Archive for the ‘traditional English folk music’ Category

Bampton Free Folk Festival 2009, North Devon sessions rock with an English, Irish, Breton traditional music flavour

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

It’s Monday and the sun is shining through the window of my writing room as I reflect happily on one of the best weekends I have ever spent at the Bampton Free Folk Festival 2009 (”After the Fair”) in North Devon.

I arrived on Friday lunchtime just before twelve o’clock and there were already musicians waiting at the White Horse which is usually a good bet for a mainly traditional English folk music based instrumental session with the added flavour of bombardes and songs from the festival’s Irish and Breton friends.

Amazingly, the Friday session at the White Horse carried on for at least 12 hours, through to closing time which was well after I had already returned to my camper van in the car park to sleep.

It is hard to believe that there are so many tunes available to be played but the playing and singing standard was, as always, extremely high providing a huge store of folk music knowledge to choose from and the tunes and songs just kept flowing.

The Breton contingent arrived early evening and were welcomed with the usual riotous applause so they immediately gave a virtuoso performance of Bretonese songs and tunes despite their long journey reminding everybody why they are so popular.

Then on Saturday, starting at 12 o’clock midday, we did it all again, which was another twelve hours mainly playing and some singing. Wonderful!

Sunday was a short day and the session wound down just before tea time after another four hours of tunes and songs and then, with a total of more than twenty-eight hours playing mainly traditional English tunes under my belt, I decided to take my flute and soprano saxophone and head for home.

Highlights of the weekend, apart from the excellent Bretonese performances, included welcoming members of Exmoor Border Morris to the Saturday and Sunday sessions (including, of course, Delilah, the dog). The ‘barfing song’ (or is the right word ‘chunder’?) performed by the esteemed Squire to Exmoor Border Morris Nigel (photo above, left, under the antlers) which was appreciated by all and the energetic and accomplished stepdancing in front of the open fire by, among others, session hosts Martyn Babb and Dartmoor Pixies Jason Rice.

Of course, there is a lot more to the Bampton Folk Festival than the events at the White Horse and I heard that the Bridge Hotel, Blackberries and the Quarryman’s Rest were also busy with lots of singers and floor performers having a great time. The Variety Concert I heard was well attended and the workshops popular.

As always, I warmly extend my thanks for a great weekend to the intrepid Clare Penney and her hardworking supporters who have done a great job of making the Bampton Folk Festival 2009 such a wonderful event over the years.

Without doubt, I shall wear my Bampton Folk Festival badge with pride on my folkies hat … until I buy another one next year with another ten pounds donation to go towards the administrative costs of this excellent free festival.

Bye for now

Rob

Rob Hopcott – online writer (retired) and folk musician

Were you there? What are your memories? I’d love to hear in the comments below :-)

Posted in Bampton Free Folk Festival 2009, Breton traditional music, English traditional music, Exmoor Border Morris, Irish traditional music, News from Rob Hopcott, after the fair, bombardes, folk, traditional English folk music | 3 Comments »

Traditional English and Cornish folk music sessions at Priddy Folk Festival 2009

Monday, July 13th, 2009

The Mendip Hills of Somerset rocked and reeled to the sound of Priddy Folk Festival 2009 last weekend with its reassuringly English blend of village green, Somerset countryside and musical talent.

Of particular note for me was the traditional English session run by Chris Timpson and Anne Gregson. I always enjoy this session. Chris keeps the tunes going nicely with his immense knowledge of English traditional folk tunes at a speed most people can achieve whilst always encouraging others to start a tune if they feel inspired.

After the formal session, I stayed on and played a few more tunes with an awesome pair of lady fiddlers from the Milborne St Andrew area who were seated in front of an old traditional fire at the Queen Victoria pub – most appropriate since their playing was red hot :-)

The rain started falling heavily later on Saturday afternoon and I popped back home to Exmoor to the comfort of a warm bed with more than a passing thought for those sleeping the night under rain lashed canvas.

The next morning bloomed bright and sunny so I returned to Priddy Folk Festival for another day of looking for kindred spirits with whom to play a tune.

Most of the tunes that were played seemed to be Irish with the exception of the Cornish band Dalla who had set up an informal session in a corner of the New Inn garden and were rocking out their intriguing blend of modern traditional Cornish tunes and songs.

To me Dalla’s music had a strangely Eastern flavour and I noticed when I visited the Dalla web site that Folk & Roots had described their music as having a ‘Dervish’ quality. I was left wondering whether Dalla’s music was truly a reflection of Cornish music or was Dalla through its success creating a Cornish tradition that was essentially Dalla.

However, one thing was certain, Cornish music and Dalla are definitely worth more exploration and, of course, exploration is one of the greatest joys of musical experience.

Were you there? What are your memories? I’d love to hear your comments below :-)

Bye for now

Rob

Rob Hopcott

Posted in Cornish band, Cornish folk music, Cornish tunes, Mendip Hills, News from Rob Hopcott, Priddy Folk Festival 2009, Somerset, Somerset countryside, music sessions, musical talent, traditional English folk music, village green | 2 Comments »

Sidmouth Folk Festival in Devon, English, Irish and Thai folk music

Thursday, August 10th, 2006

Yesterday was the best day yet for yours truly at the Sidmouth Folk Festival.

