JANE WAITES - These Old Stones: Original, Traditional-style Tunes Inspired By The Village Of Newbiggin-in-Teesdale, Country Durham
Private Label
A collection of 35 tunes, nicely presented with atmospheric photographs and clear print (a couple of oddities in notation don't really get in the way). But what tradition are they in?
Well - it's not always easy to tell. For instance, on two consecutive pages, Cauldron Snout Reel sounds fairly American, whilst Birk Rigg Reel shows strong Scottish influence. The hornpipes are very north-eastern sounding and should sound well on smallpipes. So the answer is that there is a considerable variety and most people should find something to their taste. More importantly, she has a fine ear for a catchy melody and this collection of tunes is very attractive, with some truly beautiful items (the title tune is particularly haunting - and won first prize for songwriting at this year's Morpeth Gathering - so why not print the words?!).
Most musicians and bands will find something here that they want to play making this a very welcome and highly recommended collection which does Newbiggin-in-Teesdale proud.
Paul Burgess
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this CD online from The Listening Post The Listening Post is the CD mailorder service of The Living Tradition magazine. This album was reviewed in Issue 97 of The Living Tradition magazine. |