Bold Reynold

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We are always interested in hearing from anyone that may consider being a reviewer for Fatea and joining the team. THE latest offering from Thomas Ruf’s admirable blues-based label focuses attention on the exuberant musical exploits of St Louis singer-guitarist Jeremiah Johnson. Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook. Take off his head likewise his brush and give him three Hurrays. The Young Tradition sing The Foxhunt

These including She Moved Through The Fair and Banks of the Nile as well as a fine revamp of Dave Cousins’s classic The Battle, stylishly aided and abetted by assorted members of venerable institutions such as Fairport Convention and Gryphon, whose multi-talented Brian Gulland displays his mastery of the crumhorn, contra bassoon and cor anglais in the process. When you see “and friends” in a billing you tend to think of a group of worthy but unknown local musicians. On Bold Reynold, however, the friends include three Gryphons: Dave Oberle, Brian Gulland and Graeme Taylor; two Fairports: Chris Leslie and Dave Pegg plus Lucy Cooper and Tom Spencer. David himself is a veteran of the 70s with a career including instrument making and innumerable groups, which is presumably where he made such good friends. The traditional ballad False True Love is a fine start to the album and this is followed by another classic folk song She Moved Through the Fair, inspired here by the street singing of Margaret Barry. They call it “a fusion of friends” and old pals they are indeed, David Carroll who used to roll with SPINNING WHEEL and has called recently on the members of FAIRPORT CONVENTION and GRYPHON – Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie from the former collective plus Dave Oberlé, Graeme Taylor and Brian Gulland from the latter – as well as THE PROFESSIONALS’ Tom Spencer, also known from THE MAN THEY COULDN’T HANG, and Lucy Cooper to assist him in recording a debut solo album. Titled “Bold Reynold” and scheduled for release on January 20th, 2023, it presents a stunning sonic panorama wrapping a nice selection of traditional fare, “The Battle” from THE STRAWBS repertoire and “The Last Leviathan”: the Andy Barnes’ anti-whaling piece which displays the ensemble’s epic leanings. With instrumentation ranging from crumhorns, cor anglais and uilleann pipes through fiddle, tabla, bouzouki and dulcimer to bass, drums and electric guitar and all stops in between, this is a soundscape not to be missed.Bold Reynolds / Reynard the Fox / Gentlemen of High Renown / The Foxhunt / Old Snowball (Roud 190) Mainly Norfolk: English Archie Churchill-Moss is one of the best young squeezebox players around, known for his work with Moore Moss Rutter and his duo with Tom Moore. This playful debut solo album is a chance for him to explore his creative potential and really showcase what he can do.

Locating proceedings in Graeme Taylor’s studio with Brain Gulland and Dave Oberle as perma-presences means that there is much that’s Gryphon like from the crumhorn breaks to Taylor’s fierce electric guitar- especially effective on the ‘Foxhunter’s Jig,’ yet that never overpowers Carroll’s ideas and settings. Likewise the familiar bass of Dave Pegg and Chris Leslie’s fiddle could suggest Fairport but assured production and sympathetic desk work from Taylor means no one dominates and balance is kept. The services of renowned Gryphon, Fairport, The Professionals and The Men They Couldn’t Hang members provide accomplished support on the album. JETHRO TULL ‘The Broadsword And The Beast’ (40th Anniversary deluxe 8CD/DVD, four-disc vinyl) Warner Music David Carroll spent much of the 1970s in vans travelling the country earning a crust from the then buoyant folk club and college circuits with folk band Spinning Wheel. The advent of punk led to a lessening of interest in older forms of music, so to supplement a waning income, a qualification in stringed instrument making and repair was gained, leading to a long and successful career in the musical instrument industry. Several bands, duos and solo performances followed over the years, as well as a steady flow of both live and studio session work on instruments as diverse as uilleann pipes and appalachian dulcimer as well as the more normal guitar, bouzouki and mandolin. After appearing on numerous recordings for other people the idea of a solo album fermented over several years and, bolstered by offers of help from many good friends (including all the above!) the ideas and arrangements finally surfaced in 2022. Funded by Help Musicians UK the songs are interspersed with interviews with music therapists, mental health charities and guest musicians including Blair Dunlop, Nancy Kerr and Julie Matthews.

A rousing ‘High Barbaree’, a famous tale of thwarted piracy is next and David proves my earlier point by restoring all the verses of ‘Poor Man’s Sorrow’ relating all the gory details of the miserable chap’s marriage’. Whilst we will do our best to review any release that comes through the office we are not able to guarantee that we will be able to review everything Straight in at No.1 is James Yorkston, Nina Persson and The Second Hand Orchestra’s The Great White Sea Eagle (Domino Recordings), the follow up to James Yorkston and The Second Hand Orchestra’s The Wide, Wide River – a Guardian Top 10 Folk Album of 2021. The record didn’t start life as a follow up; in early 2021, Yorkston began visiting his studio in Cellardyke, Fife and for the first time, started writing songs on the piano as opposed to his usual guitar, as he gazed upon the sea outside his window. After sending the first five or six songs to Karl-Jonas Winqvist (the ringleader/conductor of TSHO), they began to discuss working on the music together. With Yorkston’s shift from guitar to piano, they thought about what other changes they could make to their process which led to the involvement of a guest singer and the legendary Nina Persson (The Cardigans) was brought into the fold. They followed the same methodology as The Wide, Wide River – apart from James, Nina and KJ, none of The Second Hand Orchestra had heard the music prior to entering the studio – and the arrangements were made up on the spot. LIZZY HARDINGHAM is a young folk singer-songwriter who burst onto the folk scene in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Her latest studio album of self-penned songs explores the relationship between music and mental health. Finally, ‘Gentlemen Of High Renown’, which gives the album its title, enjoys an arrangement reminiscent of early 70s Fairport until Gulland weighs in with more crumhorns and a brief snatch of hunting horn. It’s far from being politically correct but it provides Bold Reynold with a rousing finish.

FORMED in 1969 Trapeze were a classic English prog band, popular on the college circuit who had been signed by Moody Blues for their Threshold label. JANICE BURNS and Jon Doran are a young folk duo who met while studying at Newcastle University. Having released an EP two years ago this debut album uses mainly traditional songs to explore our relationship with nature and themes of love and loss.SINCE their debut album Tidings in 2020 this Yorkshire-based female band have had some changes of line-up but the current trio of Bella Gaffney, Holly Brandon and Kate Griffin still offer an exciting combination of superb harmonies and instrumentals.