Peter Bellamy As Concertina Player

[Alan Day]

That first picture Mark is "The Biggest Trio In the World" (there were five of us) and we were playing in front of about two thousand people at the Ris Orangis Festival near Paris.Luckily the lights were so strong I could not see them.Four of that group formed Rosbif shortly after this picture with the addition of Richard Smith Hurdy Gurdy Player.

Al

[Peter Brook]

Excellent - Father Ken in trademark cape - why do priests and vampires dress from the same wardrobe?

[Mark Evans]

Oh Peter, as an ex-music director in a parish church this is a subject I could get wound up on . I'll be lookin' over me shoulder all day long. Where did I put that clove a' garlic, 'cause the crucifix doesn't work very well .

[Helen]

Rats, I can't open it.

 

I'll just have to use my imagination.

[Helen]

Wow, Al, super pictures. And you hang out with pa players!

 

Thanks to Jim for emailing me the pictures. Scary what my imagination might have wrought!

[Alan Day]

Thanks Helen,the first picture was my idea to get members of this site to post action photos playing the concertina, but I could not post it.So if any of you have action photos,please start another topic.

As far as the PA player is concerned, we all make mistakes !! (only joking)

 

Peter the cape is all part of Father Kens presentation a simple dog collar would not be his style.

Al

[Stephen Chambers]

... the cape is all part of Father Kens presentation a simple dog collar would not be his style.

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Goodness no, a soutaine, worn with gaiters and a crucifix hanging from his waist (with which to beat time whilst adjudicating at an ICA Festival) would have been much more like it !

[geoffwright]

"why do priests and vampires dress from the same wardrobe?"

No one else could dress out of Kens' wardrobe as it contained every morris kit in the country but he never got them mixed up.

[OLDNICKILBY]

Folks,

 

Today at the Baggeridge Folk Festival (South Staffs) I picked up a Peter Bellamy LP, "Second Wind", for the princely sum of a quid. Not only is it in excellent condition, but there are several tracks on which Bellamy is playing concertina, which is something I've not heard before - other material I've encountered is either solo voice or accompanied by other instrumentalists.

 

The playing style, voicing of chords etc. indicate that he's playing anglo. However, curiously, the playing on a couple of the songs seems to suggest that the home key of his instrument is (approximately) B major - and yes, I did adjust the pitch on my turntable before checking! Would this most likely be a Bb/F instrument in old pitch?

 

Finally, are there any other Bellamy LPs that feature his concertina-playing prominently?

 

Cheers

Stuart

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[Brian Peters]

Folks,

 

Today at the Baggeridge Folk Festival (South Staffs) I picked up a Peter Bellamy LP, "Second Wind", for the princely sum of a quid. Not only is it in excellent condition, but there are several tracks on which Bellamy is playing concertina, which is something I've not heard before - other material I've encountered is either solo voice or accompanied by other instrumentalists.

 

The playing style, voicing of chords etc. indicate that he's playing anglo. However, curiously, the playing on a couple of the songs seems to suggest that the home key of his instrument is (approximately) B major - and yes, I did adjust the pitch on my turntable before checking! Would this most likely be a Bb/F instrument in old pitch?

 

 

Cheers

Stuart

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Being a new member I missed this thread first time around, and am not quite sure how come it's suddenly been revived after going way off topic. However, for what it's worth, here's what I think:

 

Bellamy was technically a relatively limited player. As far as I know he never played instrumentals, only song accompaniments. His approach to anglo was very much "along the rows", ignoring the top row and the reversed duplicates so that when he picked out a melody, it was in a very jerky, in-and-out style. He also didn't go in much for sustained chords behind the vocal line, so his accompaniments tend to sound pretty busy.

 

Having said that, while they could a little clunky on some songs, on others they were devastatingly effective. Whether through musical theory or (more likely) trial and error, Bellamy could conjure up the most haunting, often dissonant chords which added whole new layers to songs like his version of "The Housecarpenter" (originally on Both Sides Then) or "My Boy Jack" (on one of the Kipling albums). Chris Timson was right about his use of drones, but the clever bit was in holding part-chords down at the same time as the drone, resulting in interesting clashes. My memory is that it was Peter himself, not just his imitators, who had clips fitted to the instrument to hold down the drones, at least one of which was located on the left hand top row, not the usual thumb button.

 

I could go on at greater length but won't for now. Stirrings magazine (www.stirrings.co.uk) published a Bellamy special issue a few months ago, which is worth reading if you want to know more about an enormous but controversial and fragile talent.

 

Brian

[cnrobinson]

I remembe them both well! Anyone who doesn't know what we are going on about should really try Bellamy in the Young Tradition 'Galleries'(Transatlantic, still available I think). I always thought his anglo style to be good for song accompaniment, I was always enthralled! As for the Rev Ken..... As a youngish dancer I was 'in charge' of him at a Ring Meeting, cape, pipe, bargees cap, pewter tankard and all! Oh and of course 'the very concertina' that WK had been given by the Ding-Dong society (EFDSS for those of you in the States etc.) He and Maurice Sutherland. A daunting prospect for all but the stout hearted. Misserable pair, as I recall.

