2015: poquer de women vs poquer de folk

1) WOMEN don´t WAIT comparteix avui, 31 de desembre, quatre discs publicats al 2015 per un póquer de grans dames de la cançó (l´ordre és estrictament alfabètic, per criteri de nom del disc)

Natalie Prass (Spacebomb Records, 2015) - NATALIE PRASS

Aquest és una mica per tocar els collons a l´amic/soci "Topo Tirapu", que té la desgràcia de ser barralet...

I també per agraïr-li a un altre barralet, Carles Bona, que ens el recomanés al seu programa de ràdio 7 Pulgadas (BN Mallorca).

NOTA FUTBOLERA #1: sapigueu els dos que na Prass és ben balearica... 

Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (Mom + Pop Music, 2015) - COURTNEY BARNETT

Un disc que haureu vist a totes les llistes "best of 2015". Una meravella australiana. Un torrent d´energía

The Longest River (Nonesuch Records, 2015) - OLIVIA CHANEY

La veu més propera a Sandy Denny que he escoltat en anys. Ja l´ha fitxat un segell de gran reputació, així que en sentireu xerrar els propers anys (*) 

Tomorrow Is My Turn (Nonesuch Records, 2015) - RHIANNON GIDDENS

Una altra joia del catàleg Nonesuch Records. Quina veu té na Giddens. Ja ens havia conquerit el cor fa anys com a vocalista de l´imprescindible combo de African-American folk Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Sense dubte a l´agenda futura de WOMEN don´t WAIT 

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2) FOLK YOU! vos recomana quatre grans discs de folk publicats al 2015 (ordre alfabètic, també per criteri de títol del disc)

Murmurs (Topic Records, 2015) - SIMPSON CUTTING KERR
Dos dels tres membres d´aquest trio varen ser presents a la primera edició del FOLK YOU!. Estic ben segur que reculliran més d´un premi als propers BBC2 Folk Awards...en Simpson ja en té una col.lecció d´escàndol a ca seva

The Bell That Never Rang (Reveal Records, 2015) - LAU

Un altre disc enorme d´aquesta impecable banda post-folk escocesa (petita frustració: no podran ser caps de cartell del FOLK YOU! 2016, però sí ho serà el seu cantant i guitarrista Kris Drever).

El millor concert que he vist enguany va ser el de LAU a Liverpool el passat mes de maig (Epstein Theater). 

NOTA FUTBOLERA #2: l´aperitiu del concert va ser de somni... amb el meu amic Rafa Martí varem pillar, de miracle, entrades per veure la despedida a Anfield Road del capitaníssim Stevie G (Steven Gerrard).

Gran ciutat Liverpool: tan plena d´història musical, naval i futbolística...ara bé: qui s´explica que en Rafa Benítez guanyés a Estambul una Copa d´Europa!?

Primrose Green (Dead Oceans, 2015) - RYLEY WALKER

Enhorabona als que vareu poder veure les seves primeres actuacions a Espanya enguany, en espais petits, ja que aviat aquest al.lot, successor natural de John Martyn (de fet ja té gira programada amb el nostro vell amic Danny Thompson, contrabaixista dels millors àlbums de Martyn, i de tantes altres obres mestres de folk) apost a que omplirà sales de prop d´un miler d´espectadors...

The Longest River (Nonesuch Records, 2015) - OLIVIA CHANEY

(*) Com vos deia a la llista de recomenacions WOMEN don´t WAIT, la veu més propera a l´esperit de la gran Sandy Denny. Estam en negociacions amb el seu agent per dur-la l´octubre del 2016 al FOLK YOU!

video "The King´s Horses" by Olivia Chaney

 lyrics:

Thought once I had a King;
Wore an invisible crown,
Sometimes spoke truth,
Mostly knew to say the wrong thing at the right time,
Faithfully I played the clown

All the King’s horses,        
And all the King’s men,     
Could not put my heart
Back together again

Fall, fall away,
Time heals, or so they bravely say,
Well all this time I feel,
Silence holds you real             

Still I play the courtier,
Your courtier in the wings,
Chasing shadows,
Clutching precious things

All your pretty horses
And all these men,
No they won’t,
Oh they can’t put my heart together again

Counting crows in the sky,
Wondering if I
Could fall from great heights,
If your wisdom was my pride

All the King’s horses,
And all the King’s men,
No they won’t,
Oh they cant put my heart together again

All the King’s horses,
And all the King’s men,
Could not put my heart
Back together again
No they won’t, they can’t put my heart together again

- BON 2016! -

Sessió amb la Reina per la nit de Reis (Shores of Hispaniola)

"If you only buy one folk album this year, make it this one"
Clive Davis, The Times *****

  THE ELIZABETHAN SESSION

(fila del fons): Rachel Newton, John Smith, Jim Moray, Bella Hardy 

(front): Hannah James, Emily Askew, Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr  

Foto: Elly Lucas

Segurament el disc més exquisit de folk publicat l´any 2014, que va ajuntar a la crème de la crème del génere, inclosos Martin Simpson i Nancy Kerr, que com sabeu vendran a Palma el proper maig per encetar el FOLK YOU!.

