March 2024
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Editorial March 2024 |
He (Lomax) also supplies some nice photos - only one of which looks old enough to have been either of the groups recorded in 1954, but we never learn whether they are or not. The one shown here is titled Canterini della Val Bisagno, and the tenore (on the right) is named as Wigi Isolabella. The man in the beret (left) is the chitarra.
Sadly, we hear nothing of these singers in the booklet. From aural evidence I would say that the 'male chorus' recorded in the Ritrovo dei Facchini on October 15th is not the same one which sang in Bar Tungi on the same day. We are not even told whether either of the 'male choruses' were active squadre or merely a group of singers got together for the occasion. Given the quality of the singing, the latter would seem unlikely."
Today, Rodolfo Pardi sent me the following:
In October 1954 Alan Lomax recorded the trallalero in Genoa and was fascinated by it, so much so that he stated "Trallalero, the most perfect choristers in Western Europe". Fortunately, some of these audio documents have been published.
I think this song is something extraordinary for how the Singing Team managed to interpret a song, certainly not easy, like "In the mood" by Glenn Miller, which was the song symbolizing the arrival of American music in Italy after the war.
For my part, I have tried to convey with period images and photos the atmosphere of Genoa in its most representative and receptive environments to what was the meeting of the two cultures: the port, with still the camalli with the hook and the harbor jam with the American marines and everything that was going around.
The song is performed by the "Borghetto" singing team, directed by maestro Vinicio Santoni. The team takes its name from a tiny neighborhood of the Rivarolo delegation, but, for logistical reasons, had its "headquarters" and rehearsal room at the Club dei Carbonai di Sampierdarena, which still exists today. The bass choir was made up mostly of port workers dedicated to unloading coal: the "Carbunč" precisely. The Tenor, "or first" was Bacci, who had an electrician's workshop.
The contralto was Paolin, from Molassana, perhaps he was the greatest ever.
The guitar was Adriano Caveglia, already master of the team before Vinicio. Adriano was one of the members of the Trio Universal with which he performed as lead singer.
The baritone "o cuntrubassu" was Sergio Bruzzone. He remained one of the last still alive of that group.
A heartfelt thank you to Claudio Bruzzone, Sergio's son, who kindly gave me all this precious information.
Rodolfo Pardi - 23.3.24
Bob originally submitted this article for publication in the EFDSS Folk Music Journal. The editors were reluctant to re-publish material that was in Frank Purslow's 1967 article on George Gardiner. He thought the new material on its own would be one-sided,and it would make a proper study of Gardiner's biography difficult. He was grateful that Hampshire Voices were able to publish the article in full in 2011.
But now, with Hampshire Voices no longer on-line, MT is happy to step into the breach with a PDF version.
Rod Stradling - 5.6.21
The Magazine move was actually several month ago, but I continue to edit it from here and Reinhard makes a 'mirror' of it every few days - so it currently exists in two places until I change the DNS pointer to www.mainlynorfolk.info. After that, I will still continue to edit it. So, from a reader's perspective, nothing will have changed. The only difference will be that when the DNS pointer is changed, my rod@mustrad.org.uk email address will probably cease to function. I will continue to add reviews, articles, etc as and when they are sent to me at rod.stradling.eu
The Records situation is a little more complicated. I will not be publishing any new MT Records CDs. Mossy Christian now runs MT Records, and will make new publications under that label in the future, but he will not publish any of the existing MT CDs in that format. He will be free to use any of the existing tracks in new 'thematic' compilations, in the future.
During the run-down of stocks of the existing MT CDs, it has become clear that some customers have wanted copies of these that had become 'out of stock', and I have decided that I will produce 'Made-to Order' copies of anything in the existing catalogue to those of you who are in need. Accordingly, there is a Catalogue file (available HERE) listing the complete output of the 88 MT CDs and CD-ROMs, together with their 'Made-to Order' prices and details of how to order them. This is to avoid any confusion between this 'Made-to Order' service and any new MT Records publications that Mossy may produce in the future.
All the 88 existing MT CDs and CD-ROMs will continue to be available as Downloads, via the Gumroad platform.
