Issue 22 6/2002
Freedom Come
All Ye
Scotland. Poet, folklorist and songwriter Hamish Henderson, a driving
force behind the Scottish folk revival, has passed away. Hamish was born in
Blairgowrie, Perthshire, on 11 Nov 1919. During the Second World War he served
with the 51st Highland Division, was in North Africa, and worked with the Partisans
in Italy. His book of war poetry "Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica" chronicles
his experience of the Battle of El Alamein. (Brian McNeill turned a line from
the first Elegy into "No Gods and Precious Few Heroes".) Winning a Somerset
Maughan award, Hamish set off for Italy to translate the prison letters of Socialist
writer Antonio Gramsci, but he was expelled before he could finish that work.
He returned to Scotland and established the School of Scottish Studies at the
University of Edinburgh in 1951. American song collector Alan Lomax, while visiting
Scotland, introduced Hamish to the portable tape recorder. For many years Hamish
travelled around Scotland collecting traditional songs and tales. He discovered
the great singers Jeannie Robertson, Flora McNeil, and the Stewarts of Blair.
He was also instrumental in creating the People's Festival Ceilidhs from 1951-53,
which were the predecessors of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Hamish has written
many songs, including "The
51st Highland Division's Farewell to Sicily" and "Freedom
Come All Ye". The later has been put forward as a candidate for a "Scottish
National Anthem", something which Hamish strongly resisted regarding it as an
international song. Hamish Henderson died on 8 March 2002, aged 82. [wt]
Read more at www.polsong.gcal.ac.uk/hamishhenderson.htm.
Heart
of Scotland Festival - another great folk weekend
Scotland. The Heart of Scotland Festival in Aberfeldy in beautiful Perthshire
comes up with another brilliant edition. Taking place towards the end of the
festival season, from 13th to 15th September 2002, when the autumn coulours
start to appear, the festival features this year among others Scotland's very
best, Deaf Shepherd, the Northern Irish songwriter Tommy Sands, Rab Noakes with
Fraser Speirs, the Alyth McCormack Band and more. There will be ceilidhs as
well as a special an afternoon event at the castle, Paintings, Poetry, Music
which combines an exhibition of new paintings by Scotish artists, poetry readings
by Iain Anderson (of BBC Radio Scotland) and music and song by Patsy Seddon.
Some of the main concerts will take place in the beautiful atmosphere of Castle
Menzies is well, others will be in the town hall of Aberfeldy.
It should become a very friendly affair, so come along! More infos from Martin
Hadden and in future also on the festival website, at http://www.heartofscotland.info
Photo: Deaf Shepherd, by The Mollis
Johnny Keenan
Banjo Festival
Ireland. September 27-29 marks the launch of the 1st Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival.
Musicians from all corners of the world are invited to County Longford to celebrate
the various styles of banjo music. Banjo player Johnny Keenan (1946-2000)
was the brother of the more famous uilleann piper Paddy Keenan (Bothy Band).
The Keenan household in Oranmore Road in Ballyfermot, Dublin, once was a hotbed
of Irish music, and the nightly sessions were often referred as "Radio Oranmore".
Johnny often went busking, along with his father John Snr. and friends Ted and
Paul Furey. He toured with the Furey Brothers in the 60s. Johnny's weekly Tuesday
appearance at Slattery's Pub of Capel Street with his father and his brother
Paddy became known as The Pavee's Club. Later he travelled around Ireland with
piper Davy Spillane, formed Tipsy Sailor with Kieran Halpin, and wrote the "Dublin
Banjos" tutorial with fellow banjoist Tony Sullivan. In recent years Johnny
made Monday the night to be at O'Donoghue's Pub of Merrion Row, until his untimely
death due to lung cancer. [wt]
Festival site: www.johnnykeenan.com
Folk
Nights with a Difference
Northern Ireland. With O'Hanlons Bar in Mullach Ban, Co. Armagh, another
folk venue can be added to our growing session list (see www.folkworld.de/frog/).
According to Bernard O Hanlon, already 400 years ago there was a public house
on the same site. The enterprise was later nick-named "Ardle's Folly". Still
in the same family over fifteen generations, the bar has been host to many a
traditional music event and many a Stray Leaf Folk Club concert. Now after suitable
upgrading, Bernard is inclined to stage folk nights with a difference
or Miles Davies meets Leo Rowsome, featuring traditional ballads and
jazz influenced material from some of South Armagh`s finest musicians. Traditional
sessions happen each Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Tuesday is "traditional
musicians` practice night". All musicians and singers are welcome. [wt]
Contact Bernard O Hanlon at bohanlon@tiscali.co.uk.