It was also the longest, because I arrived at about 11.00 and left at midnight. I really must get a campervan. The two hour drive through the English countryside back to West Somerset was horrible.

But it was worth it because the sessions were fascinating … And the folk music rocked!

First of all I dived down into the depths of the Radway Inn in Sidmouth. I was lucky because it was already crowded, but I sneaked in through their little beer garden at the back which put me at the far end of the bar and at a definite advantage to those who were coming in through the front.

I thought I knew English folk tunes before I started going to the Radway Inn. But the guys and gals there are monumentally impressive with their knowledge of traditional English folk music. Within the first minutes my flute was out and I was joining in with a tune but then I had quite a long wait before another one I could really play with came around.

One of the really great things about the Radway regulars is that they play a tune lots of times. Many sessions I have been to just play a tune three or even two times. At the Radway Inn, they seem to have a policy of playing each tune something like seven times. This helps people who are not as knowledgeable by giving them more time to pick it up.

Talking about picking tunes up, I found that if I adopted the method of comparing the tune being played with other tunes I already know, I could more easily learn the new tunes. If a tune was mainly like one I already knew but had a four bar difference in the middle then I could relax for most of it and then really concentrate on the four bars. I must get myself a book of English folk tunes and start doing some really hard learning.

There were a couple of soprano saxophones, an amazing recorder that had a wide bore and the most incredibly powerful sound and at least one three (or is it four) note whistles. Also lots of violins and squeeze boxes. Some purists feel that saxophones don’t belong on the folk scene. Being a soprano sax player, of course, I think they should be everywhere and it was good to see they were readily accepted at the Radway Inn. The 3 / 4 note whistle (I’m not sure if there is a hole at the back for the thumb) is a wonderful instrument and is played with one hand leaving the other to beat a drum … amazing!

The other good thing about the folk music at the Radway Inn is that they seem to play at English dance speed ie. at the speed they would play if they were playing for Morris dancers or English square dances. This makes the tunes a lot easier to follow and pick up.

The Radway Inn was a great experience and I’m definitely going back but after three hours of huge concentration and enjoyment, I decided I’d had enough and went off for a bit of street walking. The sea front was very busy with buskers, people selling arts and crafts or providing services like face painting. There were also lots of food outlets so I grabbed a prawn bap and sat in the sun on the sea front listening as I ate. The only problem was the seagulls who were obviously intent on eating my prawn bap before I could. Remembering how one took a cake out of my hand when I was down at St Ives in Cornwall, I was very careful to give them as little chance as possible. Somebody said that they have become so brave because people feed them. I wish they wouldn’t.

So on to the Sailing Club for a late afternoon visit. I had been told that there would be lots of squeeze boxes (melodeons, accordions, concertinas etc.) and I wasn’t disappointed. I played a few tunes but was soon heading for the Bedford Hotel for my evening rendezvous where I had been told there was a different experience in store.

The Bedford was packed! There were practically people hanging from the rafters. I’d previously chatted to the person who seemed to be the main honcho, an excellent, affable and friendly singer and guitar player and he suggested 9 pm was a good time to turn up. As it was, I practically had to crawl underneath the chairs to find a small spot where I could pull out my flute and rest my soprano sax. Obviously, a lot of other people were also drawn to this session by this friendly host.

The music was already in full swing and I have to say the standard of playing was monumental. I don’t think I have ever heard Irish music played so fast, yet with absolute rhythmic precision. There was a main violin, another flute player (divine tone) and a fantastic hammer dulcimer. But, in truth, there were so many excellent players that it’s unfair to single any out. There were unaccompanied singers too and others who sang as they played the guitar. The pulsating energy and excitement is indescribable.

I started a couple of solos on the soprano sax but it wasn’t long before the others were blending and harmonising with me. There was one tune that’s really a war song but I normally play it just as a tune. People who’ve heard me play it previously have often said how much they liked it. But on this occasion, one of the singers joined in with the actual words to the song. The sadness of the sax which has such a human voice and the words so brilliantly sung with the quiet harmonic development by the other instrumentalists made for a truly emotional moment. I swear I saw a tear shed – but I’ll not embarrass him here.

Midnight came and it was time for me to head off on the two hour journey home to Exmoor and West Somerset.

Oh and I forgot to mention the Thai singer. A slender, beautiful young Thai lady sang a couple of unaccompanied songs. She sounded wonderful but it was also refreshing because it was so different. It’s always good to be reminded that music has truly wonderfully wide horizons.

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Posted in Bedford Hotel, Devon, English, English dance, Irish, Morris dancers, News from Rob Hopcott, Radway Inn, Sailing Club, Sidmouth Folk Festival, Thai, buskers, folk music, soprano sax, traditional English folk music, tunes | No Comments »