Rod Stradling - 11.2.21
And, if you're desperate for something that's now out of stock, let me know by email - I'll happily make you a 'special' at the original price.
18.1.21
Wheb you can buy two, or more, CDs from the website in the Half Price Sale, I'll send you all of them, and refund you half the cost plus anything more than necessary of the postage.
And, if you're desperate for something that's now out of stock, let me know by email - I'll happily make you a 'special' at the original price.
2.1.21
With this my 24th Review of the Year, I'd like to be able to strike a positive note, wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year ... Joy, Health, Love and Peace! But, in today's medical, economic, political and cultural climate, all four seem to be in pretty short supply. Not even a Christmas for many people. But at least, the USA - and the world - will soon have got rid of Trump!
Unsurprisingly, given all that has happened, this has been a fairly quiet year on the MT front in terms of publications and record sales, but quite a lot has been going on behind the scenes with the organisation. As well as finding a new, permanent home for the Magazine on the Mainly Norfolk platform, I've passed on the Records business to Mossy Christian, who tells me that he will be making 'New' MT CDs in the near future:
The Magazine has obviously had a fairly lean year, even by current standards. We've published 7 new Articles and some 15 new Reviews in 2020, along with one Enthusiasm, and a handful of News items and 10 Letters. This is a good bit less than usual. On the other hand, I appear to have written some 24 Editorials before this one.
On yet another hand, we have published five new CDs this year ... more than I was expecting. But sadly, there will not be any more from me, though I will continue to Edit and add to the MT Magazine in its new home - as long as I'm able to!
And maybe I should remind you that, except for messages relating to the MT Magazine, ie. Letters, Articles, Reviews, etc, at the old email address - if you're writing to me on any other matter, please now use the new personal one: rod@stradling.eu. And Danny has also become danny@stradling.eu
25.12.20
8.12.20
And, as before, rather than waiting almost two years for them to appear, you're now getting them all, almost immediately. This is because of the COVID-19 emergency, and the undeniable fact that neither you nor I know if we'll be able to deal with them after it's all over.
For those of you who may be new to the Download service, each comprises an HTML file of the complete booklet, within which are clickable links to all the songs or tunes as MP3 files. Each Download comes as a ZIP file containing one or more HTML files, a 'sound' folder and a 'graphics' folder. They can be un-ZIP-ed into a single destination (folder) on your device, and run from there. Needless to say, all the MP3 sound files could also be copied to any other device you might wish to use.
Since downloads require no booklet printing, case covers, CDs, DVD cases or postage, they sell for a far lower price. Compared to £10, £12, £16 and £20 for the 'normal' publications, the downloads of single CDs are £1.00 or £2.00, double CDs are £4.00, and 3-CD Sets are £6.00. The facility exists to pay more than these low prices, if you'd like to!
They can be found, along with ALL the previous MT Records' CD publications, on the MT Records' Download page.
29.11.20
However, a problem has surfaced. The MT Records page is updated whenever a CD is sold, so that you don't get offered one that's now sold out. But please click the right-button 'Reload Frame' before attempting to buy something ... as at least two readers have ordered CDs that were out of stock - but hadn't been half an hour beforehand!
28.11.20
All the remaining stock is moving on nicely - with one exception: the two Meeting's a Pleasure sets are not selling. Indeed, they've never sold half as well as the comparable Far in the Mountains sets, which is a great shame, as they're just as interesting in my opinion, and the booklets are even more so. So here's a LINK to the review, to whet your appetites.
And if anyone's deperate for a CD that's no longer in stock, I'll happily make specials for you - same price as before - pay me via PayPal.
12.11.20
A few weeks ago I told you that I would be making no more MT CDs after Catch It, Bottle It, Paint It Green had been published. But since then I've been rather overwhelmed by all the kind comments about the Records and the Magazine that have poured in via email. Thank you all - I was touched! And it got me thinking that, as Catch It had been entirely Gwilym Davies' work, it might be nice if I could end up properly with a little offering of mine to all of you - thus was my Little Box of Delights conceived.