Drawing by Annegret Hänsel
John Clare
and The Folk Tradition
England. George Deacon announces: "Hi, I am George Deacon, author of John
Clare and The Folk Tradition published in 1983 and out of print for a long
time. I thought people might like to know that, having been approached by a
publisher, I am currently working to get the book republished as a paperback.
In the meantime I do have a small number of copies of the original publication,
which I have been prompted to get out of the attic." Visit George at mysite.freeserve.com/george_deacon.
Sido Martens with new project
Netherlands. Sido Martens has recently started a new project after his succesfull
cd " De pofklant". His newest cd will be called "Arbeid" and is a co-operation
with the artist Hubertus de Jong who made a special litho to go with the album.
The cd will be pressed in a limited edition of 100 only with numbered litho.
Price will be 35euro. For more information or ordering this cd please visit:
http://listen.to/sido.martens [ES]
La Tentation having been
in trouble
Brussels. La Tentation, a folk music organisation, used to be directly connected
with the Brussels venue Centro Galego. Recently the Centro Galego decided to
get rid of most of the world music concerts and courses, and with it of musicians
and voluntary helpers who had helped to spread the Centro's reputation. As a
result, the musicians and folk organisers pulled out of the Centro, including
the local bands with Galician roots Ialma, La Banda and Baila (the latter two
had to rename themselves due to threads from the Centro Galego to A Contrabanda
and Foliada). Good news is at the same time that this does not mean the end
of the glorious and reputed world music organisation La Tentation. The plan
is for the moment that the concerts will take place at diverse venues throughout
Brussels; most of the music courses have found their new home at the venue St.
Joris. The concert programme is currently a bit limited; yet there are still
regular concerts. The music course programme meanwhile is still fully on, with
a huge range of courses, including e.g. diatonic and chromatic accordion, galician
bagpipes (gaita), hurdy gurdy, bagpipes and fiddle, as well as Galician and
Breton dances.
http://www.muziekpublique.be
Belgian
radio success for Danny Guinan
Belgium. Danny Guinan used to be the lead singer of the (at least by the press)
celebrated Dublin based band Speranza in the early 90s. Some time ago he moved
to Amsterdam to start a solo carreer, playing with Dutch Celtic musicians. His
recent album "Save me" has been an impressive
work of Irish folk pop, with great inputs of his Dutch band "Red". "Save me"
received an overwhelming success in the Belgian radio show "Carte Blanche" on
Radio 1: Directly in one leap Danny's song went on Number one at this popular
music show, overtaking REM who ended on the second place. Danny's highly recommended
CD can be ordered from his webpage, at www.dannyguinan.com
Photo: Danny Guinan, by The Mollis
10 years Peace Concerts
Passendale
Passendaele. The Peace Concerts in the Belgian Passendale, reminding of the
cruelties of the first world war, and any other wars, celebrate this year already
their tenth anniversary. They have been always connected with the English a
capella trio par excellence Coope Boyes & Simpson. To the anniversary on 24th
August, the concert will feature also June Tabor, Willem Vermandere, Une Anche
Passe, Koen De Cauter and Patrick Riguel. The concert will be held at Tyne Cott
Cemetery, Passendale.
Free Concert Info available from 00 32 (0) 51 77 04 41 / cultuur.zonnebeke@belgacom.net
www.zonnebeke.be. For more information
about CB&S's work with Peace Concerts Passendale see www.coopeboyesandsimpson.co.uk
HARLEKIN RECORDS - Your source for FOLK MUSIC (North America, Ireland, Great
Britain), COUNTRY, BLUEGRASS and related music. Always more than 10.000 different
compact discs, LP-records and video tapes in stock!
Harlekin Records and
its full catalogue is available in the Internet, at www.harlekin-records.de.
