i.y.approach, Bob is one ofthe few presentersaround today that activelyseeks out new music andthroughout the upcomingreleases in Bob HarrisPresents… range he’ll beintroducing plenty of newfaces and re-acquainting youwill some of the morefamiliar ones along the way.

MG

Bob Harris Presents...

25

26

hen aspiring teenage guitaristSimon Nicol rehearsed with

friends in his family's north Londonhome in 1967 he little imagined thatthe nascent group would still beperforming and recording forty yearslater. But from that house, a villanamed 'Fairport', emerged a group thatwould change the face of folk forever –Fairport Convention.The legendary band is celebrating itsruby anniversary in grand style. Underthe banner 'Forty Glorious Years',Fairport has started 2007 with agruelling 35-date UK tour and a brandnew CD. Fittingly titled Sense ofOccasion, the album features agenerous sixteen tracks and proves theband is still at the top of its game. Butit's been a long journey and Fairporthas seen more than its fair share of upsand downs, triumphs and tragedy.

Within a few months of their first publicgig in May 1967, Fairport had beensnapped up by Island records and theband's first LP was in the shops. By thetime the second LP was released, leadvocalist Judy Dyble had been replacedby folk singer Sandy Denny. Fairportwas getting plenty of radio airplay andhad rapidly become a favourite on thelive circuit.

Things were looking rosy when disasterstruck. Fairport's van crashed on the M1on the way home from a gig. GuitaristRichard Thompson's girlfriend anddrummer Martin Lamble were killed:the rest of the band suffered injuries ofvarying severity.

Fairport nearly decided to call it a day.But once recovered, the band wentback into the studio with Dave Mattackson drums. The new line-up recordedLiege And Lief, a classic LP whichestablished British folkrock as a distinctgenre. The album's impact has provedlong-lasting: in 2006 BBC Radio 2listeners voted it 'Most Influential FolkAlbum of all Time' and it was laterawarded a Gold Disc.

Tragedy touched the group again in1978 when Sandy Denny died after afall: she was just 31 years old. She hadleft the band after Liege And Lief topursue her solo career but rejoined fora couple of years in the mid-70s withher husband, Trevor Lucas.

After a hiatus in the early 1980s,Fairport reconvened with a line-up that,apart from a couple of changes tenyears ago, has endured to this day.Simon Nicol (guitar and vocals) is thefounding member and Dave Pegg(bass) has been in the band since1970. Ric Sanders (violin) joined in1985, Chris Leslie (mandolin andvocals) in 1997 and Gerry Conway(drums and percussion) in 1998.

Fairport is, above all, a live band.However, their forays into the studiohave produced a steady stream of greatalbums and Sense of Occasion is aworthy addition to that canon. Thenerw CD includes five new songs fromChris Leslie, three instrumentals by RicSanders and covers of originals by XTC’sAndy Partridge, ex-Squeeze memberGlenn Tilbrook, and PJ

Wright, Pete Scrowther and SteveAshley. To acknowledge the band's past,there are also two 'trad arr' classicsfrom Fairport’s vast back catalogue.

Variety is the spice of life, they say, andSense of Occasion’s mix of moods andtextures is a reminder of Fairport’s long-established eclecticism. From its veryfirst album, the band has alwaystackled a wide range of material.

But however glorious its pastachievements, Fairport Conventionalways looks ahead and Sense ofOccasion proves that is still true. Thealbum has a vibrant freshness whichbelies the band’s longevity and the newwriting and arrangements arecharacterised by a bright pop sensibilityand radio-friendliness.

After forty years, Fairport Conventiongoes from strength to strength and thegroup is probably more popular nowthan at any time in its long history.Fairport and its offshoots tourextensively in the UK, Europe andAmerica and their festival at Cropredyattracts up to 20,000 music fans whoenjoy three days of top acts in theOxfordshire countryside each August.

The future looks bright and theaccolades continue: at this month'sBBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Who KnowsWhere The Time Goes, written by SandyDenny and performed by her withFairport, was awarded 'Best Folk Track'in a poll of Radio 2 listeners.

