Julie Fowlis at Cadogan Hall

Great concert tonight down at a packed Cadogan Hall, hearing Julie Fowlis. Just Éamon Doorley on Bouzouki, Tony Byrne on guitar and Duncan Chisholm on fiddle these days. Lots of mouth music, piping, vocals and instrumentals, a bit of Runrig and The Beatles and ending with some bagpipe work. Great stuff. Very entertaining and skillful.

Pedair

On Friday night I accompanied my wife to a fundraiser for the London Welsh School in a Welsh Chapel off Oxford Street. The Welsh folk group Pedair performed. A guitars and harps combo they are of a very high standard and mainly performed their own material (all yn Gymraeg, wrth gwrs). It was a very nice evening. More here.

The Ballad of Willis Island

My wife and I enjoyed this new film with Carey Mulligan at the cinema last Saturday. It's a nice gentle film about music and fame and money and love and art and integrity. We really enjoyed it.

New Kate Rusby Christmas Album Out Today

The sixth Christmas album by Kate Rusby is avaiable from today. Kicking off with a nice version of Brightest and best of the sons of morning (Spean) followed by one of those atmospheric winter songs we have come to love (Glorious), the eleven track set is familiar in some ways yet fresh and will be much enjoyed over the next 25 days and beyond. Inevitbly, there is yet another version of While shepherds, of course. In the end it's that voice that's key. Wonderful.

Hoping to see her on December 11.

Kate Rusby at the Cadogan Hall 2022

We went off to a concert last night down in central London. We took public transport to Sloane Square and had a nice vegan meal at a Wulf and Lamb. We were in our seats in good time for an excellent concert in two haves. We've only been to Christmas concerts before so it was good to see the regular type concert. We had lots of chat and lots of songs, mostly from Thirty and Hand me down (including Ghost, Three little birds, If I had a boat, Maybe Tomorrow, We will sing, Jenny, Cruel, Hunter Moon and Only desire what you have) and a short session from the excellent five piece band. We ended with Blooming Heather and then Underneath the Stars as an encore. Great evening.

365 Albums Notes

I have enjoyed putting together 365 albums in a list, one each for every day of 2020. This represents nearly all, but not quite all, the albums I own (one or two Jan Akkermans, one by the Van Leer Band, and two Christmas albums did not make the cut). Of course, I also own singles, EPs and Best of albums too and a fair bit of classical music, which was not included. Over a hundred album artists are included plus two by various artists from Coen Brothers films.

The albums all come from the period 1963-2020, except the 1957 album The Chirping Crickets. Most of the albums are from the seventies, unsurprisingly, with some 114 represented. There are also

30 from the sixties,

55 from the eighties,

45 from the nineties,

55 from the noughties

and another 46 in this last decade.

The most albums from any one year, again unsurprisingly (I was 16 that year) is 16 from 1975, beating 1970 by just one. The 1975 albums are by Tangerine Dream (3), Edgar Froese, Vangelis, Focus, Ekseption, Trace, Thijs van Leer (2), Philip Catherine, Camel, Mike Oldfield (2), Joni Mitchell, The Chieftains and Horslips.

In 1970 it was albums by The Beatles, T Rex (2), Creedence Clearwater Revival (2), Santana, Traffic, Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, The Nice, Ekseption (2), Focus, Bojoura and Fairport Convention.

Another Christmas album from Kate Rusby

Once again Kate Rusby has released a December Christmas album. This is the fifth one and it is called Holly Head (hard not to say that in a North Walian accent for some of us). It follows a similar format to previous albums and so seemed a little tame at first but I am getting into it.

We kick off with Salute The Morn an eighteenth century hymn with some nice guitar work from husband Damien O'Kane. Christmas Is Merry is the first of three originals but with a traditional tune.  The Holly King is very much on the pagan side of things. Hippo For Christmas revives a forgotten novelty hit from the fifties, complete with tuba accompaniment.

There are four traditional carols on the album next. Yorkshire Three Ships, Lu Lay (or the Wexford or Coventry carol) and a laudable sixth version of While Shepherds Watched follow each other in swift succession and are done well. We have to wait one track until the great Victorian hymn Bleak Midwinter done to a Yorkshire tune.