Contact: E-mail Harlekin-Records@t-online.de;
Jürgen Feuß, Postfach 110142-FW, 28081 Bremen / GERMANY. Phone: +49
421 7 49 10, FAX: +49 421 70 0051
The German Folk Awards
restructured
Germany. Germany used to have only a Folk newcomers award. Now the "Deutscher
Folkpreis" is starting something which is more comparable to the BBC Radio 2
Folk Awards, or the Danish Folk Grammies: A general folk price with different
categories for all the established folk bands resident in Germany. The nominees
have just been announced; no bands with Celtic roots among them. The winners
will be chosen at Germany's biggest Folk Festival in Rudolstadt (see www.rudolstadt.de).
Here are the nominees:
Category 1: German Roots - music with roots in Germany:
# Hundsbuam Miserable ("Heavy-Folk in the neo bavarian way)
# Estampie (Mystical-modern music with medieval roots)
# Daniel Kempin/Dimitry Reznik (jiddish songs)
Category 2: Global Roots:
# Di Grine Kuzine (Klezmer Balkan Brass),
# Houssaine Kili (Beat de Couscous)
# La Ritma (Afro-Latin-Percussion & more)
Category 3: New Roots:
# fjp - theFolkJazzProject (jazzy-groovy Euro-Folk)
# Törnmeister (Global Sounds And Electronic Beats),
# G. Rag Y Los Hermanos Patchekos (Mexican-Bavarian-Southern American Indi-Rock)
The Folk New Comers' Award has been reduced to only one winner chosen by the jury, without naming other nominees - which is a bit of a shame. Winner is Rakatak (DRUMs - from Samba to Hip Hop).
More infos under www.folkpreis.de
Tatihou's 2004 version
of one of the most unique European festivals
France. One of the most special folk festivals in Europe, the Festival des Traversées
Tatihou on a tiny island only accessible via a tidal way, features this year
once again a superb programme, with evenings dedicated to music from Canada-Acadia
(Celtitude and La volée d'castors), Wales (Fernhill and Here be Dragons), Sardinia
(Elena Ledda and Luigi Lai) and Ireland (Danú and Blackwater). The last two
events, in the weekend, take place between the low tides in the nights from
11 pm. to 5 am.! Happening between 22nd and 25th August, the is a most special
event. More infos from www.tatihou.com.
Photo: Danu with guests at Tønder Festival; photo by The Mollis
Tuscany - music, cooking
and more...
Italy. The world music festival Itinerari Musicali/Sentieri Acustici 2002 will
take place from July 31st to August 10th in the mountain area around Pistoia,
a town about 35 km from Florence. The world music festival is divided in two
parts: during the first one a concert will be performed in the towns of Marliana,
Massa e Cozzile and Uzzano respectively, while the second part, called festival
Sentieri Acustici, will be held from 7th to 10th August in the small town of
Maresca on the Pistoiese Mountains. During the Sentieri Acustici festival you
will be able to enjoy afternoon and evening concerts and to take part in courses
of music and dance. Mornings and afternoons, from 8th to 10th August you will
learn new musical techniques, meet the experts of the field and find out the
pleasure of relaxing on one of the most interesting mountain areas of Tuscany.
During the Sentieri Acustici festival it will also be possible to follow courses
about Tuscan cooking, officinal herbs and stone working, and to enjoy a green
trekking area. You will get more information and find the application form for
music and dance courses at www.provincia.pistoia.it.
Music
on the Outer Hebrides - with plenty of Morrisons
Scotland, Isle of Lewis. Ceòl Nis is the annual music festival held in Ness,
Isle of Lewis, Scotland. The dates for the festival this year are: July 25,
26, 27. The festival is run by Ness based Taigh Dhonnchaidh - Arts & Music Centre
which runs many Gaelic arts events and classes in NW Lewis throughout the year.
An added bonus to the festival this year is that the 'Morrison Clan Gathering'
is happening in Ness at the same time as Ceòl Nis. This will benefit both festivals
as there will be many 'Morrisons' from far and wide visiting the area who will
be able to attend the wide range of events held in the area at this time.
This years Ceòl Nis festival has an exciting line up of both local and international
musicians and singers. Thursday night has local groups including Ness Melodeon
Band and participants of Fèis Taigh Dhonnchaidh playing at the Taigh Dhonnchaidh
Arts & Music Centre. The main Friday night Ness Hall concert/cèilidh has three
wonderful bands from three different Celtic regions. The band 'Beòlach' is one
of Cape Breton's most exciting new young bands. The group performs an energetic
mix of Cape Breton, Scottish, and Irish tunes featuring piano, pipes, whistles,
drums, guitar, and two fiddles. From Belfast comes Craobh Rua, an exciting four
piece who play Irish traditional music mixing rousing jigs, reels and polkas
with tender ballads and airs. The local flavour is come from Lewis' own traditional
music group Sonas. This band was put together to play at the National Mod's
'Òran Ùr Song Competition' in October 2001. Since then they have played at the
Pan Celtic festival in Kilkenny, Ireland in April 2002.
