Bradfield 08

[Davelee]

I would like to concur everything that has been said before.Beryl & I spent saturday night trying to avoid being swept away in our tent by the northern winds! But sunday night we had a very good nights sleep at the Royal!!! The sessions at the Royal were excellent and all the workshops I attended were of a very high standard. The organisation of the events must have been extremely complex but this was a credit to Mark and Joan. If someone can predict good weather next year we will bring our tent again!!!

Regards from the south west(windy & raining)

[Dave Prebble]

Due to other intererests I cannot organise the 2009 Bradfield Traditional Weekend on the weekend of 7th,8th & 9th August(so ignore the email I sent to all those on my contact list)I am considering bringing it forward to the weekend of the 24th,25th & 26th July.The only event that I know of that it clashes with is the Cullerlie Traditional Singing Weekend in Scotland.It will no doubt clash with some "folk festival"or other in the UK but as I have no interest in "folk music"that is not a problem.Has anyone got any thoughts about this?

 

 

Hi Mark,

 

That weekend works fine for me.

 

Might give the folks who have regular commitments at Sidmouth a chance to come and enjoy the Pennine sunshine

 

Dave

[cplayer]

hi mark

count me in please

bhawes

cplayer

[davidcorner]

Due to other intererests I cannot organise the 2009 Bradfield Traditional Weekend on the weekend of 7th,8th & 9th August(so ignore the email I sent to all those on my contact list)I am considering bringing it forward to the weekend of the 24th,25th & 26th July.The only event that I know of that it clashes with is the Cullerlie Traditional Singing Weekend in Scotland.It will no doubt clash with some "folk festival"or other in the UK but as I have no interest in "folk music"that is not a problem.Has anyone got any thoughts about this?

This year's TMSA festival list (see TMSA Event List for the event calender) gives two others on that week-end this year (Loch Lomond and Ugie), but since they're not concertina related events, you needn't worry about clashes in Scotland.

Cullerlie is very much a singing event, and I've meant to go some year, but never got round to it.

 

I've thought about visiting Bradfield, but since it always clashes with Auchtermuchty Festival, I've never been able to make it.

If you go ahead with the proposed weekend in July, I will try to attend.

 

PS Weather report - Auchtermuchty weekend.

Torrential rain on Saturday evening - localised flooding in Fife.

I think it's time to retire the old tent!

[michael sam wild]

A thought that has been puzzling me since the Bradfield weekend.

 

Dan Worrall showed how the Anglo died out virtually after WW1 until the 60s revival.. So what replaced it in working class or popular music? It must have been an immediate and accessible and cheap instrument like the guitar in the 50s. Was it the uke or banjolele? Or did people just listen to radio and records? What were the 'Race Records' for the British working class?

 

I have old melodeon 78s but no concertina recordings, has anyone gone through catalogues of the recording companes? My earliest concertina clue is Wm Mullaley recorded in America in the 20s

 

Was it the ukulele and banjo and George Formby, Jazz or 'flapper' music which would be chromatic and multi keyed?

When I was a lad in the late 40s and early 50s we wanted keys that would fit in with what we got from America and we weren't sufficiently competent to play in keys other than mouth organ keys. I think the mouth organ may have kept the anglo tradition alive, I played for hops and later square dances in the early 50s on a Hohner mouth organ ( which we used to buy at the barber's shop - 'something for the weekend') using jigs and reels which were part of my Manchester /Irish and local Lancashire culture. My Gran used to lilt 'Off She Goes' or'Humpty Dumpty' for our kids' birthday party dances in our Coucil House scullery. She was 4th generation Cheshire/Lancs.

 

Then skiffle came along and 'liberated' us from complications, a bit like Punk did later on, and keys like C.G.D became common for a while and the Anglo and guitarn fitted that as did D/G melodeon for the emerging 'folkies' of the 1960s. This merged nicely with Irish traditional music and the Morris revival so here we are.

[Alan Day]

A thought that has been puzzling me since the Bradfield weekend.