As Simon Nicol says: "Well, that's thefirst forty years out of the way. Nowonwards and upwards!"

AF

Visit Fairport Convention atwww.fairportconvention.com

W

Fairport Convention - Who knows where time goes?

27

JAZZ reviews and news

DAVID REES-WILLIAMS

TRIO

WOLFGANGMUTHSPIEL

& BRIAN BLADE

Jazz Kamikaze TRAVELLING AT THE SPEED OF SOUND Stunt STUCD07042

Recorded in New York last year, here is the youngScandinavian quintet’s second offering for StuntRecords. The band chose the ‘city that never sleeps’to record this set because they wanted to absorbsome fresh influences and as such they enlisted thehelp of acclaimed trumpeter Matt Shulman andUltramagnetic MC’s rapper Big D. The band’s excitingand eclectic approach hasn’t been dampenedthough, and on cuts such as Airborne and thefantastic Oberst Eger & Oberst Sponz they areunstoppable.

Malene Mortensen MALENE Stunt STUCD06172

The 24 year-old Danish singer has been steadilybuilding her career through extensive touring and

the effect of all this livework comes to the fore onthis, her third album. Never

one to rest on her laurels, Malene, with the help of luminaries such as MikeStern, Chris Minh Doky and Chris Potter, has created an album that mixes herown compositions with some select (and unusual) cover versions (her takeon John Mayer’s City Life is exquisite) including The Eagles Desperado andBranford Marsalis’ Another Day. Once again Malene will be heading out onthe road in support of this record, if you get a chance to see her, grab it withboth hands!

Inger Marie Gundersen MAKE THIS MOMENT Stunt STUCD06032

Yet another stunner that features a mix of new songs, standards and classicpop/rock offerings. Let It Be Me popularized by the Everly Brothers givesGundersen the chance to caress the lovely melody with her smoky voice. Shealso offers a tender version of the perennial Always On My Mind. Gundersen’sband offers sympathetic, yet unobtrusive support, the solo are kept to aminimum. This is an encouraging debut solo recording by a promising talent.Gundersen and her band treat their material with the utmost respect anddelicacy. A refreshingly tasteful affair.

Ibrahim ELECTRIC ABSINTHE Stunt STUCD06152

Taking the energy of bands like Acoustic Ladyland and Polar Bear and addinga dash of rare groove and even some Deep Purple-esque Hammond B3,Absinthe is a rollicking, organ heavy set that should see the Danish trio breakout of their European stronghold. From the Middle Eastern textured ArabianBoogaloo through the guitar riddled Splash onto the Farfisa organ propelledopener ‘Blue Balls’, the album has more twists and turns than an Olympicdownhill ski run! Absinthe, much like the drink it’s named after, will alter yourmind! MG

STUNT RECORDS catalogue is now available exclusively in the UKthrough Proper. The acclaimed Danish label recently hosted anextremely successful week at London’s famous Pizza Express JazzClub in Dean St. These four selected titles are all making their debutin the UK and give a flavour of what’s to come.

David Rees-Williams TrioTHINKING ALLOWEDDePaeaN DPNCD003

The punning title gives a big clue as tothe musical philosophy at work here. Thestated objective of the trio is to re-present music from history in a fresh andinvigorating way, releasing it from timesand places that many people would notthink to venture.

Rees-Williams is a piano and Hammondplayer with great touch who, along withNeil Francis on bass and the drums ofPhil Laslett, has created a compellingfusion. Like Jacques Lucier and otherswho have approached classical musicfrom a jazz viewpoint, this is an attemptto get behind the notes and staves ofcompositions.

Pieces by Bach, Ravel, Mozart, Franck,Scarletti, Grieg, Vivaldi and Debussyreveal underlying harmony that offerssurprising jazz textures, whilst the easyflow of the piano and keyboard lines skitaround, as if taking the melody for arelaxing stroll around a favourite place. Ofcourse the major difference from theoriginals is the statement of the rhythm,but even this is supple and well matchedto melody.