The Mistletoe Bough turns to an 1844 song apparently published in Songs, Ballads and Other Poems. By Thomas Haynes Bayly (of Home Sweet Home fame) and Sir Henry Bishop it is based on the sad story of The Mistletoe Bride which, first related in 1823, tells of how a young bride suffocated on her wedding day unable to get out of a large chest where she had hidden in an ill-fated game of hide and seek. The legend has been ascribed to several different counties, this one is about Lovell Hall, Oxfordshire. It is a jolly song despite the tragic content.

Celestial Hearts is a Yorkshire variant of ‘New Celestial’, arranged by Rusby and O’Kane and I Am Christmas is a simple treatment of a 2010 song written by Bill Meek and John Conolly,

The album closes with another episode in the story of Barnsley's own Big Brave Bill B.B.B.B is Bill, Beryl, Belinda and Bob this time. This time he gets rescued.

Sorry not to hear any banjo this time. The brass and guitars, etc, are here still. Great arrangementss but it is the voice that wins it. The Barnsley lass seems to have pulled it off again. We are looking forward to seeing her soon.

Philip Miles and Sturla Eide

One of our church members is touring the country early in April. More details here.

For a sample of the music try here.

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 7 Awake arise good Christians

Awake, arise good Christians, let nothing you dismay,
For unto us our Saviour was born upon this day!
The self-same moon was shining that now is in the sky,
When a holy band of angels came down from God on high!

Hosanna! Hosanna! To Jesus we'll sing,
Hosanna! Hosanna! Our Saviour, our King.

“Fear not, we bring good tidings, for on this happy morn,
The promised One, the Saviour, in Bethlehem's town was born!”
Up rose the simple shepherds, all with a joyful mind,
“Then let us go in haste,” they say, “This Holy Child to find.”

And like unto the shepherds, we wander far and near,
And bid you wake, good Christians, the joyful news to hear:
Awake, arise, good Christians, Let nothing you dismay,
For unto us our Saviour was born upon this day!
(repeat first verse and chorus twice)

This is abother Yorkshire one sung by Kate Rusby on Sweet Bells

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 6 Drive the cold winter away

Census at Bethlehem
(Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

This is an Elizabethan song, again from Kate Rusby's The Frost is all over

All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights,
As well for the poor as the peer!
And good fortune attends each merry man's friend,
That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with music and songs,
To drive the cold winter away.

'Tis ill for a mind to anger inclined
To think of small injuries now,
If it's wrath that you seek, do not lend her your cheek
Nor let her inhabit thy brow.
Cast out of thy books malevolent looks,
Both beauty and youth's decay,
And wholly consort with mirth and sport
To drive the cold winter away.

Oh this time of the year is spent in good cheer
And neighbours together do meet,
Oh to sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love to greet.
And old grudges forgot are put in the pot,
And sorrows aside they all lay,
The old and the young doth carol this song,
To drive the cold winter away.

When Christmas tide comes in a like a bride,
With holly and ivy clad,
For twelve days of the year are spent in good cheer
In every household is glad.
Then the country guise is then to devise
Some gambols of Christmas play,
And every young man does the best that he can
To drive the cold winter away.

This is another version

All hail to the days that merit more praise
Than all the rest of the year,
And welcome the nights that double delights,
As well for the poor as the peer!
Good fortune attend each merry man's friend,
That doth but the best that he may;
Forgetting old wrongs, with carols and songs,
To drive the cold winter away.

This time of the year is spent in good cheer,
And neighbours together do meet,
To sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love do greet;
Old grudges forgot, are put in the pot,
All sorrows aside they lay,
The old and the young doth carol his song,
To drive the cold winter away.

To mask and to mum kind neighbours will come
With wassails of nut-brown ale,
To drink and carouse to all in the house,
As merry as bucks in the dale;
Where cake, bread and cheese is brought for your fees,
To make you the longer stay;
At the fire to warm will do you no harm,
To drive the cold winter away.

When Christmastide comes in like a bride,
With holly and ivy clad,
Twelve days in the year, much mirth and good cheer,
In every household is had;
The country guise is then to devise
Some gambols of Christmas play,
Whereat the young men do best that they can,
To drive the cold winter away.

When white-bearded frost hath threatened his worst,
And fallen from branch and brier,
Then time away calls, from husbandry halls
And from the good countryman's fire,
Together to go to plough and to sow,
To get us both food and array;
And thus with content the time we have spent
To drive the cold winter away.

