Luminary of the British folk scene for 50 years, Dave Swarbrick, knocked the socks off a packed gig audience in Cambridge on 11 April, playing fiddle music from and for the heart of folk. If you didn’t dig it, then folk music is probably not for you. Swarb, as he is known, was introduced at the Cambridge Folk Club gig as ‘the most influential fiddler bar none’: this is debateable, but his playing is surely the essence of sweet bucolic delight. He played a fully satisfying set, supported by some equally satisfying much younger musicians including a singer-songwriter playing harmonium and mandolin and a musical trio with impressive harmonies. Oh, what a wonderful evening this was. You may or may not know The Spirit of Jazz character from televisions The Mighty Boosh: in any case, Swarb is surely the personification of the spirit of folk. He is most known as being a member of the most highly regarded of folk-rock bands, Fairport Convention, and even when he joined the band in 1969 he seemed like he’d been playing fiddle since before the Doomsday Book. Swarb no longer sings, but between numbers he banters in compelling fashion and regales us with tales of life on the road. But it is his fiddle that is really eloquent. The feel of the music is more eternal than nostalgic, more universal than rural. The very flow of life itself is scraped evocatively by his bow. In his role as patron of the Folkstock Arts Foundation, Swarb, chose a young local performer to play an opening set for each night of this tour. Tilly Dalglish, from Bury St. Edmunds, who has just turned 16, performed in Cambridge. For her first number the poet turned singer-songwriter accompanied herself on harmonium, a splendid instrument for a singer-songwriter to play. Thereafter she played mandolin, still a cut above guitar as a selection for solo accompaniment. Tilly has a great voice, an elegant way with words, emotional depth and a general graceful assurance. If she were to become a star it would do credit to stardom. Next on were Said The Maiden, three young ladies from St. Albans who are Swarb’s support act throughout the tour. Musically they were fantastic, in no uncertain terms, despite their collective age being less than Swarb’s individual age. Playing flute, fiddle, guitar and accordion between them, harmony singing was their forte, rendering their a cappella numbers particularly impressive. Furthermore, their repertoire consisted of solidly traditional folk music. Even their one original number, A Sailor’s Promise, sounded thoroughly traditional in character. Their ingenuous skill and charm delivered their well-chosen material to maximum effect. They carried off Fairport’s Crazy Man Michael to Swarb’s approval, and ended delightfully with a rousing Fiddler’s Green. - See more at: localsecrets/ezine.cfm?ezineid=4278%7Eswarbs-flourishing-fiddle+gigs-and-nightlife#sthash.3flbY8wh.dpuf
Posted on: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 22:55:24 +0000
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