Tag Archives: traditional

January 1, 2021 · 14:50

Glory of the Sun

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. (1 Corinthians 15)

We are stardust… (Joni Mitchell)

A shiny-bright tune to wish one and all a kindly New Year of health, happiness and fellowship!

Glory of the Sun is from Playford’s 1657 English Dancing Master, paired here with Rob Harbron’s ultimate driving-with-the-windows-down composition The Road to Poynton. English folk trio Leveret spin a set to raise our spirits in dark times ‒  for in the shortest days and darkest hours of the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice rolls us surely back towards the Sun, and into an untrodden New Year.

Leveret

Andy Cutting (diatonic button accordion), Rob Harbron (English concertina), Sam Sweeney (fiddle)

Recorded live for their 2016 album In The Round

(Glory of the Sun / The Road to Poynton, YouTube video 5.46. Published by Leveret on Feb 25, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kMR3Cz5oPg)

Leveret have a new double album out, Variations Live, recorded live in lockdown. Find it here https://leveretband.com/music-shop (But be quick – it’s limited to 1,000 copies!)  

Leveret: website Facebook Twitter YouTube

(Image: Detail of a miniature of Cephus (the King), from Ptolemy’s Almagest. British Library.)

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September 30, 2018 · 16:40

Milford

 

 

Andy Cutting’s lovely bourrée Milford seems to be rarely played. Here he is: first, playing it for a dance; and second, teaching it at workshop. As far as multi-instrumental versions go, the tune is part of trio Leveret’s repertoire (of which Andy is a member), but the only online video of a live performance is too poor a recording to be worth sharing, so finally I’ll link you to the marvellous audio from their album New Anything, on Spotify.

 

Andy Cutting (diatonic button accordion)

Playing for an Italian community dance in 2012.

(‘Millford (Andy Cutting), YouTube video 4.46. Published by girando49, Mar 13 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uGZxf4Zb5U)

 

Andy Cutting (diatonic button accordion)

Teaching session at a Bonn, Germany, workshop in 2014.

(‘Milford – Andy Cutting’, YouTube video 2.25. Published by mattias de smet, May 20 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9FbuxBArc8)

 

Leveret

Andy Cutting (diatonic button accordion), Rob Harbron (concertina), Sam Sweeney (fiddle)

Audio track from their their 2016 album New Anything.

https://open.spotify.com/search/results/Leveret%20Milford

 

Andy Cutting:  website  Facebook

Leveret:  website  Facebook

 

 

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April 2, 2018 · 18:15

The Shepherd and the Shepherdess / Maiden Lane

 

A long, hard winter is still trying to cling on here in London – but I’m banishing the blues (and ending a dismally long Fiddletails break) with this absolute frolic of a set guaranteed to put the Spring back in your step.

The Shepherd and the Shepherdess is from an unpublished manuscript found by Boldwood members in the Vaughan Williams Library, Cecil Sharp House, London (home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society). Maiden Lane is an early Playford tune, from the 1651 first edition.

Two tunes across three videos, then. First, Christine Cooper and Jamie Huddlestone play both tunes as a fiddle/melodeon set (Key: G). Second, the Boldwood string/accordion quartet play Maiden Lane with a different flavour (G). And we finish with fiddler Laurel Swift’s slow teaching video of Maiden Lane (A).

Aaaand…. dance!

 

Christine Cooper (fiddle), Jamie Huddlestone (melodeon)

(‘The Shepherd and the Shepherdess / Maiden Lane’, YouTube video 3.58. Published by Christine Cooper on Jul 20 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8H8W7eAQJM)

 

Boldwood

Becky Price (accordion), Daniel Wolverson (viola), Matthew Coatsworth (fiddle), Kate Moran (fiddle)

Filmed during a recording session at Christ Church, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England in November 2016.

(‘Boldwood – Maiden Lane’, YouTube video 2.45. Published by Boldwood on Dec 1 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCUTMHVp0S0)

 

Laurel Swift (fiddle)

Teaching video made for Laurel’s West London Folk Bank class at the West London Trades Union Centre in Acton, London.

(‘Maiden Lane’, YouTube video 1.34. Published by Mary Doody on Sep 19 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HXSjaeP2gQ)

 

Christine Cooper Bandcamp Tumblr Folk and Honey

CD available at: http://christinecooper.tumblr.com/music

 

Jamie Huddlestone Soundcloud Youtube

 

Boldwood website Facebook

New album Glory of the West and previous CDs available from the website, plus two brilliant dance tune books: The Boldwood Dancing Master, a book of over 70 English country dance tunes from 1679 to 1838; and The Second Boldwood Dancing Master, over 60 tunes from 18th century manuscripts with suggested chords

 

Laurel Swift website Facebook

Details of Laurel’s collaborative folk music project Travelling With Thomas

Laurel’s West London Folk Band tunes: YouTube and ealingsessions

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December 3, 2017 · 17:05

Christmas Time in the Morning

 

As the northern hemisphere days draw in, there’s the promise of the winter solstice and that first imperceptible swing back towards the light. To celebrate the season, here’s a blithe spirit of a tune from the Civil War era, recorded on a summery backyard deck, and posted in chill December in time to get it down and playable for Christmas.