It’s an hour of simply beautiful music andto these ears, objective achieved. SH

gives him an intuitive feel for whereMuthspiel wants to go with the music.

SH

Humphrey LytteltonBAD PENNY BLUES: 1955-56Lake LACD238

Humph (if he’ll forgive the familiar) hadbeen an established jazz band leadersince 1949 when, in 1956 he had asingle Bad Penny Blues enter the charts,a feat that brought his name to evengreater prominence.

This double CD for the price of one tracesa significant period on the band’s historywhen it evolved from being a classic NewOrleans band into a full fledgedMainstream one. Legends of British Jazzabound here: Bruce Turner, Wally Fawkes,John Picard, Johnny Parker, Stan Greig.

The original recording of Bad PennyBlues, engineered by the legendary (orinfamous!) Joe Meek, is included in thisset as are five previously unissued tracks.Meek of course went on to become apop record producer of some notorietyand this cut bears his hallmark. Some ofyou may also spot that a bunch of mop-top urchins from Liverpool purloined thetune wholesale for one of their ownditties.

BS

Wolfgang Muthspiel & Brian BladeFRIENDLY TRAVELLERSMaterial Records MRE0172

On paper, a guitar and drums duo mayraise a few concerns of nag worryingcacophony. Fear not. American Blade andAustrian Muthspiel seem to know eachother’s game well enough to produce asurprisingly coherent performance that isvery listenable. They have workedtogether in various formats before. It’salso worth noting that Wolfgang hasbeen lauded as European jazz musicianof the year.

If anything it’s the lack of big chordingfrom either brass or keys that gives thismusic the freedom to range where it will.To Muthspiel’s great credit, he hassufficient melodic integrity to mean thatthe air between the instruments acts as akind of glue: albeit a flexible kind thatstretches out in strands, but also snapsback under tension.

Drummer Blade is clearly capable ofplaying ever evolving patterns, with noneed to cover the same ground twice.This creates a thoughtful air andMuthspiel uses the tension and Bladesseries of explosive surges as dots to jointowards melodic climax. Blade alsodoubles up on guitar and perhaps it hisability to actually play the instrument that

HUMPHREYLYTTELTON

JAZZ reviews and news

TUBBY HAYES

CHRIS MCGREGOR’SBROTHERHOOD OFBREATH

O’DONEL LEVY

AZYMUTH

CHRIS MCGREGOR’SBROTHERHOOD OFBREATH

Tubby HayesTHE LITTLE GIANTProper PROPERBOX117

Tubby Hayes, “the little giant”, is one ofthe most charismatic and accomplishedplayers to emerge in the history of Britishjazz. In a career that has the all toofamiliar premature death at its end,Hayes demonstrated he was every bit theequal of the more celebrated Americanplayers.

Born in 35, to musical parents, he wasgiven his first saxophone at the age of 12and within 24 hours was already playingalong with the radio. As he says “I thinkmy ear was good.” Despite the best ofintentions, his education came to apremature end at 15 and incredibly, itwas the pressure of gigging that drovethe final nail into his academic coffin ashe overslept and missed a crucial exam.

This set concentrates on his rise fromteen prodigy to the spotlight ofbandleader and featured player of choiceacross the Brit jazz scene. The first discstarts with the Victor Lewis Orchestra cutsrecorded just before Tubby turned 19.Disc four concludes just short of threeyears later and shows how quickly hehad adapted his style to the hard bopcoming out of the States. The 48 pagebooklet gives a detailed account of thisincredible surge of creativity.

