September 27th 2016

Great Night. Old friends and local first timers, Lisa, Steve and Aaron. Good to have a visit from Carol and Dave from Crawcrook. (I will call him Dave of C. due to the proliferation of Daves, two of whom have the same initial.) Instruments were smallpipes (Anglo-French and hybrid), dulcimer and several guitars.
Carol and Dave of C. kicked off with the evocative song about emigrants, 'Outside Track,' words by Australian poet Henry Lawson, music by Gerry Hallom. Dave of C. sang 'Rap 'er te Bank,' the well-known Tyneside song. David continued with 'Old Fid' narrated by an old sailor reminiscing. Dave on guitar gave us 'The Rolling Hills of the Border' and the tune 'Calliope House.' I produced my fiddle for the first time and gave dismal attempted rendering of 'The Rose Tree' which has similarities to the tune of the song that followed, 'The False Knight on the Road.' However, onward and upward. Angus gave us the poignant, 'The Summer before the War,' words and music by Huw Williams.
Kevin's hybrid pipes were in good form with 'Wigh's Fancy' from the 'Peacock Manuscript' followed by a Spanish Tune.
Phil sang the wagon driver's song 'A Champion at Keeping 'em Rolling' by Ewan McColl and continuing the industrial theme, Katy sang,'The Doffing Mistress,' apparently about the children whose work was to put on and take off the spools for the spinning. The song was popular among spinners who added their own local verses.
Dave of C. gave us 'Sweet and Lovely Eileen o' Carroll' (otherwise known as 'The Fair and Charming Eileen O' Carroll') a lovely tune. Carol and Dave of C. then gave us another poignant song that the folk are so good at, John Fogerty's 'Paradise' aka, 'Mr Peabody's Coal Train' which continued the theme of industry but this time its destructive nature.
David played, 'Mr Preston's Hornpipe' on smallpipes.
Dave on guitar sang, 'My Name is Delaney.' Eliza followed with the Nortumbrian version of 'Scarborough Fair' 'Whittingham Fair' which apparently is a fragment also known as 'The Elfin Knight,' one of nineteen versions collected by Child (of ballad collection fame) and which he traced through many languages of Asia and Europe. Angus followed with 'Sally Gee.'
Kevin gave us 'Paddy Whack,' a jig from the Peacock Manuscript that goes under various names and 'Farewell...' (that's all i've got down for that one).
Phil, with 'Music of the Loom' by Danny Kyle continued the informal theme of work songs having researched them for last week's Brampton session (see 'Events' page). And why waste a song you've worked up. In a similar vein, Katy sang that touching country song, 'The Carter' and Carol, 'Byker Hill  and Walker Shore' with its reference to collier lads.
Dave of C. put in a Dulcimer tune (sorry not noted) and David followed with  'John Barleycorn is a Hero Bold.' Returning to the prevailing theme, Dave on guitar gavels Jez Lowe's 'Black Diamonds.'
Aaron leapt boldly into the fray with an improvised guitar tune in most accomplished style after only two weeks tuition with his father, Steve. Steve gave us an improvised jazz piece on guitar which added much appreciated variety and colour to the evening. Eliza joined David on pipes to provide the vocals for 'She Moved Through The Fair'. Angus was joined by Steve, both on guitar for John Mayall's blues, 'Sandy.'
Kevin's two Catalonian melodies on pipes were accompanied by Phil and Steve on guitars.
In my view you can never get enough Tyneside songs, nor indeed, enough of the same one twice and Phil, who had missed Dave of C's earlier rendering, fired up 'Rap 'er te Bank,' in his own inimitable style preceded by 'Jowl, Jowl and Listen Lads.' Katy, still at the mill, threw in 'The Dundee Weaver Lass.'
The mood changed with Dave of C's 'The Parting Glass' and Carol's 'Talk to me of Mendocino' by Anna McGarrigle, Phil's 'The Cocky Farmer' or 'Now I'm Easy' by Eric Bogle and Dave's 'Will you come away with me my bonnie lassie.'
We finished the night with a session of tunes: Dave gave us three tunes on guitar, 'Haste to the Wedding', Hogmanay Jig' and 'The Lemonville Jig,' an Irish and Scottish set. Then Aaron and Steve played together and Steve fired up a classical piece. Kevin played 'Frisky' and 'Highland Laddie' on pipes and Dave 'The March of the King of Laois' on Dulcimer. David on pipes played 'Sawney and Jockey,' 'Ham House' and 'Cherry Garden,' and Dave led tunes in G; 'Salmon Tails' and 'Jaimie Allen.'
Good to see you all. Hope to see Steve and family again, as well as all. October's date is the 25th.