Els participants es varen "retirar" durant 6 dies a Hatfield House, lloc on va passar la seva infància Queen Elizabeth. 

En un projecte comissariat conjuntament per Folk by the Oak i per la English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), els artistes varen gravar un total de 14 peces inspirades en l´era de l´esmentada reina.

Més informació aquí:  http://www.folkbytheoak.com/tes

A continuació el vídeo oficial d´una de les peces, "Shores of Hispaniola", magníficament cantada per Nancy Kerr:

Enllaç per comprar el disc: THE ELIZABETHAN SESSION (CD)



FELIÇ DIA DE REIS!

 

Silent Night

Dos bons amics afincats a Sheffield. 

I dos noms amb significats especials:

 Richard Hawley & Martin Simpson - BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2014

L´un, Richard Hawley, va ser cap de cartell de l´edició més exitosa del Waiting For Waits: juliol 2008 (que curiosament va coincidir amb les primeres actuacions a Espanya de Tom Waits).

L´altre, mestre Martin Simpson, representa l´il.lusió d´un nou projecte musical que s´estrenarà a finals de maig del 2015:  

FOLK YOU!

Esperem que sigui un event amb continuitat, per disfrutar-lo al manco 10 anys (com va ser el cas del WFW)

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Com a regal nadalenc, a continuació un video de Richard Hawley interpretant "Silent Night"

Bones festes, orphans!

Richard Hawley - "Silent Night"

The Devil's Arse Cave - Off Guard Gigs

Carta a un amic: "els vells bons al.lots" (tancant grans discs de 1974)

GRANS DISCS DE 1974 - #18 (i darrer)

Molt Honorable pobler Pep JazZERO Crespí:

Avui fa vosté els anys, i ja n´hi queda un manco per convertir-se en un "good old boy" com el nostre amic Randy Newman (que també és californià i pianista, com el cabronarro de Tom Waits)

A pesar dels reclams des d´aquest perniciós bloc el passat dia dels innocents (28/12/13) veig que se fa vosté el "ron Zero" i no mos acaba de confirmar en Randy com a cap de cartell del Mallorca JAZZ Sa Pobla.

Així que me veig obligat a contra-atacar.

Com bé sap, el disc Good Old Boys es va publicar el 10 de setembre de l´any 1974, però he esperat a avui per comentar-ho al bloc, a fi de punyir-lo a vosté una miqueta més de cara a plorar a Walt Disney ó a qui faci falta per subvencionar el concert (no només de Toy Story viu l´homo; o millor dit: l´amo).

No sé si se sent vosté gaire presionat o inclús "Guilty" (com un dels grans temes del disc) per no haver duit encara el senyor Newman a menjar arròs coent.

Li desig que se posi ses piles amb la contractació pendent. Apart d´un feliç aniversari (47 si no vaig errat) i unes bones festes.

El meu regal és el tema "Louisiana 1927" en dues versions: l´original de Randy Newman, i la versió de Martin Simpson (futur cap de cartell del FOLK YOU!...com veu vosté, servidor va fent els deures pendents)

Llarga vida al jazz i al folk!

Truly yours,
orphan of Waits
 

video 1: "LOUISIANA 1927" (Randy Newman)

video 2: "Louisiana 1927" interpretada 

en directe per Martin Simpson

What has happened down here is the wind have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through cleard down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangelne

CHORUS
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away

President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, "Little fat man isn't it a shame what the river has
done
To this poor crackers land."

CHORUS

author: RANDY NEWMAN

 

Heartbreak Hotel for my Missus

Avui és l´aniversari de mestre Martin Simpson (nascut el 5 de maig de 1953 a Scunthorpe, England)

Happy Birthday, Master Martin!

Donat que a sa meva al.lota (que també fa els anys avui) li va caure molt bé Richard Hawley quan va venir a Mallorca com a cap de cartell del Waiting For Waits 2008, i donat que Richard i Martin son grans amics, la cançó del dia és la versió d´un clàssic d´Elvis que els dos músics afincats a Sheffield varen interpretar a la gala dels BBC 2014 Folk Awards:

"HEARTBREAK HOTEL" 

interpretada per 

Martin Simpson (taure) 

& Richard Hawley (capricorni)

Well, since my baby left me,
I found a new place to dwell.
It's down at the end of lonely street
at Heartbreak Hotel.

You make me so lonely baby,
I get so lonely,
I get so lonely I could die.

And although it's always crowded,
you still can find some room.
Where broken hearted lovers
do cry away their gloom.

You make me so lonely baby,
I get so lonely,
I get so lonely I could die.

Well, the Bell hop's tears keep flowin',
and the desk clerk's dressed in black.
Well they been so long on lonely street
They ain't ever gonna look back.