SH

Chris McGregor’s Brotherhoodof Breath CHRIS MCGREGOR’SBROTHERHOOD OF BREATH Fledgling FLED 3062

BROTHERHOOD Fledgling FLED 3063

The band was formed in 1970, ChrisMcGregor having come to the UK toescape the pressures of apartheid SouthAfrica. Chris could only appear with theblack musicians if he wore a hood orplayed from behind a curtain. Togetherwith fellow expatriates including DuduPakwana, Mongezi Feza and LouisMoholo, he formed alliances with leadingLondon-based UK jazz musiciansamongst whom were John Surman, MikeOsborne, Harry Beckett, Alan Skidmore,Malcolm Griffiths and Harry Miller to formone of the most thrilling big bands of the20th century.

The first CD opens with 5 minutes ofsheer joy MRA, a glorious piece, worththe price of the album on its own. It endswith the short Union Special, also astructured fun run which makes youlaugh out loud with its exuberance.Between these pieces are four moredelights ranging from Davashe’s Dreamfeaturing solos from Mongezi Feza onpocket trumpet and the passionate altoof Dudu Pakwana, Andromeda aninfectious African theme featuring Duduand Nick Evans, the swirling Africanrhythms of The Bride with John Surman’s

The result is this 1973 recordingshowcases Levy’s funky, fluid lines,backed by a 12 piece, brass heavy bandthat also features Steve Gadd on drums.

The album was well received on releaseand with the follow up Everything I DoGonna Be Funky briefly established Levyas major player. In truth it’s the latter’stitle cut that really fills the dance floor,but Simba is more than a make-weightand has a cinematic quality that playsvery well today.

SH

AzymuthAZIMUTHFar Out Recordings FARO117CD

Never released outside of BrazilAzymuth’s Azimuth contains some oftheir most incendiary tracks and is quitesimply a milestone album in Brazilianmusic. CD1 takes us right back to thebeginning of the Azymuth story withpossibly their finest album ever with itscombination of jazz/funk/rock/samba,whilst the bonus CD2 brings us smackbang into the present with a collection of11 all new remixes and re-edits fromsome of the biggest producers out there.

Azymuth were Jose Roberto Bertrami(keyboards and synths), Ivan Conti (akaMamão on drums and timbales), AlexMalheiros (bass) and Ariovaldo Contesini(percussion) and formed in the late 60sjust as Os Mutantes released their debutrecord. Whilst Mutantes were honing apsychedelic ‘Amazonian’ version ofwestern pop music Azymuth werecreating a futuristic, electric interpretationof US Jazz, also driven by the samerootsy Brazilian ‘swing’ that Mutantes hadharnessed.

Bertrami was the drive behind Azymuth’ssound - a control freak and musicalgenius obsessed with the latesttechnology who wanted to use it to pushthe boundaries of music in a way that noone else in Brazil had done. His use ofkeyboards has drawn comparisonsbetween Azymuth’s work and HerbieHancock’s early 70s output, yet with it’sBrazilian swing Azymuth’s electric jazzsound is unmistakeably their own.

Azymuth went on to become one of thebest selling jazz artists of the 80s withtheir future albums for Milestone,unquestionably the biggest jazz label ofthat decade. Azimuth is the album thatkickstarted it all for them, the record thatwas the blue print and definition of their‘samba doido / crazy samba’ sound.

The second discs remixes come from thelikes of 4 Hero, Peanut Butter Wolf,Harmonic 313, DJ Venom and Mr.Beatnick creating a fascinating and clubfriendly update. But back to back theseremakes also demonstrate the power ofthe original music.

LR

wonderful soprano solo, to the longrambling Night Poem a Mingusianextravaganza fuelled by the drums ofLouis Moholo.

It’s hard to believe that this music is 35years old. If you heard this band for thefirst time this week, you would be tellingall and sundry that you had justdiscovered one of the most exciting bigbands in the world. I guarantee thathowever long you live you won’t hear amore life-affirming, exultant, big band,than The Brotherhood of Breath.

Pour yourself an indulgent drink, pull thecurtains, make sure that the neighboursare out, turn up the volume, and turn on!