August 2016

Thanks for coming from there to here those who trekked over various hills. David was at Whitby Festival so I was greatly pleased to see the friendly faces. Once more I am a little late with this (hols.). We were pleased to see Miriam before her departure for the continent. As well as guitar, Dave brought his electronic bagpipe (which can play in the tone of various types of pipe) this time and gave us some grand tunes. I wonder if this means we will hear him playing the traditional instrument at some point. Charlie also brought his guitar as well as fiddle - and some good songs.
Dave kicked off the night with 'The Galway Shawl' and Eliza continued with 'The Gallowa' Hills,' Katy, the ballad, 'The Nut Brown Maid' and Miriam, 'The Bunch of Thyme.
Tunes on Dave's bagpipe were 'The Hills of Argyle' and 'Highland Cathedral.' Angus led Egan's and Ryan's on mandolin.
Charlie gave us Doc Watson's 'A-Roving on a Winter's Night' and Phil 'The Day Before the War' (R. Johnson / Moose & Raffi, D.Pike) as sung by Roy Bailey. At this point Katy whisked us back to the sixteenth century, as is her wont with, 'A Ditty Delightful of Mother Watkin's Ale' which Miriam followed with 'Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy' and Dave 'Quare Bungle Rye.'
Tunes led by Angus were 'Winster Gallop,' 'Jamie Allen' and 'Salmon Tails.'
Eliza waded in with another Scottish song, 'The Shearing's No For Me' and Charlie the lovely ballad, 'The Earl of March's Daughter' set in Tushielaw, near Selkirk. Phil then weighed in with his own song 'The First Man on the Moon was a Cumbrian' about Josh Salkeld from Cockermouth who took off from Great Gable and may well be on the dark side to this very day, a song containing local references of scientific interest to the assembled company. Katy, eclectic to the last, followed with a Woody Guthrie classic song (she being inspired by the earlier Doc Watson, I believe), 'Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?' and Miriam, 'Sonny's Dream' by Newfoundlander Ron Hynes made famous by Jean Redpath. Dave gave us Matt McGinn's, 'The Rolling Hills of the Borders' with the tune Calliope House' on guitar. Angus was moved by Katy's choice perhaps to follow with the Country and Western song, 'Me and Bobby Mcgee' by Chris Kristofferson. Eliza threw in 'The Female Soldier' and Charlie, 'The Carlton Weaver' or 'Nancy Whisky' with an extra verse. Phil gave us 'Up the Noran Water,' as sung by Jean Redpath. This time Katy offered a parody of 'Country Life' with 'I hate to Rise When the Sun she Rises' and Miriam 'The Warlike Lads of Russia', a Broadside Ballad with a few extra words and a tune by Nic Jones. Dave did the old favourite, 'Fiddler's Green,' Eliza 'Mally-O,' Phil, 'The Oggy Man and Dave Ivan Drever's 'Dounreay Song'.
Tunes to finish were Angus' rendering of Margaret'sWaltz and Charlie's 'St Anne's Reel' on fiddle, 'Soldier's Joy' and 'De'il Among the Tailors.' All musicians joined in.

Thanks to all. Enjoyed good company and good conversation. In bocca al lupo, Miriam.
September's date is the 27th. See you there.