You make me so lonely baby,
I get so lonely,
I get so lonely I could die.

Hey now, if your baby leaves you,
and you got a tale to tell.
Just take a walk down lonely street
to Heartbreak Hotel.  

Writer(s): Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley, Mae Axton, Arthur Crudup
Copyright: Durden Breyer Publishing, Crudup Music, Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, Unichappell Music Inc.

molts d´anys, Maria("mamà") 

 

Mother Love by Martin Simp(prodigal)son

Aquesta entrada està dedicada principalment a una lectora d´Orphans que va prendre la valentíssima decisió de ser mare sense parella.

I el destí va voler que disfrutés d´una filla maravellosa...

DIA DE LA MARE

Martin Simpson va dedicar al seu prodigiós Prodigal Son una cançó al seu pare (com varem escoltar el passat 19 de març al bloc: feis clic AQUÍ) i també una a la seva mare: l´instrumental "Mother Love" 

text explicatori de Martin Simpson al llibret del disc Prodigal Son: 

I have told my workshop students on many occasions that the best way to keep your playing fresh is to always try and play something new, whenever you pick up the instrument. 
I wrote Mother Love just sitting in the diner room and playing the atmosphere...Kit (la dona de Martin) told me, with tears in her eyes, that I was playing what she was feeling as she looked at Molly (la filla de Kit i Martin) in her arms

Vos deix amb cites de la premsa especialitzada sobre l´imprescindible àlbum Prodigal Son (com veis, un molt bon regal tan pel dia de la mare...com pel dia  del pare):

• “A modern masterpiece. This remarkable collection of fifteen songs and tunes which, by any measure, is the best album that Martin Simpson has recorded to date – he has produced a near-flawless folk masterpiece.” Sydney Morning Herald
• “Prodigal Son is a triumph” Verity Sharp, BBC Radio 3 Late Junction
• “The [album] has range, a relaxed mastery and emotional depth – this is roots music at its richest.
” ★★★★★ The List
• “A quiet masterpiece. There are classic English ballads, excursions into Americana and a clutch of open-hearted originals- resulting in an album of easy elegance.” ★★★★ Observer Music Monthly

Prodigal Sons And Fathers

DIA DEL PARE - 19 de març

(si bé al Regne Unit, Father´s Day és el tercer diumenge del mes de juny...)

És trista, però no tenc cap dubte que és la millor cançó que cap songwriter hagui dedicat mai a son pare (a més del goig de sentir la guitarra de Martin Simpson)

La podeu trobar a l´imprescindible disc Prodigal Son (publicat l´any 2007 al llegendari segell Topic Records)

si no veus el vídeo que hi ha a continuació, pots fer clic AQUÍ

You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job,
Not steady enough for the office, not hard enough for the hod.
You'd rather be riding your Norton or going fishing with your split cane rod.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job.
When your grammar school days were over, it was nineteen-seventeen,
And you did the right and proper thing. You were just eighteen.
You were never mentioned in dispatches, you never mentioned what you did or saw.
You were just another keen young man in the mud and stink of war.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job,
Not steady enough for the office, not hard enough for the hod.
You'd rather be singing The Pirate King or fishing with your split cane rod.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job.
You came home from the Great War with the pips of a captain's rank,
A German officer's Luger and no money in the bank.
Your family sent you down in the coal mine to learn to be captain there,
But you didn't stand it very long, you needed the light and the air.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job,
Not steady enough for the office, not hard enough for the hod.
You'd rather be watching performers fulmers fly or fishing with your split cane rod.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job.
So when the Second War came along, you knew what should be done.
You would reenlist to teach young men the booby trap and the gun.
And they sent you home to Yorkshire with a crew and a Lewis gun
So you could save your seaside town from the bombers of the Hun.
And you were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job,
Not steady enough for the office, not hard enough for the hod.
You'd rather be finding the nightjar's nest or fishing with your split cane rod.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job.
And when my mother came to your door with a baby in her arms,
Her big hurt boy, just nine years old, trying to keep her from harm
If you had been a practical man, you would have been forewarned.
And you would have seen that it never could work and I would have never been born.
There was no proper work in your seaside town, so you come here looking for a job.
You were store man at the power station just before I came along.
And nobody talked about how you quit, but I know that's what you did.
My mother said you were a selfish man and I was your selfish kid.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job,
Not steady enough for the office, not hard enough for the hod.
And your Norton it was soon gone along with your split cane rod.
You were never any good with money. You couldn't even hold a job.
You showed me eyebright in the hedgerow, speedwell and traveler's-joy.
You showed me how to use my eyes when I was just a boy.
And you taught me how to love a song and all you knew of nature's ways,
These are the greatest gifts I have ever known and I use them every day.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job,
Not steady enough for the office, maybe not hard enough for the hod.
You'd rather be riding your Norton or going fishing with your split cane rod.
You were never any good with money, you couldn't even hold a job.