 

Chris

[Stephen Chambers]

... the cape is all part of Father Kens presentation a simple dog collar would not be his style.

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Goodness no, a soutaine, worn with gaiters and a crucifix hanging from his waist (with which to beat time whilst adjudicating at an ICA Festival) would have been much more like it !

And, whilst looking for something else entirely, I was reminded of this thread when I stumbled upon a photo of the Rev. Ken in full clerical garb and playing William Kimber's concertina:

 

[asdormire]

This just makes me remember how much I enjoyed the times I saw Peter in East Lansing. Great Player and a wonderful player. Just wish I could have seen him more.

 

Alan

[Dan Worrall]

... the cape is all part of Father Kens presentation a simple dog collar would not be his style.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Goodness no, a soutaine, worn with gaiters and a crucifix hanging from his waist (with which to beat time whilst adjudicating at an ICA Festival) would have been much more like it !

And, whilst looking for something else entirely, I was reminded of this thread when I stumbled upon a photo of the Rev. Ken in full clerical garb and playing William Kimber's concertina:

 

 

I just saw this thread for the first time because of Alan's post yesterday.

 

A minor correction, Stephen; I don't think that that is Kimber's concertina that Rev. Loveless is playing in your photograph. Two things are wrong: 1) It appears to have bone buttons; Kimber's had metal buttons, as many photos show. 2) Roger Digby and I had the rare treat of examining Kimber's concertina in 2005; his granddaughter showed it to us. It had a set of bellows that were much more worn, and had a dull, almost greenish-black cast. Loveless is holding one with a newish set of shiny black bellows. Unless Ken really put those bellows through the wringer, the wear was due to a half century of Kimber's own playing. I've attached a picture of my homely mug with that instrument.

 

I only bring this up because I know from a recent post of yours that you have a penchant for buying instruments once owned by famous players, like Alf Edwards!

 

Best,

Dan

 

ps. So what happened then to the concertina Rev Ken is playing? That would be a collectible in itself...

 

 

Edited December 11, 2007 by Dan Worrall

[PeterT]

So what happened then to the concertina Rev Ken is playing? That would be a collectible in itself...

Hi Dan,

 

No idea what happened to this instrument, but I recall from a talk which Father Kenneth gave (about William Kimber) that after meeting Kimber, and agreeing to be his pupil, he was instructed to go to Wheatstone and order a 40 key C/G instrument. I know that Father Kenneth had an Anglo of his own, so I would speculate this it might have been the one in this photograph (which I've tried enlarging).

 

I can't say for certain, but this instrument could have metal buttons. It's at least 36 + drone, and appears to be the Wheatstone layout. Only a better view of the right hand would shown whether it has the additional three buttons needed to take it up to 40. The bottom fixing of the hand straps looks like that used by Wheatstone on post-war Anglos, however, Father Kenneth bought his in the mid/late 1930's. The gold-tooled bellows are puzzling me. They look too thick to be Wheatstone originals. Could they be Crabb replacements?

 

I'm certain that one or two Forum members will either be able to confirm my speculation, or replace it with facts.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[Stephen Chambers]

OK, fair cop guv'!

 

I guess I should have put my glasses on and looked more closely, rather than believing the photo caption on the Morris Ring website, which says Father Kenneth Loveless, M.B.E., a past Squire of the Morris Ring, playing William Kimber's concertina. Father Ken died in 1995, RIP. Only you'd think they'd know!

 

But I can understand the confusion since at a glance it does look rather similar, with its plain seven-fold bellows and gold tooling on the frames, and presumably he deliberately had it made that way, to look like (puts on loud and pompous voice) "dear William's".

 

Anyway, my whole point wasn't about the concertina but about the way Father Ken dressed; I don't recall ever seeing him "in civvies", even (or especially!) when he was adjudicating at an ICA Festival. He was always "the Rural Dean" or "the Morris Squire" in my memories of him, and you got the feeling that he was rather fond of "dressing up", the pipe was almost a "prop" too - though I believe he had quite a collection of them... Definitely a "larger than life" character!

 

I'd forgotten about his 40-key Wheatstone, but that probably is the instrument in the photo; I don't think I ever saw it myself but Paul Davies (who visited him one time) told me that it was very good. Features like those "duet clip" bottom adjusters on the handstraps started to become normal on Wheatstone Anglos from the mid-'30s onwards (so in the period when his was made), along with plywood action boards and hook actions (just like Alf Edwards' Æola!), but the quality of the instruments only went into serious decline after WW2.

Edited December 12, 2007 by Stephen Chambers

[asdormire]

I just saw this thread for the first time because of Alan's post yesterday.

 

I only saw it because Stephen posted roughly an our before I did.

 

And I meant great player and wonderful person.

 

Alan

[Stephen Chambers]

... I know from a recent post of yours that you have a penchant for buying instruments once owned by famous players, like Alf Edwards!

Dan,

 

As a matter of fact, far from having a penchant for them, the Alf Edwards instrument (which is now my "favourite squeeze") is the only one I've ever bought knowing for a fact that it was once owned by a famous player. However, coincidentally I have just been offered another very famous English concertina, but "mum's the word" for now...