(I was unable to contact the musicians; I hope they’ll forgive being fiddletailed without permission – it was just too delightful to resist.)

 

Joe Huff (fiddle), John Meade (banjo)

(‘Christmas Time in the Morning’ Civil war era fiddle tune – Joe Huff fiddle & John Meade banjo’, YouTube video 3:57. Published by Graham Meade, Aug 13 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgxxeMebSc8 )

 

 

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October 14, 2017 · 13:32

Gunga

 

Pre-eminent English melodeon player Andy Cutting presents this airy tune in two videos, one teaching, and one performance. According to a YouTube comment, ‘Andy isn’t sure of the real name, and only knows that it’s Scandinavian.’ If you knowGunga’s secret identity, please let us all know!

Andy Cutting is renowned for his work with a number of iconic bands, including Leveret, Blowzabella and Topette. You can hear him live right now, along with fiddler Sam Sweeney and conertina-player Rob Harbron, on the current Leveret album launch tour.

 

Andy Cutting (melodeon)

Recorded playing for his class at the 2016 Burwell Bash folk music summer school.

(‘Andy Cutting, playing “Gunga” Melodeon and Accordion Workshop Burwell Bash 2016’, YouTube video 4.36. Published by Burwell Bash Aug 22 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6los3syfWVg)

 

Andy Cutting (melodeon), Jock Tyldesley (fiddle), Tola Custy (fiddle), Katherine Mann (flute), Brian Finnegan (whistle), Ed Boyd (guitar)

‘Gunga’ is first tune up (1.20) in this clip from the wonderfully eclectic 2016 Burwell Bash tutors’ concert.

(‘The Tutors’ Group Performance, Burwell Bash 2016 Tutors Concert’, YouTube video 16.15. Published by Burwell Bash, Aug 9 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvHsEn-jdM0)

 

Andy Cutting:  website   Facebook   Twitter

 

Leveret:  Current tour   website   Facebook   Twitter

New album Inventions available from RootBeat Records and via their website

 

Burwell Bash 2018:  http://www.burwellbash.info/

 

Use the Fiddletails search box to find more tunes by Leveret and Blowzabella

 

 

 

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September 11, 2017 · 19:39

Farewell Trion

 

A panoramic view from the top of Lookout Mountain, overlooking Chattanooga, February 1864, by George N Barnard.

 

The haunting Farewell Trion began life as a two-part tune composed by fiddler Joe Blalock (b.1854) on his return home to Mentone, Alabama, after he’d been laid off from the mill in Trion, Georgia. Joe’s great-nephew Mack Blalock (1914-1987) got the tune from him, and passed it on to acclaimed present-day fiddler James Bryan, his neighbour in the Lookout Mountain region of Alabama. In the 1980s, James added the third part that we hear in these two gorgeous renderings.

You can find more background on the tune’s origins and the Trion mill at banjohangout. I’ve been unable to find any way to contact James Bryan; I do hope he won’t mind too much that I’ve Fiddletailed him without permission.

 

James Bryan (fiddle)

Recorded at MerleFest, 1993, accompanied by Carl Jones and Tom Jackson

(‘James Bryan – Farewell Trion’, YouTube video 1:32. Published Feb 28, 2011, by Barry Brower. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOar4KegZiY)

 

Tashina Clarridge (fiddle), Jefferson Hamer (guitar)

From a 2011 performance on Bainbridge Island, WA, USA.

(‘Farewell Trion (Fiddle Tune)’, YouTube video 6:23. Published Mar 14, 2011, by realtimesw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w9LpD-Gnro)

 

Tashina Clarridge:  Facebook  The Bee Eaters

Jefferson Hamer:     website  The Murphy Beds  with Eamon O’Leary

 

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August 13, 2017 · 12:59

Morning Hambo

 

 

Olaus Magnus Historia om de nordiska folken. Bok 1 – Kapitel 1 – Om Bjarmaland, dess läge och beskaffenhet. Utgivningsår 1555.

 

What better on a sunny Sunday than this wonderful daybreak of a tune! The hambo is an old Swedish dance, part of a set of old folk dances known as Gammaldans. This modern hambo was composed by acclaimed American mountain dulcimer player Mark Gilston.