It's a collection, or more properly, a selection, of tracks from various MT Records CDs which are particularly dear to me. I'm not suggesting they are the very best examples of a particular singer's or player's recordings, but I hope that they may be new to, or may have remained unnoticed by, most listeners.
Some are unusual songs or tunes, some are second or third takes of a particular item that has languished at the end of CDs; performances that stand out despite less than optimal technical sound quality. Some demonstrate the performers' particular skills. Some are, quite simply, my favourites.
So this is a personal selection, and I make no apologies for choosing quite a few songs from 2003's Oak and 2005's Songs from the Golden Fleece CDs, performed by long-term friends of mine who share their songs amongst the company.
By no means all of MT Records CDs have been mined for these examples - not because I find anything lacking in those left out; but one track from each of our 100 publications, many of which contain not just one, but two or even three CDs would never fit into a project like this. But these are forty-one tracks and two and a half hours that particularly delight me and, I hope, fittingly mark the end of twenty-two years of record production. This 'Little Box' is a '400 Series' release - 2 very full CDs in a double jewel case with no notes - and will cost you just £10.00. You can get to it on the MT Records website HERE.
The track lists are as follows:
| CD One: | CD Two: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - | False Lover John - Kevin Mitchell The Cliffe Hornpipe - EII The Game of All Fours - Phoebe Smith Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth - Cyril Poacher The Death of Parker - Audrey Smith The Bonny Labouring Boy - Tommy Connolly Christmas Day in the Cookhouse - Freddy McKay You Lads of Learning - May Bradley Tonight I'll Get My Pay - Ken Langsbury Riding Down to Portsmouth - Tom Willett Peggy Benn - Bernie Cherry The May Morning Dew - Kitty Hayes Reunion Jig, Sarah's Jig, Fox and Geese - Phoenix Napoleon's Dream - Sam Larner The Wind Across the Wild Moor - Sarah Porter Nancy Lee - Walter Pardon The Lass of Newcastle Town - Oak The Willow Tree - May Bradley The Labouring Man's Daughter - Danny Stradling The Blue-Eyed Lover - Caroline Hughes The Trees are all Bare - Chris Molan & Harry Langston Will Watch - Sam Larner Ballu torrau, ballu sartiu, ballu e trese - Tenores di Fonni | 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - | The Green Mossy Banks of the Lea - Frank Hinchliffe The Flowers of Bermuda - Bob Bray Down in the Valley - Daisy Chapman The Cuckoo - Roger Grimes Shooting Goshen's Cock Ups - Jack Smith As I Cam in by Yon Castle Wall - Ellen Mitchell Young Tommy and the Privy - Ken Langsbury We Shepherds are the Bravest Boys - Bob Lewis Flash Gals, and Airy Too - Caroline Hughes The Masque of Lord Zouch - Phoenix You Seamen Bold - Bob Copper Barbara Allen - Jim Wilson The Green Wedding - Rod Stradling Charming Blue Eyed Mary - Mary Delaney Nella Cita di Genova - Rice Girls London Lights - Lizzie Higgins / May Bradley The Banks of the Callan - Sarah Makem La Stella e la Luna - Ritmia | |||
1.11.20
If you don't have any spreadsheet software installed, I can strongly recommend the free WPS Spreadsheet and Writer software - available from: https://www.wps.com/office-free
26.10.20
But, from today, if you're writing to me on other matters, please now use the new personal one: rod@stradling.eu. Danny has also become danny@stradling.eu
21.10.20
I think it will be helpful to prospective purchasers if the number of remaining CDs is indicated on the website, as well as a notice of any of them being sold out. Given that most of the CDs appear on numerous pages (Recent, English, American, Gypsy, etc), I think it would be best if only the 'MT CDs' page, listing every publication, was viewable, with 'number remaining' information indicated.
Accordingly, the MT Records website has now been amended in that way. You'll find only one file available for you to browse. It should contain all the MT CDs (hoping that I've not missed any), though they're only roughly in chronological or numerical order. But you can use the 'Search for a CD' facility (top right) to get to the particular one you want.
