Morris Music

[Susanne]

Morris dance music is really nice and if I get it right, it is commonly played on concertina. where can I find some Morris music? Is there sheet music somewhere online? CDs? Sound clips?

[Alan Day]

The best Morris recordings for me was on the "Morris On" record.It was my introduction to how Morris music could be played on the Anglo and featured John Watcham and I think John Kirkpatrick ,who has just released an excellent CD on this subject.John Watcham plays a fantastic Morris selection on Anglo International,sadly time and space did not allow more.

A good contact for the written music would be EFDSS Cecil Sharp House.

Al

[Chris Timson]

Has anyone mentioned John Kirkpatrick to you yet. If not, I shall now:-

 

John Kirkpatrick!

 

We call him The Guvnor here in England. He is one of our foremost squeezebox players and has been since the start of the 70s, playing anglo concertina and assorted melodeons. He is a deep and influential thinker and performer of both English dance and morris music. Almost everything he has recorded is well worth listening to. You could do a lot worse and not much better than to start with his CD Plain Capers. Amazon certainly stock it.

 

There are plenty of sites of morris music out there, others will be able to give you more information, and about the recent CD The Magic of the Morris, which I have but seem to have temporarily mislaid.

 

Chris

[Howard Mitchell]

Try the Morris Dance page at http://www.morrisdancing.org/

 

All the organisations have links to further information.

 

e.g. on the Morris Ring site, follow the link to "abc music for Lionel Bacon's Black Book". Whilst there, it's worth looking at the link to the Trunch Dance Tradition from Norfolk http://www.themorrisring.org/More/Trunch/TRUNCH.HTML but keep your tongue firmly in your cheek when reading this.

 

For a CD, try WILLIAM KIMBER "Absolutely Classic: The Music Of William Kimber" English Folk Dance and Song Society EFDSSCD03

 

If all else fails http://www.hgmitchell.plus.com/hgm/winster...rris%20reel.mp3 is me playing the Winster Morris Reel.

 

Howard Mitchell

[greenferry]

Is there sheet music somewhere online? CDs?

 

 

Sheet music: THE BACON BOOK !!!!!

 

 

Country Dance and Song Society

132 Main St/PO Box 338

Haydenville, MA 01039-0338

 

Phone: 413-268-7426

Fax: 413-268-7471

 

Office Hours M-F 9:30am - 5:00pm EST

 

Website: CDSS

 

 

Bacon, Lionel A Handbook of Morris Dances

 

"The Morris Bible," this book includes common dances and music, as well as many previously unpublished dances from Sharp and other collectors. Hardcover looseleaf. First published in 1951. 1986 350pgs | Instruction Included | Written Music Included | Reference, History or Index | book $46.50

 

 

The CDSS are conveniently located within a relatively short drive of The Button Box.

 

They have LOTS of CDs, sheet music, and videos on Morris dance.

[Lennart]

At the morris ring shop can you find a lot of morris music.

 

http://www.themorrisring.org/Shop.htm

 

I'll recommend this one for those who want to listen to John Watcham on Anglo.

 

The Albion Morrismen: STILL DANCING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

[Paul Read]

There are a couple of morris tune books by Mallinson (google Mally's and Morris). These have suggested chords

[Jim Besser]

Morris dance music is really nice and if I get it right, it is commonly played on concertina. where can I find some Morris music? Is there sheet music somewhere online? CDs? Sound clips?

 

All good suggestions. Also dig up a copy of the CD "Over th Water," with Jim Morrison on fiddle and Tom Kruskal on Anglo (and, if you can find it, their earlier Round Pond Relics, only on vinyl). Tom, like his brother Jody, is an amazing player.

 

Good collection of Morris tunes in ABC format at http://www.ucolick.org/~sla/morris/music/abclib.html

 

Morris tunes in JPG format at http://www.red-bean.com/~noel/morris-tunes/

[Perry Werner]

Hi Alan:

 

" I think John Kirkpatrick ,who has just released an excellent CD on this subject"

 

Has John released another new CD of Morris tunes?

What's the title if so OR which CD are you referring to.

 

Have fun,

Perry Werner

[Henk van Aalten]

where can I find some Morris music? Is there sheet music somewhere online? CDs? Sound clips?

If you know how to deal with ABC notation the Lewes Collection might be a great source \.