The second of their releases wasrecorded a year later in 72. The exultantmusic on this album is like an amalgamof Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus andSun Ra, but however far out it becomesthere are always the drums of LouisMoholo to bring back the pulse.Although this is joyous music it is tingedwith sadness as Chris McGregor andsome of these gifted musicians diedyoung or, in the case of Mike Osborne,had a career cut short by illness. Fornow we can rejoice that these wonderfulplayers got together to leave us thistestament.

The highlights are many and varied, fromthe heartfelt alto solo of Pakwana onNick Tete, the percussive Chris McGregorpiano on Joyful Noises, the searing MikeOsborne on Think of Something, and theway the theme of Do It emerges from theinitial mêlée – bringing Mike Westbrookto mind. But, best of all, is that Africanfeel that is all pervading in thecompositions.

I find it easy to believe that there is not ared blooded contemporary jazz lover whowould not exchange his grandmother toacquire this wild, anarchic, joyous music.As Richard Williams says in the linernotes “Remember, it’s what touches yourheart that counts”.

BS

O’Donel LevySIMBAAim AIM1609CD

Regarded by many as a minor classic ofthe soul jazz era , Levy was already a wellregarded player when he recorded this.He replaced George Benson in JackMcDuff’s combo and then transferredinto Jimmy McGriff’s band. McGriffmentored Levy through the start of the1970s, giving him his recording debut onthe Blue Note album Black Pearl. Hewas also instrumental in Levy signing toSonny Lester’s Groove Merchant records.

Regarded as one of the up and comingjazz guitarists, Levy was paired with writerand arranger Manny Albam (SonnyLester’s musical director since 64 whocould also claim Count Basie, Stan Getzand Dizzy Gillespie on an impressive CV). 29

The Rhythm SistersTELL ME HOW LONG THEBOAT’S BEEN GONERadio Geronimo RAGCD001

Debi and Mandi Laek, singing andsongwriting siblings from Leeds, are backunder their performing moniker – TheRhythm Sisters.

Way back in the 80s the sisters took thepop world by storm with the release oftheir debut album The Road ToRoundhay Pier. Comparisons were madereferencing the likes of The Kinks, TheJam, and even the late Syd Barrett

Theirs is a wholly British approach tosongwriting, idiosyncratic tales from theirWest Yorkshire landscape with backingfrom, amongst others, punk peers SteveJones and Bruce Foxton, not to mentionhonorary Rhythm Sister, Bill Byford.Staying close to their original ideas, thisalbum builds on the roots established bythe first. The vocal themes have maturedand the instrumentation has evolvedfrom acoustic to semi-acoustic, but thatquirky freshness remains.

A neat trick to pull off after such a long‘rest’ period.

AL

Domenic DeciccoSTILL LIVES & DREAMERSTwin Arrows Music TWIN 113

Italian-Canadian brothers Domenic andVincent Decicco established themselveson the London music scene during the90s playing as a duo and also as thedriving force behind eclectic multi-fusionensemble Praying For The Rain. This isDomenic’s solo debut and is a reflectivecollection of songs, a personal musicaldiary in effect, about his development asa musician, a writer and a man.

The opening and title track comes acrossas an overview or introduction to thesubject matter of the album, with eachfollowing song specifically addressing oneof the reference points.

The arrangements and multi-layeredproduction is coaxed along by somesplendid picked acoustic guitaraccompaniment, but the real ‘instrument’here is Domenic’s voice. He has thatsingular talent of making the listener feelhe/she is a personal friend, speciallychosen to be party to his innermostthoughts.

The songs cover the familiar themes oflove, found and nurtured, lost andremembered. As an exile there are alsomany travel references and thechallenges of making a life as a musician,writer and producer in a foreign land. Avery rewarding listen.

AL

Dave Pegg & PJ WrightGALILEO’S APOLOGYMatty Grooves MGCD045

You crawl out of bed to find the coffeejar delivers one solitary bean; you marchto the station in torrential rain to findyour train has been cancelled. This is justthe right time to play Galileo’s Apologyon your personal music system. Stalwartsof the folk and folk/rock cognoscenti,Dave Pegg & PJ Wright deliver an albumthat just exudes the sheer joy theyobviously had whilst making it.