7.10.20
New MT Records release:
A companion CD to the book of the same name
MTCD379 + 24 page integral booklet in DVD case. £12.00
25 tracks, 64 minutes.
Gwilym Davies has been recording source singers in the UK and USA for nearly 50 years. This CD is a selection of 25 recordings and is a companion CD to his book, Catch It, Bottle It, Paint It Green, which can be obtained from Pegasus Publishers. You can get to the CD on the MT Records website HERE.
24.9.20
Firstly, the Records; I didn't feel I could pass on all the work of making and selling the CDs to somebody else, particularly in view of the minuscule profits the company makes these days. My solution has been to make all the records available as downloads through the gumroad.com platform. The downloads comprise the complete, full-length sound files in MP3 format, plus the complete booklets in HTML format, with clickable links to the sound files as and where the song's text appears. Compared to the physical CDs, these downloads are ridiculously cheap - just £2 for a single CD, usually of around 80 minutes duration. Similarly £4 for a double CD and £6 for a 3-CD Set. They sell quite well and produce a small regular income. My daughter, Hannah, will look after keeping this service going.
Regarding the physical CDs; when the latest publication appears at the end of this month, I shall stop making CDs and gradually run-down the small stocks I keep 'on the shelf' over the next year. If there are any left, I'll have a big 2-for-1 sale to try to get rid of the leftovers. So that will be the end of 21 years of making some pretty damned wonderful and important music and song available.
You might think it strange that I'm stopping making MT CDs whilst doing a lot of work to ensure the continued availability of the Magazine. Certainly the CDs have been very important, but I wouldn't want anyone to forget just how important the Magazine has been ... and don't just take my word for it:
Just got my EFDSS mailing yesterday, and saw the piece on the traditional song meeting which mentioned your website. I've just taken a tour and am very impressed. - Stephanie Smith - Smithsonian Institute
Musical Traditions well merits regular visits by the serious scholar as well as Internet surfer. It has rich, varied content and makes intelligent use of the medium. The material available at the site has lasting merit. - Michael Heaney, Folk Music Jounal
I always try to ensure I have at least an hour to spare before entering the site, which this morning afforded the usual plethora of delights ... Thanks, Rod, for your continuing Herculean efforts in maintaining such a hugely important resource. - Keith Chandler
May I say ... how impressed I was by your website - quite the best and most useful I've seen in a long time. - Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, Galway
Stumbled upon your website recently and I gotta say it blew my mind. Undoubtedly the most comprehensive site I've found on traditional music - great job, really commendable. While my interests do not lean so much towards British folk music, I found plenty of other material in the articles alone to keep me returning for quite a while. - David Whitmer - Sothebys
... your magazine is the only publication of quality that I know of in the trad music line ... so I've been reading your site since I heard of it, despite the fact that I rarely look at the web otherwise. The review by Paul Roberts was especially cogent and I found his remarks on older British fiddling very helpful. - Mark Wilson - Editor, North American Traditions Series, Rounder Records
What an extensive and thorough review ... I'm impressed by your knowledge of the cantu a tenores tradition. You certainly know your stuff - a great and informative review. Bob Haddad - Music of the World Records
I have just discovered your web site - very impressive! - Warren Fahey - Larrikin Records, Australia
Then I just need to get new, personal, email addresses for Danny and myself. I'll let you know about those when they're set up.
Job done!
19.9.20
You can get to it on the MT Records website HERE.
MTCD204 57 tracks, 60 minutes £10.00
Four of the best melodeon players of their generation from North Norfolk: George Craske; Herbert Mallett; Walter Newstead; and Percy Brown. Featuring hornpipes (of course) plus breakdowns, stepping jigs, tunes for the Long Dance, marches and lots of music-hall song tunes.
5.9.20
25.8.20
As you will know, I have now made ALL the MT Records publications available as Downloads via the Gumroad website. This brings in an income of, on average, some £50 per month. The hosting of the complete Magazine and Records websites, via 1&1, costs £6 per month - so there's a profit to be made here!