July 2016

What a great night. Good to see friends Carol and David from the Tyne, Charlie all the way from  Lochmaben, Jasmine and Elaine from around these parts and Ed and Eileen staying on the caravan site from Fife. Norman and Dave brought their great repertoires as did Miriam up from Leicester. Regulars Katie, Phil and Angus have a knack of contributing a song in tune with the theme or mood of the moment. Tunes alternated with the songs with lots of joining in which made for a generally convivial night. Instruments were accordion, guitars, mandolin, dulcimer, smallpipes, banjo (Angus came particularly well equipped) fiddle, mouth organ and whistle. There were two Davids and a Dave  present, distinguishable as each plays a different instrument.
Ed, a fine exponent of the accordion playing from a variety of traditions, began with an Irish Waltz, 'Slieve na Mon' and followed with, 'The Blue Tango.' Staying with tunes, Charlie contributed 'The Trumpet Hornpipe' and 'Harvest Home' on fiddle, David, 'The Battle of the Somme' on smallpipes and another David, 'The Fair and Charming Eileen O'Carroll' on dulcimer.
Songs during the first round (or, perhaps,'bout') were Eliza with 'Lowlands of Holland,' Phil, 'Dublin in the Rare Old Times,' Miriam, the broadside ballad, 'Courting too Slow,' giving the male perspective on courtship from a different angle, with tune by Peter Bellamy, Carol, the haunting 'The Outside Track' a setting of Henry Lawson, the Australian writer's poem, recorded by Garnet Rogers to Gerry Hallom's tune with guitar and dulcimer accompaniment. Norman gave us a great Bothy Ballad from Aberdeenshire, the name of which I have not noted and Dave, 'The Banks of the Bann,' Accompanied by guitar.
Back to Ed again who began this section with 'Whistling Rufus' about a popular American negro minstrel, as they termed him at the time, composed by Kerry Mills in 1899. This was a tune that Bruce a founder member of the club who, sadly, is no longer with us, used to play on guitar, so it was good to hear it. Other tunes in this round were, Angus' polkas (Egans and John Ryan's), Charlie's 'Da Slockit Light,' David on dulcimer, 'Eagle's Whistle' with practically all of the musicians, and Norman's 'McLeod of Mull' in pibroch style on guitar and mouth harp.
Songs were Jasmine's 'Falling' by Kate Rusby, Eliza's 'Lads o' the Fair' by Brian McNeill, Phil's 'Donnybristle Mining Disaster' about the shaft flooded by the moss water written by the barber of Cowdenbeath in honour of our guests from Fife. Miriam gave us Sydney Carter's, 'The Crow on the Cradle,' Katy, a grand rendering in dialect of 'The Lumb Hat,' David (piper), the whaling song, 'Rolling Down to Old Maui,' Carol, Leon Rosselson's, 'Don't Get Married Girls,' in comic style with much affectionate joshing of her spouse and, after this (guitar) Dave gave us the lyrical, 'Orion,' a lovely song.
Going great guns, we were now ready for a third round, with Ed kicking off once more, this time with, 'By Yon Bonny Border Burn,' a tribute to the late Tommy Lamb of Copshaw Holm from whom he learnt it twenty years ago a short time before Tommy died. He followed this with a set of three tunes, 'Miss Mary Printy' each individual tune titled with a different female name: 'Miss C. M. Barber,' 'Miss Kay Rose' and 'Miss Mary Printy.' There was some speculation about the background to these, especially as there seems to be some mystery surrounding who had written them as a set of three. Charlie then played 'Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar who ran/runs a music camp on the banks of the Ashokan river where an indigenous American village was flooded to create a reservoir. Everyone joined in.
Songs in this final round were, Karine Polwart's, 'I'm gonna Do it All' sung by Jasmine with guitar accompaniment, a bluegrass song 'Up this Hill and Down,' sung by Angus with banjo, 'The Twa Magician' sung by Eliza. Phil's offering this time was 'Lord Huntley,' while Miriam gave us Heather Dale's, 'Changeling Child.' Sydney Carter featured again in Katy's choice of 'Tell Me Where Did Helen Go?' and David (piper) followed with Kipling's 'The Dutch in the Medway' with tune by Peter Bellamy and Carol with Heather Wood's, 'Foolish, Incredibly Foolish' accompanied as before. Norman did another of his excellent pieces this time to an Irish tune, the name of which I have simply scribbled as, 'When I was in...' Apologies Norman - I must have been too busy listening both times. Dave sang Jez Lowe's 'Black Diamonds' and Jasmine Little Big Town's 'I've Got a Girl Crush,' an Angus, Phil Coulter's, 'Steal Away.'
Charlie finished the night with 'Soldier's Joy' and 'Mason's Apron' on fiddle with all joining in, once again.
A good night in my estimation. Thank you all for coming. Next month's date is the 23rd of August.