Three new songs from PJ, two agility-testing instrumentals and the heart-rending tribute Song For Sandy fromPeggy plus seven covers of material fromfriends and heroes, this is just a delightfrom start to finish.

PJ touches upon cheap imitations,grouchy old man, and the politics ofreligion but all with his tongue locatedfirmly in cheek. Both are also at the topof their game when arranging andinterpreting from as diverse sources asSandy Denny and Paul Anka, SteveAshley and Robbie Robertson.

Apology accepted!AL

Aidan JollySYSTEM FAULTWell Red Productions WR001

Eclectic and tricky to pigeonhole, this isone of those albums that grows witheach listening. The debut of Manchester-based performer Aidan Jolly, it’s by turnscinematic and gritty, with some songsintense and atmospheric (Landfall andFire), while others have a raw live feel(Dennis The Menace, Sea To The Sky).

Ably assisted by some excellent guestmusicians, it has a transparent quality inits production that frames a vocal stylewith rootsy immediacy, focusing on thesong more than the singer.

What really sets it apart, though, are thelyrics, which range through the personaland political combining wit, poetry andpassion. The style of writing belongs tothe long English tradition of song writing,while the arrangements are extremelyvaried, reflecting a range of influences.

A powerful and absorbing set of songs.As Maverick pointed out in their review,“Everything that is good about “SYSTEMFAULT” derives from its spirit. When yousit & absorb what it is he’s trying to say,then the deep emotions & power washover you.“

AL

REVIEW ROUNDUP reviews and news

THE RHYTHM SISTERS

DOMENIC DECICCO

AIDAN JOLLY

THE DAMNWELLS

DAVE PEGG & PJ WRIGHT

30

The DamnwellsAIR STEREOZoe ZOE1104

For those of you who picked up issuefour of Properganda , you already knowthat we think the Damnwells rock. Thereare big guitars, killer tunes, impassionedvocals, tub-thumping drums and plentyof fist punching, riff crunching momentsto hit the power-pop-toaster-competition-newker-meltdown-button. (Or somethinglike that!) The world is there for thetaking. But Wait...The Damnwells havedamn well done it the hard way inAmerica, where contrary to the logic ofthese things, the Brooklyn quartet havehad to work hard for every inch ofrecognition, the opening slot for CheapTrick aside. They’ve toured their asses offacross the States and it would be great ifthey could come and do that here, but itseems we’ll have to wait for a little whileat least.

In the meantime content yourself with AirStereo as it lurches into life with I’ve GotYou, sounding like ELO put through PaulWesterberg’s mincer. Accidental Man,which follows, also has just a hint of theReplacements careering take on popmusic as it comes to a juddering finaledrenched in distortion and feedback. It’snot all devil may care, however, there aresome pure pop moments: Golden Daysand Louisville return to the ELO or almostBeatles feel and the latter, in particular,prompts a more tender vocalperformance finishing under a subtlewash of strings.

There are some fairly epic momentsthroughout the record, but they are keptin check and prevented from becomingoverblown by some keen production thatsucceeds in changing the point of interestat regular intervals. (Think Big Star.) Mostof all it’s Alex Dezen’s voice that keepsthings rooted: at times it’s a velvet glovedcaress, but the gloved hand can also packa punch. Lyrically as well, the whole thingoffers intrigue. It has a poet heart withenough lines thrown out suitably baitedto reel you in.

There’s a trio of tracks from nine toeleven starting with the smartly titled andimpeccably arranged Kung Fu Grip Kiss,through the New York drive of I Am ALeaver, to the stand out Graceless thatrewards playing this through in onesitting. The climax is fitting as well, withKeep A Little Organ offering the mostobviously Lennon/ McCartney/ Lynnemoments, with the positively freaked GodBless America nailing the final twist as a10 minute proggie opus.

Fans of Wilco, Westerberg, The Shins, etal should take note and damn well buythis record.

SH

Tell us what you think and e-mailproperganda@proper.uk.com