Now, with COVID 19 likely to be with us for the forseable future, and me with 77 years on the clock, I think it's time to appoint someone to take over. By this I mean just to continue paying the hosting fees and, perhaps, adding the occasional new Magazine items that come in. There's no suggestion that my successor would continue to sell the MT CDs nor to make any new ones - although it would be nice if s/he did.
So, very simply, please let me know if you'd be interested this position - and to earn around £40 per month in the process. I would hope that this wouldn't be needed just yet, but there's a deal of information to pass over in preparation, so it would be best if we were to start the learning process as soon as possible.
17.8.20
Not to all of the rates, but to Small Packets and above (ie. more than 25mm thick, or more than 2 CDs). They have done this by creating a new pricing area called World Zone 3 applying only to Trump's USA.
Accordingly, to send a 490g Small Packet of 4 CDs to the US (as I have just done) cost me not £10.06, but £15.18. Had I known, I could have sent these CDs in two Large Letters of 250g for £5.30 each (very similar to the previous £10.06), rather than paying a fiver more for a single Small Packet. If you send stuff to the USA - be warned!
And to any prospective purchasers for the USA - if you plan to buy more than two CDs, don't do it via the website, but email me your order and I'll give you the cheapest postage rate available, payable via PayPal.
17.8.20
Does anyone recognise any of the other faces seen in the photo?
Can't imagine many folk clubs, then or since, to have been able to present three of the area's top traditional performers at the same time - Scan Tester (concertina), a very young-looking William Agate (meloeon) and George Belton standing between them. Which reminds me to remind you that we've just recently published the 'complete recorded repertoire' of George on A True Furrow to Hold MTCD378.
10.6.20
If you don't have any spreadsheet software installed, I can strongly recommend the free WPS Spreadsheet and Writer software - available from: https://www.wps.com/office-free
9.6.20
The track lists are as follows:
| CD One: Duration: 72 minutes | CD Two: Duration: 77 minutes |
| 1. Johnny the Drunkard: Asa Martin 2. Get Away Old Man: Ernie Payne / Vernon Dalhart 3. Cruel Slavery Days: Fields Ward 4. Cruel Slavery Days: Mary Anne Haynes 5. Leaving Dear Old Ireland: Charlie Poole 6. The Bunch of Shamrock: Cecilia Costello 7. If There Wasn't Any Women ...: Fiddlin' John Carson 8. If There Wasn't Any Women ...: Bill Smith 9. Kitty Wells: The Hill Billies 10. Kitty Wells: Cecilia Costello 11. Sailor Boy: The Carter Family 12. Your Faithful Sailor Boy: Daisy Chapman 13. Swinging Down the Lane: Carter & Young 14. Swinging Down the Lane: Chris Willett 15. The Gypsy's Warning: Vernon Dalhart 16. The Gypsy's Warning: Bob Hart 17. Wait Till the Clouds Roll By: Uncle Dave Macon 18. Wait Till the Clouds Roll By: Charlie Bridger 19. There'll Come a Time: The Blue Sky Boys 20. There'll Come a Time: Bill Elson 21. When the Frost is on the Pumpkin: Fred Jordan 22. Lamp-lighting Time in the Valley: Asa Martin 23. Lamp-lighting Time in the Valley: Cyril Poacher 24. Two Convicts: Levi Smith 25. California Blues: Gene Autry 26. California Blues: Derby Smith 27. Rock All Our Babies to Sleep: Jimmie Rodgers 28. Rock All Our Babies to Sleep: Doris Davies
