In the mid 1980’s, there appeared on television a series of programmes describing the mis-adventures of Trevor Chaplin (itinerant Geordie woodworker) and Jill Swinburne (English teacher and conservationist) all loosely tied together by the music of Bix Beiderbecke (the first white jazz cornet player – his music it is said ‘sounded like bullets shot from […]
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Didn’t It Rain
This being Sunday, I thought it was time for some great gospel music in the company of the legendary Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She was an American singer/songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist. She attained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and rhythmic accompaniment that […]
Hazjak – Listerville
I hope not to be accused of nepotism but this video is fresh out of the box and so it seemed to be appropriate to share with you the work of our friends Hazjak. Hazjak are Steve Chapman Smith and Lynne O’Malley (Yan Tan Tether) and together they bring a wonderful mixture of folk, americana […]
Plumhall – A Darkness That Won’t Leave The House
Plumhall (MIchelle Plum and Nick Hall) are a staple of the Bradford music scene. I first saw them play together as part of the larger Hall Brothers Band at the Topic Folk Club in Bradford. Since then they have played several times at St. C’s and we have seen them all over the area in […]
Cosmotheka – Proper Cup O’ Coffee
I first came across Cosmotheka (Greek for ‘the world is a stage’) in the late 1970’s when attending one of their gigs somewhat on spec. I knew nothing about them beforehand but came away with a copy of their album ‘A Little Bit Off The Top’ clutched tightly under my arm. Recently when setting up […]
Holly Kirby & The Great Outdoors – Riddles & Rhymes
Holly Kirby hails from the Isle of Wight, and despite the popular myth that the island is still living in the 1950’s, she makes some very contemporary music. Having worked for many years as a solo artist, she has recently teamed up with her band ‘The Great Outdoors’ which has added breadth and depth to […]
Gillian Hills – Zou Bisou Bisou
Today we journey back to a time before the Beatles when French cinema and pop music was beginning to come into vogue through the likes of Roger Vadim and Johnny Hallyday. Gillian Hills found herself caught up in this world as a young teenager, making both films with Adam Faith and appearing on the same […]
The Magpies – Old Joe
One of the last gigs that katy and I attended prior to the the lockdown, was at Cecil Sharp House in Bristol last February. We had the great pleasure of seeing The Magpies in concert, at the start of their Album Launch Tour. As expected they were brilliant and we left with their tunes ringing […]
Chelsea Moon – What Wondrous Love Is This?
Something suitable for blogging on a Sunday. “What Wondrous Love Is This” (often just referred to as “Wondrous Love”) is a folk hymn, sometimes described as a white spiritual, from the American South. Its text was first published in 1811, during the period known as the Second Great Awakening, and its melody derived from a […]
22 Musicals in 12 Minutes
For the weekend I thought that it would be fun to watch these three excellent performers – Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Blunt and James Corden as they try to fit excerpts from 22 musicals into the space of 12 minutes. It is a joyful experience and full of amazing green screen work. It was performed just […]