June 2016

This was a good break-you-in-gently pre-festival session. Sadly, I was then overwhelmed by preparations for said festival and whacked afterwards and did not find time to do the blog. So, albeit a month late, here is a quick resume.
David and I were joined by other members of the Festival Team, Carole, Beth and James and regulars Katy, Ruth, Phil and Angus. Rob was visiting and gave us some cracking songs and a recitation.
Tunes were on accordion, pipes, recorder, guitar, mandolin, whistle and bodhran  as follows: 'Lincum Doddie,' 'The Unfortunate Cup of Tea, 'Egan's Polka,' 'Ryan's Polka,' 'Humours of Glendart,' 'Salmon Tails,' 'Winster Gallop,' 'Jaimie Allen,' 'Machair,' 'Leg of the Duck,' 'Wee Todd.' 'Leaving Friday Harbour,' 'Snow on the Hills,' 'Xesus and Feliera,' 'Margaret's Waltz,' 'Sack of Wheat,' 'Off to California' and 'Walz for Pol.'
Songs were 'The Roving Journeyman,' 'The Dutch in the Medway,' 'Gan to the Kye,' 'Coming Home,' 'The Jolly Waggoner,' 'Peppers and Tomatoes,' 'The Rolling Hills of the Border,' 'The Carter,' 'The Well Below the Valley-O,' 'A Place Called England,' 'Champion,' 'Lady Nairn,' 'Lazybones,' 'Hedger and Ditcher,' 'John Barleycorn,' 'Ca the Yows' 'The Socialist Alphabet,' 'By the Light of the Peat Fire,' 'The Oak and the Ash,' 'Three Pennine Rangers,' 'There were Roses,' 'Both Sides of Tweed.'
Recitations were, 'Get out of My Life,' and 'The Curriculum for Excellence.'
Thank you all. Normal service will be resumed imminently.'

May 23rd 2016

Pipes, mandolins (small and large), guitars and a whistle graced the gathering this month. In particular, it was a night of piping, in that there were three pipers, Kevin, James and David, proponents of a variety of traditions originating from/in the style of various locations (Northumbrian, Scottish small pipes, English small pipes, Swedish and French as well as Kevin’s Swedish/Spanish hybrid set). David kicked off with ‘Piper’s Maggot’ and ‘Cuckold come out of the Amry’ and later, ‘Morfydd’s Pipes’ and both old and new 'Drops of Brandy.' James followed in his fast-developing danceable style with ‘Over the Border’ and ‘Nae Good Luck Aboot the Hoose.’ He later added 'Ian Green of Green Trax’ by Gordon Duncan and ‘After the Green Monster,' also 'Jack Latin' and 'I'll Aye Ca' in by Your Toon to See My Bonnie Jean Again' (tune to the Burns song?).' Later still he played a Gavotte and 'Shew us the Way to Wallington.' Kevin, on his self-designed hybrid Swedish/ Spanish pipes gave us a Mallorcan Bolero and an Asturian tune followed by a Welsh tune and an Andro from Brittany and later, 'I'm awa Young to Marry Yet,' 'Highland Laddie,' with a Belgian tune to up the European quota for good measure. To finish with he contributed 'Ibeus(?),' an Asturian tune and 'Frisky,' a Northumbrian tune. Angus on mandolin gave us some Northumbrian tunes 'Salmon Tails,' 'Winster Gallop' and 'Jimmy Allen' and guitars joined in as well as the odd whistle.
Singers were in fine voice with good guitar and mandolin accompaniments as well as unaccompanied performance. Songs ranged from the Scots to the Australian, taking in Hamish Henderson and Dave Sudbury and probably crossing three or more centuries if Katy had anything to do with it. There were a couple of whaling songs, not to mention a bit of a bird theme springing up and winging it through the night. Phil sang 'The Cocky,' 'The Diamond,' 'Freedom Come All Ye' (Henderson) and 'John O'Dreams' as when as 'Farewell to Tarwathie.' Ruth 'The Swallow,' a reminder of the bird many still note the first appearance of to confirm summer is on its way, also 'Gossip Joan,' and 'Glad That I live Am I.' Katy rose to the challenge of this emerging theme with, 'A Wee Bird's Come to my Window,' and later followed it with 'As I was Going to Banbury,' and something I have down as 'Duma.' My hunch is that this last is subject to an error in my scribble; I do know that her final song was not about the legislative body in the ruling assembly of Russia. Angus, gave us the oddly haunting 'When Winter Comes Howling In' (Lindisfarne), the moving, 'Charlie's Pigeons' by Dave Sudbury, and another one I have omitted to note down as is my wont from time to time (sorry about that). Dave, building back from strength to strength gave us the 'Old Blind Dogs' version of 'Pills of White Mercury', 'The Trysting Fair at Falkirk' and 'The Rolling Hills of the Border' with the tune, 'Calliope House' as well as Andy M. Stewart's,'Ramblin' Rover.' David sang 'Old Maui' and Robbie 'When Cannons are roaring. Eliza did Halan Tow (meaning 1st of May garland, according to 'Mainly Norfolk') 'Let no man Steal Your Thyme' and 'The Gallowgate Lad.'
Thanks for coming, all. Hope to see you on the 28th June.