| 1. The Ship that Never Returned: Asa Martin 2. The Ship that Never Returned: Harry Upton 3. Will the Angels Play Their Harps: Bud Billings 4. Will the Angels Play Their Harps: Bill Smith 5. When You and I were Young Maggie: Fiddlin' J Carson 6. When You and I were Young Maggie: Danny Stradling 7. Break the News to Mother: Carson Robison Trio 8. Break the News to Mother: Bob Hart 9. He's In the Jailhouse Now: Jimmie Rodgers 10. He's In the Jailhouse Now: Derby Smith 11. The Drunkard's Lone Child: Spicer / Dalhart 12. The Little Old Log Cabin: Fiddlin' John Carson 13. The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane: Walter Pardon 14. The Birds Upon Tree: Charlie Bridger 15. The Strawberry Roan: Paul Hamblin 16. The Strawberry Roan: Wiggy Smith 17. The Wanderer's Warning: Carson Robison Trio 18. Riding Along on a Free Train: Wiggy Smith 19. Granny's Old Arm Chair: Frank Crumit 20. Granny's Old Arm Chair: Jack Smith 21. Come Little Leaves: Walter Pardon 22. Ben Bolt: Eleonora de Cisneros 23. Ben Bolt: Walter Pardon 24. Whistling Rufus: Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers 25. Whistling Rufus: Levi and Derby Smith
|
| CD Three:. Duration: 73 minutes | |
| 1. You Taught Me How to Love You: Buell Kazee 2. You Taught Me How to Love You: Bob Hart 3. Twenty One Years: Frank Luther & Carson Robison 4. Twenty One Years: Caroline Hughes 5. Two Sweethearts: The Carter Family 6. A Group of Young Squaddies: Joan Taylor 7. Silver Threads Among the Gold: Richard Josè 8. Silver Threads Among the Gold: Bob Hart 9. I'll Be All Smiles Tonight: Carter Family 10. I'll Be All Smiles Tonight: Tom Newman 11. The River in the Pines: Gloucestershire Gypsy 12. The Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee: Floyd City Ramblers 13. Tennessee: Eddie Penfold |
14. Mother, Queen of My Heart: Jimmie Rodgers 15. Home in Texas: Levi Smith 16. All Alone by the Seaside: Fiddlin' John Carson 17. In a Cottage By the Sea: Harry Upton 18. Waiting for the Robert E Lee: The Heidelberg Quintet 19. Waiting for the Robert E Lee: Harry Lee 20. Blue-Haired Jimmy: Horton Barker 21. The Blue-Haired Boy: Pop Maynard 22. Gentle Annie: Asa Martin 23. Gentle Annie: Billy Pennock 24. Two Little Girls in Blue: Bradley Kincaid 25. Two Little Girls in Blue: Cyril Poacher 26. The Volunteer Organist: George Belton |
There are commercial recordings of American songs that have made it back to the Old World via 78rpm discs and/or printed music, together with how they sounded when taken up by the British oral tradition. Quite a few of the songs here you probably never knew were American, nor could imagine what the 'original' sounded like.
As usual, it's available from the MT Records' website, priced just £20.00
2.6.20
This 3-CD Set will be Wait Till the Clouds Roll By (MTCD518-0) and has the format 'American song available in the UK as a 78rpm disc', followed by how that song became absorbed into the tradition in the mouth of a British traditional singer. There are a few deviations to this rule, so Mike has provided an Article explaining how it all came about - An Old World/New Word Trilogy is now available as MT Article 328, which also lists all 134 tracks and 95 singers/musicians appearing in this Trilogy.
The 3-CD Set will be published in the next few weeks, but we thought this Article would be a nice little taster for what is to come.
20.5.20
As they're all single CDs, the price is £2.00 each (or more, if you like). And, as before, rather than waiting almost two years for them to appear, you're now getting them all, almost immediately. This is because of the COVID-19 emergency, and the undeniable fact that neither you nor I know if we'll be able to deal with them after it's all over.
For those of you who may be new to the Download service, each comprises an HTML file of the complete booklet, within which are clickable links to all the songs or tunes as MP3 files. Each Download comes as a ZIP file containing one or more HTML files, a 'sound' folder and a 'graphics' folder. They can be un-ZIP-ed into a single destination (folder) on your device, and run from there. Needless to say, all the MP3 sound files could also be copied to any other device you might wish to use.
Since downloads require no booklet printing, case covers, CDs, DVD cases or postage, they sell for a far lower price. Compared to £10, £12, £16 and £20 for the 'normal' publications, the downloads of single CDs are £1.00 or £2.00, double CDs are £4.00, and 3-CD Sets are £6.00. The facility exists to pay more than these low prices, if you'd like to!