I also have instrumental versions by Horslips to the traditional tune

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 5 Wish you a merry Christmas

This is a traditional song sung with various words. This is a SouthYorkshire version as sung by Kate Rusby on The Frost is all over

We singers make bold, as in days of old,
To celebrate Christmas and bring you good cheer;
Glad tidings we bring to you and your King,
To wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Glad he shepherds amazed as upward they gazed,
Behold holy angels to them drawing near;
Sing peace to all men as onward they came
To wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

So join heart and hand across this great land
In hope, peace adn kindness throughout the New Year,
In an innocent way be merry today,
To wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
And we ...

I also have versions by Enya and by Richie Blackmore

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 3 Ane sang of the birth of Christ

Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Ane Sang Of The Birth Of Christ (Balulalow)

Scottish 16th Century written by James, John and Robert Wedderburn

I come fra hevin here to tell

The best nowells that e'er befell

To you their tythings trew I bring

And I will of them say and sing.

To you this day is born ane child

Of Marie meik and Virgin mild.

That blissit bairn bening and kind (bening and kind)

Shall you rejoyce baith hart and mind.

Lat us rejoyis and be blyth

And with the Hydris go full swyth

And see what God of his grace has done

Throu Christ to bring us to his throne

My saull and life, stand up and see

What lyis in ane cribbe of tree.

What Babe is that, sa gude and fair? (sa gue and fair?)

It is Christ, God's Son and Air.

The silk and sandell thee to eis

Ar hay and sempill sweilling clais,

Whar thou greit glorious God and King

As thou in hev'n war in thy ring.

And war the warld ten times sa wide,

Cled ouer with gold and stanes of pride

Unworthie yit it were to thee

Under thy feet ane stule to be.

O my deir hart, yung Jesus sweit,

Prepare thy creddil in my spreit!

And I shall rock thee in my hart

And never mair fra thee depart.

Bot I sall praise thee evermoir

With sangis sweit unto thy gloir.

The kneis of my hart sall I bow,

And sing that rycht Balulalow.

This is again from Carols and capers by Maddy Prtor and the Carnival Band

10 Lesser known Christmas Songs 2 My dancing day

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;

I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance;

Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love, my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love

Then was I born of a virgin pure,
Of her I took fleshly substance
Thus was I knit to man's nature
To call my true love to my dance.

In a manger laid, and wrapped I was

So very poor, this was my chance
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass
To call my true love to my dance.

Other verses go as follows

Then afterwards baptized I was;

The Holy Ghost on me did glance,
My Father’s voice heard from above,
To call my true love to my dance.

Into the desert I was led,

Where I fasted without substance;
The Devil bade me make stones my bread,
To have me break my true love's dance.

The Jews on me they made great suit,

And with me made great variance,
Because they loved darkness rather than light,
To call my true love to my dance.

For thirty pence Judas me sold,

His covetousness for to advance:
Mark whom I kiss, the same do hold!
The same is he shall lead the dance.

Before Pilate the Jews me brought,

Where Barabbas had deliverance;
They scourged me and set me at nought,
Judged me to die to lead the dance.

Then on the cross hanged I was,

Where a spear my heart did glance;
There issued forth both water and blood,
To call my true love to my dance.

Then down to hell I took my way
For my true love's deliverance,
And rose again on the third day,
Up to my true love and the dance.

Then up to heaven I did ascend,
Where now I dwell in sure substance
On the right hand of God, that man
May come unto the general dance.

I know the first part from the Maddy Prior and the Carnival band album Carols and capers. The traditional song goes back to Mediaeval times and is said to be the root of the modern song Lord of the dance.

10 Lesser known Christmas songs 1 Awake my soul

Awake my soul! Awake my tongue!
My glory wake and sing
To celebrate the holy birth
Of Israel's King.

Awake, awake my soul
Awake, awake awake my soul, awake my tongue
Awake me

O happy this night that brought forth the light
Which makes the blind to see
The Dayspring from on high came down to thee.