There will be a seafood barbecue (local produce) at Port of Ness on Saturday
afternoon. Not to be missed! The final Saturday night concert is in the Ness
FC Social Club. This concert will delight all lovers of Gaelic song; Ishbel
MacAskill from Point, Lewis is one of the great ambassadors of Scottish Gaelic
songs. She has recorded three albums of Gaelic song and toured around the world
delighting audiences with her wonderful singing. John 'Tonkan' Macdonald, another
well loved singer from Point, will also be performing this night. 'Tonkan' sings
Gaelic, Scottish and country songs - enough to keep any cèilidh audience happy!
Full information about the festival and other music activities on the Isle of
Lewis: www.taighdhonnchaidh.com
Photo: Co-ordinator of Taigh Dhonnchaidh Brian Ó hEadhra with Fiona Mackenzie, photo by The Mollis
Danny Kyle remembered...
Scotland. As we hear from a Scottish reader visiting the Sma Shot Cottages in
Paisley, you can find there now a plaque to the late and great Scottish folk
hero Danny Kyle, put up by his three sisters. As he comments: "It's great
Danny has a plaque at the Sma Shot Cottages, a remnant of Old Paisley in a modern
part of the town. He was proud of being a Buddy (what they call natives of Paisley)
and if you wanted to kid him on all you had to do was to say that he was a Glaswegian
or suggest that Paisley was really part of Glasgow. Incidentally, the Sma Shot
Cottages are fully restored and furnished 18th Century weavers' cottages with
photographs, artifacts of local interest. Each has individual themes, and contains
perfect recreations of 18th and 19th Century daily life complete with bone curtlery
and ancient looms. see http://www.visitrenfrewshire.com/visit/places/smashot.htm"
If you don't know it yet - FolkWorld runs also a small memory homepage of Danny
Kyle - see www.folkworld.de/danny/
Photo: Danny Kyle, photo by The Mollis
John Doonan died
England. John Doonan, founder member of the North-East based Doonan Family Band
died in early March. He was due to attend a concert in his honour in Newcastle
the following night. More information about John can be found at www.doonanfamilyband.co.uk
Folkwoods - third edition
The Netherlands. Watch out for another great edition of one of Europe's newest
and greatest Folk Festivals: FolkWoods in Eindhoven. Full programme can be found
at www.folkwoods.nl. Happening at 9-10-11
aug. 2002. Lots of bands, beautiful campsite, lots of atmosphere!!
New music venue in Inverness
Scotland.
Recently we heard the news of the closure of the Balnain House in Inverness,
now there is a bit of a replacement for that: In Mid May, the new music and
arts venue “Hootananny”opened. It’s a three story building on the corner of
Fraser Street and Church Street – right in the heart of the town centre. The
top two floors will be used as class-rooms, practice rooms, and exhibition area
along with a high quality shop. However what is most attractive about this venue
as far as musicians, promoters, and paying audiences are concerned, is the fact
that there will be a performance space that will cater for an audience of between
150 and 200 (awaiting fire regulation decree for the final figure!)
The aim of the venue is to provide live music/arts events seven nights of the
week, catering for a wide cross section of musical tastes, but with its roots
firmly in the traditional/acoustic music styles. Bruce McGregor, well known
folk musician (Blazin Fiddles etc.), has been asked to create a programme for
this summer season. The weekly format has been drawn up as follows: Wednesday
evenings have been earmarked for concerts ; audiences will be charged for attendance.
Thursday to Sunday evenings are to have bands/performers in a less formal setting.
This will be free to the general public. Throughout this period it is hoped
to create mini festivals to help celebrate more focused musical tastes and allow
for longer parties!
If you are involved as a member of a band, a duo or as a solo performer and
you are looking for a venue in the North of Scotland then please forward any
promotional material toBruce McGregor, Holm Burn, Essich Road, Inverness IV2
6AH, Home 01463 238070, Mobile 0775 370 9180 E mail brucemac@another.com
In the German news you can find as additional news:
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