 

Dan Worrall showed how the Anglo died out virtually after WW1 until the 60s revival.. So what replaced it in working class or popular music? It must have been an immediate and accessible and cheap instrument like the guitar in the 50s. Was it the uke or banjolele? Or did people just listen to radio and records? What were the 'Race Records' for the British working class?

 

I have old melodeon 78s but no concertina recordings, has anyone gone through catalogues of the recording companes? My earliest concertina clue is Wm Mullaley recorded in America in the 20s

 

Was it the ukulele and banjo and George Formby, Jazz or 'flapper' music which would be chromatic and multi keyed?

When I was a lad in the late 40s and early 50s we wanted keys that would fit in with what we got from America and we weren't sufficiently competent to play in keys other than mouth organ keys. I think the mouth organ may have kept the anglo tradition alive, I played for hops and later square dances in the early 50s on a Hohner mouth organ ( which we used to buy at the barber's shop - 'something for the weekend') using jigs and reels which were part of my Manchester /Irish and local Lancashire culture. My Gran used to lilt 'Off She Goes' or'Humpty Dumpty' for our kids' birthday party dances in our Coucil House scullery. She was 4th generation Cheshire/Lancs.

 

Then skiffle came along and 'liberated' us from complications, a bit like Punk did later on, and keys like C.G.D became common for a while and the Anglo and guitarn fitted that as did D/G melodeon for the emerging 'folkies' of the 1960s. This merged nicely with Irish traditional music and the Morris revival so here we are.

The recordings I have of the English concertina continue after the war, up to 1935 the Concertina Bands were still going strong and Music Hall was still alive,Dan's graph showed Anglo concertina production dropping off before and after the first World War, but many of the English and Duet system concertinas players continued to perform.John Nixon,Tommy Elliott,Alf Edwards,Perci Honri were just a few who performed through to the late sixties.It would appear just from recordings that in the concertina World the English and Duet was preferred to be listened to. Certainly after the Second World War I would expect the piano to be the most popular.Sing songs in pubs,most front rooms had one.Both my parents played the piano.There was not a lot of money about before and after both wars, so to spend money on an instrument was a luxury few could afford.

From memory the sequence of popularity was Trad Jazz, Skiffle, Blues, Rock and Roll, Folk Revival which included Morris revival (John Kirkpatrick)and the popularity of the Anglo.

Al

[hjcjones]

Due to other intererests I cannot organise the 2009 Bradfield Traditional Weekend on the weekend of 7th,8th & 9th August(so ignore the email I sent to all those on my contact list)I am considering bringing it forward to the weekend of the 24th,25th & 26th July.The only event that I know of that it clashes with is the Cullerlie Traditional Singing Weekend in Scotland.It will no doubt clash with some "folk festival"or other in the UK but as I have no interest in "folk music"that is not a problem.Has anyone got any thoughts about this?

 

That weekend probably still works for me

[David Levine]

This weekend is bigger than any one -- or two -- of us. That being Mark and Joan.

 

I'll try to come though daughter #3 might have a wedding in the US that weekend.

[d.elliott]

Due to other intererests I cannot organise the 2009 Bradfield Traditional Weekend on the weekend of 7th,8th & 9th August(so ignore the email I sent to all those on my contact list)I am considering bringing it forward to the weekend of the 24th,25th & 26th July.The only event that I know of that it clashes with is the Cullerlie Traditional Singing Weekend in Scotland.It will no doubt clash with some "folk festival"or other in the UK but as I have no interest in "folk music"that is not a problem.Has anyone got any thoughts about this?

 

You know it will suit me Mark

 

I think this was the original aniversery week end

 

Dave E

[geoffwright]

Already in the diary.

Big hand to Mark & Joans impecable organisation, once again.

 

As well as the Irish sessions, and meeting old friends, the highlight for me was the ad-hoc band - I tried to keep the repertoire to Northumbrian tunes that were not played as much nowadays, so it was a joy to have the wonderfull Watchorn duo alongside me and I never cease to be amazed that Jody and our Irish friends managed to sit in and play probably unfamiliar tunes all night.

Nevertheless, we had some authentic American sets (and dancing) from Jody as well.

 

What a concertina-fest.