Awake, awake my soul
Awake, awake awake my soul, awake my tongue
Awake me

In Bethlehem
The Christ child he lies
Within a place obscure
Your Saviour's come
O sing to God on high

This is by Benjamin Keach and I know it from Page CXVI's Advent to Christmas

A fuller vision goes

Awake my soul! Awake my tongue!
My glory wake and sing
To celebrate the holy birth
Of Israel's King.

Awake, awake my soul
Awake, awake awake my soul, awake my tongue
Awake me

O happy this night that brought forth the light
Which makes the blind to see
The Dayspring from on high came down to thee.

Awake, awake my soul
Awake, awake awake my soul, awake my tongue
Awake me

In Bethlehem
The Christ child he lies
Within a place obscure
Your Saviour's come
O sing to God on high

Pentangle - Light Flight

Kate Rusby Christmas at the Barbican 2017

Great to be at a pretty full Barbican tonight for a Kate Rusby Christmas concert with Eleri. First time I've seen her live. We had three versions of While Shepherds, a brilliant Paradise, good fun numbers like Santa never brings me a banjo and The Ivy and the holly and a song about wassailing plus a little instrumental diversion from the boys in the band (which included a five piece brass band for many numbers) along with many other delights culminating (before a two song encore) with Big brave Bill, Christmas version to close. Kate loves to chat and explained all the songs and threw in some humour too. Great atmosphere. As a Christian the words of some of those hymns really mean a whole load more but there was nothing irreverend about any of what we got.

Kate Rusby Angels and Men

One might have thought that another seasonal album of equal quality to the others impossible but Kate Rusby has done it. Her fourth such album, Angels and Men, has just come out and I see no discernible diminution in quality. This is a worthy addition to go alongside Sweet Bells (2008) While Mortals Sleep (2011) and Now the Frost is over (2015). The formula (folk band with some addition of brass or electric instruments and very occassional banjo playing songs ancient and modern, sacred and secular, serious and jocular) is the same and works well once again.

One might have thought Deck the Halls or See Amid the Winter's Snow had been covered before but no, here they are for the first time. I think we have had Sweet Chiming Bells but it is here with an alternative tune. Hark hark hark (also done before) and Rolling Downward are traditionals more off the beaten track. Let it snow is another case of taking an MoR song (compare Kris Kringle and Winter Wonderland) and folkifying it.

The traditiuonal Paradise stand out a little here but without spoiling the ambience.

The other source of material is contemporary folk and so we have Richard Thomson's We'll sing Hallelujah, David Myles' Santa never brings me a banjo and The Ivy and the Holly by Chris Sugden, which I think is very funny.

The final two tracks on the album are Let the Bells Ring and Big Brave Bill Saves Christmas fine songs penned by the lass herself.

Alterum

A new studio album from Julie Fowlis appeared yesterday and I have begun to listen to it. Alterum contains 11 tracks and, as one would expect, there is plenty of Gaelic. However, almost for the first time, English gets a look in - with Go your way and Windward away with Mary Chapin Carpenter. who also sings with Julie (in Gaelic!) on the opening track. There is also a spoken intro in English on Cearcall Mun Ghealaich (circle around the moon) done very nicely and uniquely here with piano.

Another duet is Camariñas, a song in praise of the Galician town of the same name with Gillebrìde MacMillan. Instrumentally, there is more of an orchestral feel (strings at least) to many tracks and the bodhran hardly gets a look in. No a capella songs or instrumentals this time round. Puirt a beul style mouth music is again featured (on two tracks) but it seems a little restrained somehow compared with earlier offerings.

It is important for artists to somehow follow up on previous albums and yet develop in some way as album follows album - not easy to achieve. This album seems to manage it and I look forward to getting to know it better in the coming weeks.

Planxty After the break

I still have this box full of old cassette tapes, mostly classical, that needs sorting. (Remember cassettes anyone?). Among them is a copy of Irish group Planxty's fourth album from 1979 After the break. I have no idea when I bought it (obviously after 1979 and no doubt before 1990, probably in 1980 or 1981) but I remember playing it with enjoyment. It has been good to enjoy them again. There are eight tracks (two tracks recorded at the time were added to the CD). They are somewhere between Chieftains and Horslips I guess. I remember one of my sons enjoying the first album a while back and I have Follow me up to Carlow on my ipod. They are probably due a retro exploration some time soon.

Two lovely folk songs

I heard these two songs on my ipod earlier today. Worth sharing I reckon.