They can be found, along with ALL the previous MT Records' CD publications, on the MT Records' Download page.
21.4.20
He had a sizeable repertoire of songs which were mainly learned from his parents and other members of his family, but others that he had 'picked up along the way'. Traditional songs were the central part of his repertoire, but he also sang Victorian sentimental parlour ballads and Music Hall songs.
This CD is another of our 'complete recorded repertoire' releases, containing 27 songs - many of which are very full versions.
MTCD378 + 32 page integral booklet in DVD case. 27 tracks, 81 minutes. It's now available on the MT Records' website, price just £12.00.
30.3.20
Anyway, the new MT Records releases concerned are:
Also - and importantly, re. the proposed Bob Cann and Charlie Bate CD - does anyone have a photo of the two of them together, please?
25.3.20
It's not all new, quite a lot of it has appeared here and elsewhere in various forms, but I thought it might be a good idea to pull it all together into one place - just in case! It's a fairly lengthy piece, and covers the 60-plus years of my life that I've been interested in, and involved in, music - mainly of the traditional kind. Please don't assume that I don't enjoy other kinds of music as well - I certainly do - but traditional music has always been my main interest.
It has six parts, plus a side-bar enabling the reader to navigate around the various interests, places and times. It also has a graphics folder in which the numerous photos and graphics are stored. It's available from the Articles page (No.327) or here, for a direct link. I hope you find it interesting!
But, here's another thing - I now have two more CDs of traditional singers in the stocks for delivery this year: George Belton and Bob Cann & Charlie Bate. That will be nice!
3.2.20
Yes, it's that time of the year again, and remembering last years's problems with me being carted off to hospital for major vascular surgery at this time, I thought I'd get everything ready well in advance. I spent most of a day writing, but somehow, it never seemed to get finished, and over-ran into the night-time. I was writing on my lap-top computer on the pillow beside me. Eventually, I fell asleep and, when I awoke, I couldn't find the bloody lap-top ... unsurprising, I realised later - because I don't own one! Most of the previous day had been an hallucination, brought on by a 'flu-type bug, which, I realised, was not something I should be passing on to the rest of the family at Christmas. So I got together all the presents to take them down to Bristol, where they all now live, and I should then keep well away until I was better.
Danny noticed that a lot of cars were passing me on the motorway, and tooting horns or flashing lights, as I was finding it very hard to concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing, and staying in the right lanes. Daughter Hannah, bless her, took my car keys away, having seen me shivering and shaking in my seat, saying "You're not going anywhere in that car ... and I'm driving you home." - which she did. I went to bed, where I continued to write this piece on my make-believe computer, only to be woken later in the day by Danny telling me that she was now suffering the same symptoms as me ... and so we bade farewell to Christmas 2019. I am astonished how much I've been affected by this 'simple' bout of 'flu; knocked completely sideways, dreaming in a phantasy world for at least four days. I now feel as if I'm a bit better, but this little message - four short paragraphs has taken me almost three hours to write, and almost every word began as a typo!
***
Now back to the mundane realities of life. The Magazine has had a fairly lean year, even by current standards. We've published just 6 new Articles and some 50 new Reviews in 2018, along with 2 Enthusiasms, 4 News items and 6 Letters. By past standards, this is slightly more active than usual. On the other hand, I appear to have written some 11 Editorials before this one ... which seems to be about par for the course.
On yet another hand, we have published two more CDs this year than I was expecting: a new one from MT Records: Charlie Bridger Won't you Buy my Pretty Flowers? (MTCD377) was followed by Songs of the North Riding (MTCD406-7) and, just recently, Mike Yates' Oh, Listen Today. I have no idea if there will be any more.
No extraordinary rush of orders in November this year, but quite a few - 50 sales - nonetheless. And December has been fairly busy, too - 37 sales - long may it continue!
With this my 23rd Review of the Year, I'd like to be able to end on a positive note - Joy, Health, Love and Peace! and all that - but, we haven't even begun the downward spiral yet. This is a time to decide who your friends really are ... and keep them by you. You will need them very soon.
(And I just noticed two more typos!)
5.1.20
Correspondence:
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