[Lester Bailey]

You acn now access all of the Bacon Black Book in ABCs at The Morris Ring

 

And I am far to modest to post this link

[Chris Timson]

And I am far to modest to post this link

Lester, I was always most impressed with your essential modesty and quietness of demeanour. Ahem ...

 

Chris

 

PS John Kirkpatrick's CD, Plain Capers (which for me remains the definitive recording of morris music) was orignially a 2 LP set back at the tail end of the 70s, now reissued as a CD. I don't believe he has released anything else specifically, but you could always check his web site www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk

[Peter Brook]

Apart from "Plain Capers" which is Cotswold Morris tunes, John Kirkpatrick has released 2 CDs of Border Morris tunes mostly written by him or members of Shopshire Bedlams and Martha Roden's Tuppenny Dish these are "Sheepskins" and "The Duck Race".

 

There are a whole series of Morris On CDs through Son of, Grandson of, and Great Grandson of. Morris On is proably the pick of that bunch but the others are all good. Incidently I've heard JK say in a workshop that although making Morris On was great fun, the way they play the music does not lend itself to being danced to. JK likes to play jig time as a short staccato um with a longer pa as he believes this gives a lot more lift to the music and helps the dancers. He also plays ECD tunes this way. He says that this is the opposite way to the way they played on Morris On with it's "Folk Rock" influences.

 

You can get most but not all of JK's recordings through Amazon but I'm not sure how this affects the artists cut of profits. The CD that he released this year is as a duet "The Sultans of Squeeze". Which is mainly PA and button accordion with Chris Parkinson. (Also features a fantastic Bass Anglo on a couple of tracks!)

 

I lot of musicians I know who want to learn Morris Tunes buy the Books and accompanying CDs from Dave Mallinson

 

There is not a lot different to Bacon but I find the notation much clearer and easier to read.

[Roger Digby]

Chris Timson knows I can be an infuriating nit-picker at times, so he won't mind me pointing out that Plain Capers was a single vinyl album not a double. It is superb and I flagged it up in PICA 2 when I wrote about the Free Reed retrospective. If the CD is still available it is an essential item for any Anglo player exploring English music.

Mention must also be made of 'Greeny Up', a cassette of the Bampton musicians recorded live in 1987 and released by Veteran Tapes. I don't know it's current availability. For me Bampton is where it all starts and finishes. They get everything right. There are also recordings available of Jinky Wells.

I could bang on for ages about the dreadful music that too many Morris sides dance to. Anybody not actually dancing gets out something and hits it or squeezes it regardless of appropriateness to the dance. Cotswold is danced by 7 men one of whom plays the tune. 'Nuff said!

Best wishes

Roger

[Perry Werner]

There are a whole series of Morris On CDs through Son of, Grandson of, and Great Grandson of. Morris On is proably the pick of that bunch but the others are all good

 

Hi Peter:

To add to your "Morris On" discography, there is additionally the recently released "Morris on the Road" which is a collection of live performances. I do not beleive Mr. Kirkpatrick performs on this recording but it is a fun listen. I wonder what they will call the next release!?!?!?

Have fun,

Perry Werner

 

(Oops!. How do I get those nice quotes to show in my posting. HELP!!!!!!!)

Edited December 2, 2005 by Perry Werner

[JimLucas]

(Oops!. How do I get those nice quotes to show in my posting. HELP!!!!!!!)

By not deleting the "[ /quote ]" at the end of the quoted bit. (I've added the spaces in that so that it doesn't get taken for an end-of-quote tag and screw up my quoting of you.)

[Chris Timson]

Chris Timson knows I can be an infuriating nit-picker at times, so he won't mind me pointing out that Plain Capers was a single vinyl album not a double.

That's what you think! I'm just boiling over with resentment!

 

My memory must be playing heavy tricks on me. I'm sure I recall laboriously copying each disc of a friend's copy in turn to cassette tape back when it first came out (and the sense of moral relief when I finally bought the CD from JK a couple of years back).

Cotswold is danced by 7 men one of whom plays the tune. 'Nuff said!

Completely agree. Although I would call myself a morris musician and play in a seven-strong band, that is because I play for North West morris, which (if you didn't know it already, ennistraveller) is a very different beast from Cotswold morris. Costwold emphasises skill and agility, North West precision and spectacle. They each have their own music and approach to playing.

 

Chris

[Susanne]

Thanks everyone for the help!