The folk thread

[Stokie]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0crsrxc
BBC Sounds ‘The Curious Collection’ podcast. I think you have to be in the UK to listen to this. Bit of a history of morris dancing and an interview with Ashley Hutchings.

[Stokie]

‘Broadened’ is correct. Are you from the Netherlands, Piet? What’s the folk scene like? Do you listen to folk locally?
Derek

[Pieto]

Yes Derek, I am from the Netherlands, how did you guess
I don’t know the folk genre very well in the Netherlands!
In my youth I listened to some local bands, it was mixture of folk
and protest songs.

Regards,
Piet

[Stokie]

Hi Piet,
Yes, there was a strong line of protest songs in the UK and USA too. Chris Wood’s Hollow Point 2011 is the last to make an impression on me.
Good wishes,
Derek

[Stokie]

Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh fiddler with Mick O’Brien uilleann pipes. Kitty Lie Over 2003
Ó Raghallaigh is a member of The Gloaming and has recorded with fellow member Thomas Bartlett. But these are a traditional set of tunes and wonderful to hear.

1. Kitty Lie Over /Munster Buttermilk
2. Teampall an Ghleanntain / Hickey’s
3. Mickey Callaghan’s Slide / Winnie Hayes Jig
4. Biddy from Sligo/ Punch for the Ladies
5. Woman of the House / Rolling in the Ryegrass
6. An Manglam / The Fairy Reel / I Have No Money
7. Rathawaun/ The Hare in the Corn
8. The Sporting Pitchfork / The Rambling Pitchfork
9. The Lady on the Island / Seanbhean na gCartai
10. Young Tom Ennis / The Rose in the Heather
11. An Londubh (The Blackbird)
12. The Copper Plate / Paddy Gone to France/ The Wind That Shakes the Barley
13. Dillon Brown / Sarah Hobbs
14. Na Ceannabhain Bhana / Mairseail Alasdruim/ Munster Buttermilk
15. The Silver Spear / Mullin’s Fancy

[Stokie]

And here’s Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh playing a set of pipes that he made himself. Also in 2003.

Butcher's march ; and other jigs / Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, uilleann pipes

[Camphuw]

Not sure that this is pure ‘folk’ but it came up in my playlist this morning.

[catswhiskers]

Back to what is folk? Having had a quick listen via Bandcamp and my tablet, Alison Cotton’s singing, phrasing, intonation has a folk feel. To Where Your Footsteps Led had me thinking of All Things Are Quite Silent.
Reviews reference Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Mal Waterson, so folk is OK by me.

[Camphuw]

Certainly, Roon confirms that she’s a folkie with electronic influences:

[Camphuw]

I’ve not sat and listened to this album in at least 30 years … that’s a shame as it’s a gem.

[Wugged_Woy]

Not just a gem… it’s also my favourite RT album !! Simply wonderful.

[Stokie]

‘Pour Down like Silver’ is certainly one of the most compelling recordings by Richard and Linda Thompson. Some background here: Pour Down Like Silver - Wikipedia
Incidentally the spiritual leader turned out to be a Scotsman Abdalqadir as-Sufi - Wikipedia
Linda has her own current perspective on the commune. The 2004 Island Reissue has four bonus tracks. One to replay. I’ve not heard this for a while either.

[Camphuw]

This morning’s recommendation from Roon.
Bonus: a fine rendering of ‘banks of the Nile’.

[Stokie]

Pentangle were a big presence through the years. I have ‘Solomon’s Seal’ (1972) as an LP. The group split the following year. I see retrospective reviews have tended to see this record as a low point. I do like their treatment of Cyril Tawney’s ‘Sally Free and Easy.’

[Stokie]

Jon Boden has a taster track ‘Old Brown’s Daughter’ from his forthcoming album ‘Parlour Ballads’. It’s a music hall song that was learned by Peter Bellamy from the singing of Walter Pardon. John Boden launched his folk song a day project with it. Here it gets upright piano and steel pedal guitar treatment. The stock carried by old Brown’s shop has been updated to cigarettes and bubble gum. Which made me curious about the invention of bubble gum. 1928 in the USA.

Mostly Norfolk has the dope: https://mainlynorfolk.info/peter.bellamy/songs/oldbrownsdaughter.html

Bowen’s latest is on Bandcamp. https://jonboden.bandcamp.com/album/parlour-ballads

[Camphuw]

One of my favourite folk songs, sad but with a dark undertone.

Last night I followed a rabbit hole associated with Vaughan Williams’ 5 variants on Dives and Lazarus that took me to Nick Jones, Martin Simpson and Loreena McKennitt. A most enjoyable diversion.

[Stokie]

That song ‘Captain’s Apprentice’ got a cruel edge to it and I think that’s probably what attracted me to folk in the first place and keeps my attention.

[Simon-in-Suffolk]

Enjoyed Friday at FolkEast this year, last year at Glemham hall which is a shame.
Enjoyed the Americana/English Folk crossovers that are starting to become popular… I don’t think anyone has coined a genre name for it yet.
Enjoyed Box River Junction below:

Box River Junction - The Piper's Son

and of course the old favourites - the Quay Street Whalers in session at The Hop Inn…good Suffolk folk singing helped with beer of course - although there were a few in the tent from Norfolk as well

[onlyonearrow]

There’s a recently published book about the song and Vaughan Williams.
It’s in my 'next reads" pile.

[Stokie]

One to buy! I must listen to some Vaughan Williams, Edwardian folk music tends to be overlooked as unfashionable these days.