October - Harbottle & Jonas

G4/4

G C Johnny Chapman was a preacher who came walking through this land,

DG D7 With his pockets filled with apple seeds and the Good Book in his hand;

G G7 C And ev’ry place her came to visit, well some seeds he left them sowed,

G D7 G To plant another orchard for the Lord.

G C Chorus: And let the Lord’s orchard grow, let the Lord’s orchard grow, G D D7 Do you wanna taste that fruit, finer fruit you’ll never know; G G7 C For ev’ —ry branch a - bove, there’s a root down deep below, G D7 G And it’s time to tend that good earth, let the Lord’s orchard grow.

Well the seeds they started growing, brought that preacher man some fame, They called him Johnny Appleseed, and there’s many who heard his name; And now the fruit’’s come from the blossoms in the steps where Johnny trod, And there’s a - nother Eden growing for the Lord.

Chorus

But still man must do his duty, ‘cause the Lord can’t work alone, You’ll get no fruitful harvest from a ground that’s filled with stone; And if you wanna prove that ploughshare is greater than the sword, You better keep that good earth fertile for the Lord.

Chorus

So the Good Lord made the good earth and the preacher sowed the seed, And it’s for the use of every man ac - cording to his need; And when the harvest is all gathered and the fruit’s all safely stored, Let the whole world stand in praise of the Lord!

Chorus

FOLK AT THE DRUM

The club meets every Monday evening at The Drum Inn, Stanford, Stone Street (TN25 6DN), between Canterbury and Hythe, from 7 till 10pm. If you enjoy playing or listening to acoustic music of all types (folk, blues, country, rock, etc), you are very welcome to join us in the function room of the pub for a relaxed and entertaining evening. Nominal £2 entry fee.

For more information, contact Jeff on 01303 813188

Lambrego - Migrants Song Cycle

Lambrego are the Anglo Brazilian duo Hannah Duster and Fernando Machado and they compiled and wrote all the stories told in song on this interesting album. The album is supported by a bursary from EFDSS and Arts Council England and was launched at Cecil Sharp House in July. The couple worked with Indian designer, director of moving image technology, Akhila Krishnan. The album opens with Onde comeca? or Where does it start which is a short piece and includes those words in two languages. The sleeve notes include all the words to the 12 tracks which include Winter Wreath, Air, Wolf, Until and Flow. The mix of English folk styles and Brazilian music makes for interesting listening and there are influences of other European styles. Guest musicians add vocals, violin, percussion, bass clarinet, cello and drum machine. Not your normal folk album or even your world music album but well worth a listen.

The Brothers Gillespie - The Merciful Road TBGCD003

I was lucky enough to catch The Brothers Gillespie at a gig at Chippenham Folk Festival back in May where they presented an interesting and entertaining set. Both Sam and James sing and play guitar and on this album Sam also plays fretless gourd banjo, wooden flute and bouzouki while James plays fiddle, shruti box, tamburello and percussion. All the songs on the CD are written by the brothers except for When Fortune Turns the Wheel which is credited as traditional. In the sleeve notes they describe the album, which was recoded in their grandmother’s cottage on the banks of the Tweed as “inspired by the grace of life in troubled times”. The brothers style is very laidback, quiet and well presented and draws you in to the songs which are often about the countryside, nature, family and life. All the intricate words to the songs are included in the comprehensive booklet that comes with the CD.

Alan Castle (Editor)

Will Allen - English Fiddle 11 tracks From Bandcamp

A real tonic. A local hero with growing national status, Will takes to the English repertoire on violin and delivers quite the most joyful, listenable selection it’s been my pleasure to hear for some time. Lollipop Man leads in, clearing space, followed by more intricate melodies, played with clarity and affection. Rowan Piggott adds cittern and bass, in themselves, an object lesson in accompanying pastoral, gently paced tunes. My favourites were Charming Maid and Hod The Lass sets, all delight and delicious ornamentation. I can guarantee you’ll hear Once I Loved A Maiden Fair over and over, a simple coda to a marvellous collection. Justly rising in the charts... Highly recommended.

Bob Kenward

Siobhan Miller - Bloom Songprint Recordings SPR006CD

I was not familiar with Scottish singer songwriter Siobhan Miller’s work but was pleasantly surprised with this her fifth album. This is another solo album which has a selection of well known backing musicians and vocalists on it. In this case including Kris Drever and Eddi Reader. Again it is a mix of traditional and new material with traditional favorites such as Cold Blow the Night, I’m a Rover, The Swan Swims, and Wild Mountain Time. There is also Ewan MacColl’s Go, Move, Shift, and Rab Noakes’ Open All Night. Siobhan provides all the lead vocals with backing vocals from Kris Drever, Eddie Reader, Paul McKenna, Robin Gray, Senab Adekunie and Rachel Lightbody. Despite the double fold cover there is not much in the way of sleeve notes just a list of tracks, credits, musicians, and backing vocalists. Siobhan has gigs coming up in Scotland, the North of England, London and in Europe.

Alan Castle (Editor)

Fara – Energy Islands -Own Label – FARA003

From the opening track, “Solar”, we can hear that we are in for some in for some musical treats – complex arpeggios on a keyboard are followed by three interplaying fiddles take up the fast pace and morph into fast reels with the sort of syncopated piano that is typical of the accompaniment style of Cape Breton. But the music comes from this side of the Atlantic. The group take their name from the old Norse name for a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying in Scapa Flow. The album with songs and tunes with names like “Excess Electric”, “Broom Power”, “White Horse Power” as well as the title track show that this is something of a theme album justly celebrating the fact that The Orkneys are self-sufficient – in fact net exporters of electricity – all from renewable sources. The standard of singing and musicianship is of the highest quality and all composed by the four young members, fiddlers Kristan, Jeana and Catriona and pianist Rory. In particular is the quality, playing and arrangement of the tunes, mainly in folk dance rhythms that catch the ear. The track that stands out amongst high competition are the two tunes by Rory and Catriona that make up “West Tide Story”. The booklet shows how closely each piece has been inspired by local history, legend and current innovation. This is intelligent, exciting music. They venture south in October mainly for dates in Scotland, the north and midlands but with some dates in the south listed on their website. faramusic.co.uk

Vic Smith