I do not dislike your choice of music, Jim, but i feel that playing sam cooke after piper through the meadow straying is incongrouos, and does not work as wqell as playing two tunes from the accepted irish repertoire,
i have enjoyed working and playing with you in the past , neither have i said i would not book you, you said you did not want to play folk festivals or did not enjoy them, i subsequently remarked in a seperate post that i felt this was a shame.
to take up peter labans point, it is hardly relevant, because i am not objecting to an instrumental modern composed pieice being played , if i thought that, it would rule out jay ungurs compositions, my point is that piper through the meadow straying is incongrous imo with a sam cooke song, imo, i prefer it played with an instrumental composition.      here are jims very own words, quote
I make NO apology for playing & singing my own versions of songs by such as the Everly Brothers, Sam Cooke, Bing Crosby, Charlie Poole,. Bonnie Tyler & Dr Hook,
peter laban, is discussing something different a slow air played on its own, he is not talking about playing an irish instrumental peice with a sam cooke song,that is my opinion and my taste nothing more or less, we are all entitled to different opinions.
i am not dictating anybodys repertoire, any more than any other organiser, every organiser makes a decision to book someone based on their repertoire.
Neither have i ever said i would not book you.
.I made a remark that imo certain combinations[eg piper and another saturday night by sam cooke] did not sit comfortably, if you cannot accept that one item of your repertoire is not my cup of tea that is very sad
   at my festival, i have in the past booked bluegrass bands, folk rock, shanty groups, singer songwritersunaccompanied irish ,matt cranitch and jackie daly, in fact pretty much the whole spectrum of what is generally known as folk music.
Jeri, are you suggesting that i consider myself a guardian of folk, i do not consider myself a guardian of anything. but i am entitled to express my prefernces and opinions, and this exactly what they are
i am not dictating anybodys repertoire