Tune of the Month

[Jody Kruskal]

I’ve just put up two new Tune of the Month pages in my blog. November highlights an American classic sung by English folks and December features a Welsh classic sung by American folks.

 

December - Gower Wassail

 

My friend Bill Peek plays in a number of bands that I'm in but he is also the choir director and organist at the First Unitarian Church here in Brooklyn. One of his regular soloists could not attend a concert and Bill asked me to join the choir. We performed three songs including the Gower Wassail. Bill's choral arrangement of this Welsh carol was supplemented by his guitar playing and me on the Bb/F Anglo concertina.

 

November - All the Good Times Are Past and Gone

 

Forty of us gathered on a Sunday afternoon for my workshop this summer at Towersey Festival in Saint Catherine’s Church. Sunlight was streaming through the leaded windows of this ancient village church. It was a lovely quiet spot for playing and singing, away from the hubbub and excitements of the festival.

 

The workshop was titled:

American chorus songs and fiddle tunes:

bring your instruments and plan on singing.

A woman who’s name I do not recall started up a great folk revival classic, All the Good Times are Past and Gone. It was just the right song for that moment and we did it proud. Hear it for yourself.

Edited January 15, 2009 by Jody Kruskal

[groeswenphil]

Loved the Gower Wassail.....in fact, I've penciled it in as something to learn for next Christmas.

 

Minor nag Jody......Gower is an area of Wales, not England.

 

You can see my Wassail Bowl at

http://groeswenphil.blogspot.com/

 

Phil

Edited January 14, 2009 by groeswenphil

[Jody Kruskal]

Loved the Gower Wassail.....in fact, I've penciled it in as something to learn for next Christmas.

 

Minor nag Jody......Gower is an area of Wales, not England.

 

You can see my Wassail Bowl at

http://groeswenphil.blogspot.com/

 

Phil

 

Oops! Not minor at all and corrected now. Thanks.

 

Here, my own dearly departed Mother's family was from Wales and yet I know so little about it.

 

Nice blog site Phil. Great photos.

[frogspawn]

Minor nag Jody......Gower is an area of Wales, not England.

 

True. However, the Gower is known for its 'Englishness', a controversial subject with deep historical roots which you can find discussed in the notes to the The Gower Nightingale CD, recordings from the 30s and 40s of the excellent Phil Tanner, who sings in more of a rural English accent than a Welsh one. This is not a call for English irredentism, just an observation! The recordings include the Gower Wassail.

 

I'm also impressed with the idea of learning some Christmas tunes.

 

Richard

[Robin Madge]

To be pedantic, it is the South side of the Gower peninsula which is renouned for its Englishness.

 

Cue Crane Driver to tell us which end of Llangennith is truely welsh:)

 

Robin Madge

[david fabre]

Thanks Jody for these lovely tunes, and please keep on posting tunes of this quality on your site,

they are always very inspiring to me.

 

David

[Jody Kruskal]

Thanks Jody for these lovely tunes, and please keep on posting tunes of this quality on your site,

they are always very inspiring to me.

 

David

 

Thanks David for your kind words. I do enjoy putting tunes and songs up for folks to hear on my site and I'm glad you found my latest postings inspiring.