 

Mark Gilston (mountain dulcimer)

 

(‘Morning Hambo by Mark Gilston on mountain dulcimer’, YouTube video 1:54. Published on Oct 5 2016 by Tradman X. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca0qqzKiEco)

 

And here’s a brief clip of how to dance the hambo. Enjoy!

 

(‘Folkdans, Gammaldans.Hambo’, YouTube video 0:43. Published on Jun 2 2009 by Josephina Jia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCfGTvjXNOw)

 

Mark Gilston:  website   Facebook   YouTube

 

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July 16, 2017 · 12:45

Sylvia’s Serenade/Blew Bell Hornpipe

 

insect dance_b

 

It’s been a shamefully long time since my last post (see News), but to make up for it, here’s a great set of tunes for fiddling, dancing, whistling (if you’re good enough!) and all-round good-timing. Wonderfully synchopated, fun to learn, and total ear-worms. What could be better for a Sunday afternoon?

Two videos: first, ace English folk trio Leveret playing the two tunes as a set, followed by melodeon-player Anahata with a three-part version of the 18th-century Blew Bell (a 3/2 hornpipe). And as always, you’ll find the usual folk/aural tradition variations in the tunes as played. Just choose your favourite, and off you go!

 

Leveret

Andy Cutting (diatonic button accordion), Rob Harbron (English concertina), Sam Sweeney (fiddle)

From a 2015 concert in Lummen, Belgium. You can hear the set on their album New Anything.

(‘Sylvia’s Serenade / Blew Bell Hornpipe’ YouTube video, 7:08. Published by mattias de smet, Nov 13 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzRwD8Ny4HM)

 

Anahata (melodeon)

(‘Blew Bell Hornpipe – Anahata, melodeon’ YouTube video, 1:32. Published by anahatamelodeon, Feb 15, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAPD1xbyLMM)

 

Gig Alert! Leveret are currently touring! https://www.leveretband.com/gigs

Leveret:  website   Facebook  Twitter

Anahata:  website   YouTube

 

 

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March 21, 2017 · 20:05

Bacon Rind

 

 

Get your contra dancing shoes on for this deceptively simple ear-worm of a tune from the playing of Kentucky fiddler Everett Kays.

Here are three versions.

Take 1: Everett Kays lays the tune out at dance speed with a stringband for the original 1973 field recording (now in the Berea College Southern Appalachian Archives*).

Takes 2 and 3: Seattle-based fiddler Greg Canote plays two slow teaching versions – first a music camp video; second, a slightly more uptempo audio track from the Canote Brothers’ Seattle stringband class.

Key of G, standard tuning on all three recordings. Choose whichever speed suits you best for tunecatching, and for playing along with once you’ve got it down.

 

Everett Kays (fiddle), accompanied by unnamed musicians

Anderson County, Kentucky, 1973

(Tune number B02 on reel BG-R003 in the Bruce Greene Collection SAA90, Berea College Southern Appalachian Archives. http://dla.acaweb.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/berea/id/317/rec/2)

 

Greg Canote (fiddle), Candy Goldman (banjo)

Filmed at Walker Creek Music Camp, October 2014

(‘Bacon Rind’, YouTube video, 1:25. Published by Wayne Grabowski, Oct 13, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y58B5H-maPc)

 

Greg Canote (fiddle), Candy Goldman (banjo), Jere Canote (guitar)

Recorded at the Seattle Stringband class, April 2014

 

Canote Brothers:  website  (move the radio dial to search!) and Seattle Stringband class

Maya Whitmont’s compilation of audio tracks and banjo tabs from the Seattle class here

*Digital Library of Appalachia/Berea College Southern Appalachian Archives:  website

 

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March 1, 2017 · 14:18

Mrs Saggs

fiddle-saggs

I’ve wanted to learn this beautiful air for a long time. Composed by English musician/songwriter/composer Chris Wood – one of English folk music’s iconic fiddlers – it seems to have become known online predominantly as a melodeon tune. The version I’ve chosen for tunecatching is played on melodeon with clarity and heart by Cambridgeshire-based musician Anahata.

Fiddle versions are few and far between, but I love the Will Pound Band’s soulful arrangement* with English fiddler Henry Webster. Enjoy it here (Will preferred me not to embed the video as the band is no longer together, but as it’s still up online I’m assuming a simple link is acceptable.) *Note that harmonica virtuoso Will tweaks the straight melody to fit the harmonica’s range.

Anahata (Oakwood D/G melodeon)

(‘Mrs Saggs – a tune by Chris Wood – Anahata, melodeon’. YouTube video, 2:33. Uploaded by anahatamelodeon on Aug 18, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv2LkaxLOw4)

Anahata:  website

Henry Webster:  website

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