Dapper's Delight, New Cd - "disguisings"

[Mike Franch]

I had pre-ordered two, one to give and one to keep, and will eagerly be watching my mail!

[Loikroh]

Just viewed the preview videos - great stuff - I will have to order. I looked at some of the youtube things too. It always is wonderful to hear concertinas played in churches and cathedrals don't you think.

cheers

Mart

[Geoff Wooff]

Just recieved my copy of this sumptuously produced CD and listening to it as I do my morning mails. It looks to be a more varied selection than Susanna and Adrian's previous offering, "Indoors", but then I'm only on the second track yet, so , no review from me today beyond saying I am enjoying what I'm hearing!

 

Geoff.

[adrian brown]

Just to announce that Disguisings is now available for digital download at CDbaby, who also sell the physical CD. Since this week, it is also for sale in the USA via the Button Box website. Itunes and Amazon will probably follow in the next couple of weeks and while It's probably too late now for a delivery by Christmas, you can now download it anytime :-)

 

Adrian

[Wolf Molkentin]

I have received my copy yesterday and am really enthúsiastic about this new set of tunes, as much at first as at repeated listening...

 

It's such a lively and charming renaissance flow over the entire album, capable of even embracing the closing Ian Dury cover song! Recorder and Anglo go so very well together, and everything is tastefully carried out in superb musicianship.

 

Will come back to the details soon, but don't expect any negative criticism...

 

More then well done Adrian and Susanna! Best wishes - Wolf

 

 

[Stefan]

I agree. The CD is just great. High quality everywhere. Also a nice mixture of songs, a joy to listen to.

[Geoff Wooff]

I'm just back from a trip to the market and had this latest Dapper offering spinning in the car's CD player.....in fact I've probably listented to it 40 times in the last few days and still hearing new things . But even on a 'background music' level ( as in concentrate on your driving you old duffer!) it sooths and entertains well.

 

Congrats!!

 

Geoff.

[adrian brown]

Thanks a lot for your enthusiasm guys - so glad you like it! Happy Christmas everyone!

 

Adrian

[Robin Harrison]

I too have listened to this wonderful CD many times, over the Christmas period. It’s music for the ages.

I very much enjoyed their 1^st album, Indoors: it had many high-lights…………this album is all highlights !

Suzanna plays with great virtuosity and this recording puts Adrian firmly at the forefront of anglo players currently recording if he was not there already.

I have a feeling that this CD may prove to be one of the great anglo concertina albums for at least a couple of reasons. Mentioned above, musicians who play this accompanied style at this level of accomplishment are rare and with such a good sound recording it’s possible to separate the left and right hands clearly and enjoy what he does with both. The bass side is sometimes used for melody and sounds like a bass concertina in the mix.

If you'd like to let a new player know what the anglo is capable of, this would be one album to recommend. The Irish community is blessed with dozens of wonderful players and recordings: accompanied style not so much. I can imagine someone wanting to play the anglo with an, as yet, unformed idea of what they want to play. After listening to Adrian’s playing I think the diatonic scales could well fall from their eyes.

The music itself. I’d love to know how they do it (extreme talent and a wonderful artistic sensibility is probably the answer!) but there is a lightness to their playing. This suffuses every track and there is a joy that Suzanna brings to her recorders. It’s magical to me that you can play “joy” but she does it. Having listened to the CD many times, “joyous” is the adjective that I keep coming back to.

The songs are a real pleasure too. In the liner notes Adrian says he uses a 1959 voice made in the UK and he brings a charm to the diverse song selection…………. I found myself surprisingly moved by their “Once I Loved a Maiden Fair”. His is not a trained voice but this adds to the atmosphere of the 17^th century broad sheets ballads they sing ( I may need correcting on the origins of the songs). Adrian’s maids sit on the grass not grrrraass and he sings with a voice that is authentically his own. If you have ever listened to Jose Carreras sing “Salmon Chanted Evening” in Westside Story, you’ll know what I mean.

They finish with a music hall song. I’m not a fan of music hall (I squirm) but I liked this Gus Elen song a lot and more tellingly, enjoyed it on repetition. It’s because (I think ) he lets the song do the work rather than letting parody in.

Their final song is a punk rock song from Ian Drury and the Blockheads.

Yes, the Blockheads.

‘Nuff said but to add that he’s a lucky bleeder to have such a wonderful musical companion in Suzanna Borsch and quite simply………………

He Ain’t ‘Alf a Clever Bastard

Robin

 

BTW.. a shout out for Mike Franch above.........everyone should buy two copies. Same as books. If you want to keep a copy of you favourite book you have to buy two so you can lend out one which eventually is lost!

[JimLucas]

I too have listened to this wonderful CD many times, over the Christmas period. It’s music for the ages.

I'm not as eloquent as Robin, but I will say that it seems to get better with each listening (obviously, it's my listening that gets better), and I loved it the first time around.

 

BTW.. a shout out for Mike Franch above.........everyone should buy two copies. Same as books. If you want to keep a copy of you favourite book you have to buy two so you can lend out one which eventually is lost!

Agreed. Actually, I bought a few extras as gifts for particular friends, and some other musical friends bought their own copies after I directed them to the YouTube video previews. All rave reviews.