April 26th 2016

It was great to welcome new and new-to-the-session friends from Bewcastle, Simonburn and Larrison this month. Rob (guitar), Philip (concertina, bodhran and whistle), Val, Adele and James (in seating order clockwise!) regaled us with music and songs and provided a muster of new audience. Norman brought Highland singing and playing on guitar and mouth organ and Jasmine guitar and more contemporary songs, generally entering into the spirit of things, too.
As well as the above, other instruments were recorder, mouth organ and small pipes.

So to begin with tunes. David began with regulars on these pages, 'Mount your Baggage' and 'Pawky Adam Glen' and later followed with 'Nobel Squire Dacre' and 'The Apprentice Lads of Alnwick,' a personal favourite as a former (childhood) denizen of the town, variously inhabiting no fewer than three gaffs there. Rob and Philip gave us 'The Press are in the Van' (!) and 'The Lambs are Eating the Rushes.' Later these two played 'Da Slockit Light' by Tom Anderson of Shetland, a meditation on the depopulation of his birthplace  (the old word 'slockit' meaning a light that has gone out) on guitar and bodhran. They later contributed, 'Dougherty's' and 'The Woman I never Forgot.' Carol gave a lovely rendering of 'For Ireland I dare not speak Her Name' on recorder following this with 'Mrs MacClelland.' Norman's 'Barra to Balloch' and the grand, 'Farewell to the Creeks' were played in pibroch style on mouth organ with guitar accompaniment. Dave (guitarist) led the finishing reels including 'The Merry Blacksmith' and 'The New Road to Alston,' and Carole threw in 'Jimmy Allen,' also a reel on recorder. 

Robbie began the singing  with 'When Canons are Roaring,' from Strawhead's songbook and, later, 'The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant.' Old ballads had been mentioned so Eliza sang 'Renardine' and, later, 'Thomas the Rhymer,' (also the song 'John Anderson my Joe') and Katy later contributed the plaintive ballad, 'Queen Jane' which many believe is about Jane Seymour, as well as 'Roseberry Lane'.  Phil launched a brief mining theme with 'The Donnybristle Mining Disaster.' Katy picked up the baton and ran with 'Pit Boy' which reminded David of Ted Edwards' fine song, 'The Coal and Albert Berry.' David later sang 'Tarry Wool' in honour of our local shepherd who was present. Phil sang 'Jock McGraw of the Forty Twa' and, in waltz time, his own 'Prancing with Ewes' based on 'My Uncle Walter goes Dancing with Bears.' Carole contributed 'The Lock Keeper' and, later, 'The Morning Lies Heavy' by Allan Taylor and Jasmine gave us, Richard Thompson's, 'A Heart Needs a Home' sung by Richard and Linda Thompson and Karine Polwart's, 'I'm gonna do it' as well as, 'If you Were a Sailboat' by Katy Melua.
A Highland song from Norman from the singing of Sheila Stewart, was the evocative, 'The Corncrake among the Whinny Knowes.' Dave played and sang, 'The Rolling Hills of the Border' with Philip on bodhran and Philip, accompanying himself on concertina, sang, 'My Virgina Bride.' Dave on guitar later sang 'All the Answers' by Ilse Delange and later 'Orion' (sorry haven't noted name of writer legibly) and Phillip and Rob commemorated the peasants revolt with 'John Ball' by Sydney Carter.
I for one enjoyed the evening with its wide range of songs and music. We seemed to manage to fit a lot in. (Angus, we missed you.) Thanks everyone. See you next time, on the 24th May.