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JEZ HELLARD AND THE DJUKELLA ORCHESTRA - Heavy Wood

JEZ HELLARD AND THE DJUKELLA ORCHESTRA - Heavy Wood
Djukella Records JDHCD002

Having never heard of Mr Hellard, let alone heard his music, this came as a delightful surprise. Immersing myself in this album for a day or two, I find myself baffled as to how I have avoided him. The loss is all mine, because this is a seriously good CD.

Its title – Heavy Wood – is also his description of his style of music, as opposed to Heavy Metal, presumably. What it hints at is a full, powerful sound drawn out of acoustic instruments. It certainly delivers on that promise, with the excellent fiddle of James Patrick Gavin well to the fore, sometimes alongside Hellard's harmonica. The double bass of Nye Parsons underpins it all and there is some spine-tingling uilleann pipe activity from Dominic Henderson. That is heard to great effect on Tucker Zimmerman's Taoist Tale - a bit of an old warhorse now, this song, but here it sounds fresh and feisty. It comes after a rip-roaring opener. The Lord Giveth (And The Landlord Taketh Away) sounds like something that could have been written by Woody Guthrie – and possibly updated by Rory McLeod. Other delights awaiting discovery include a nine minute version of The Bonnie Bunch Of Roses, segueing into a Scots march. That can only be termed epic, but it is typical of the eclectic approach of this gang and their fascinating choice of material.

For an outfit that, I suspect, will be new to a lot of potential listeners, it really is astonishingly good.

www.jezhellard.com

Dave Hadfield


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This album was reviewed in Issue 114 of The Living Tradition magazine.