Jim Moray....

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 29 Feb 04 - 02:53 PM

It's been mentioned more than once here before but it's clearly worth repeating that Jim Moray won the unaccompanied song competition at Bromyard last year. Had he been performing in the 1960s he would most likely have done so with an acoustic guitar.   As a renaissance performer he'd probably have had a lute or in the early years of last century, a free reed instrument or a banjo. As it is, he is performing in the 21st century and, obviously, uses amplified instruments and programming available now in order to express most aptly what he has to say.

Yes, there were many more folk clubs 30 or 40 years ago and many more people attended. We didn't have that much else to do. Unlike Tunesmith, however, I haven't forgotten how dreadful most of it was. The young performers today far surpass what most of us were capable of then, both technically and academically.

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 29 Feb 04 - 04:00 PM

BUT - from what period did the giants of folk emerge? If we're talking about real talent! Who on the English folk scene in the past 20 years, for example, has emerged with the talent of a Carthy, MacColl, Tabor, Denny, Nick Jones etc, etc.

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 29 Feb 04 - 05:09 PM

Of those mentioned by Tunesmith, only Martin Carthy and June Tabor are still performing. Nic Jones is unable to and the other two are long dead. There are a handful of others who started then who are still regularly on the road:   Louis Killen, Pete Coe, John Kirkpatrick, and Dick Gaughan are probably the most active. And sadly, two of the greatest, Peter Bellamy and Tony Rose are no longer with us and the Dransfields no longer perform.

Interesting though that you should cite Nic Jones and June Tabor. These are two of Jim Moray's greatest influences. Who else with similar talent has emerged in the past 20 years? You could start by looking at the revivalists' children: Eliza Carthy, Nancy Kerr, Benji Kirkpatrick (and all the rest of Dr Faustus), Rose Kemp. And the many brought up on their parents' vinyl, morris dancing and festival involvement: such as Spiers & Boden, Kate Rusby, Laurel Swift. Jim Moray has said that Sidmouth Festival was his family's annual holiday...

The wave that preceded these in the late 1980s brought Kathryn Tickell, Karen Tweed, Chris Wood, Andy Cutting, Ian Carr, Simon Care to the fore, all of whom are sharing and passing on their musical expertise to young musicians through workshops such as those organised by Folkworks. If Tunesmith or anyone else stuck in the myth of overall 60s revivalist talent could be arsed to get along to one of these, they'd be left in no doubt that there is tremendous up-and-coming talent and knowledge which far surpasses what we had way back then.

I really fail to see the point in begrudging today's younger musicians their success, their far superior musical knowledge, technique and expertise.   They have had advantages we didn't certainly...it's our responsibility to catch them up, if we can, and admire them anyway.

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 29 Feb 04 - 05:23 PM

We are all better technically than we were 20,30, 40 years ago. This is true in every field - classical, rock, jazz and so on. But, I will restate my claim that folk music - in England, at least, has a far smaller pool of talent to draw on that 40 years ago, and so any meagre talent tends to be elevated beyond its true worth.

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Feb 04 - 05:35 PM

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 29 Feb 04 - 05:41 PM

I can only conclude, Tunesmith, that you need to open your mind, raise your horizons and get out more. Don't take this personally. It's not just you. The folkier-than-thou, head-in-the sands, cliquey bigots are driving the young musicians out of 'their' clubs. But it not 'their' music, you know. It's everybody's.   The people will be playing it somewhere else. Your loss.

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 01 Mar 04 - 05:23 AM

I am being very objective here! It's down to numbers! Folk music isn't attracting the numbers it used to, and therefore hasn't got the depth of talent it had in the past. Sad but true.

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: GUEST,Jim Moray
Date: 01 Mar 04 - 05:27 AM

Stop talking about me you old folkies or I shall come round and box your ears.

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: GUEST,eliza c
Date: 01 Mar 04 - 05:12 PM

Dad used to get a lot of stick from older peers about his "pop star" image, the leather jacket\jeans look. Thought he was young and talentless, the usual. They are probably still waiting for him to accept the big bucks and run off laughing to pose for his Madame Tussaud's, the wee scamp...
Young people like other young people. Doesn't mean a thing about the music.
ps-d.o.-shh.
x e.c

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: treewind
Date: 01 Mar 04 - 05:17 PM

Tee hee. Will the real "GUEST" please stand up...

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: fiddler
Date: 01 Mar 04 - 05:27 PM

Sorry this is going far off track.

I saw Jim at IVFDF this weekend - I still say Jim You're good at what you do - It doesn't do it for me.

Liza's dad did back in the 60s but he doesn't now.

I AM STILL ABSOLUTELY AMAZED AT SOME OF THE SMALLMINDED ATTITUDES HERE.

Crack on Jim You're getting the worms out of the holes.....

A

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: Spittal B
Date: 12 Mar 04 - 07:10 PM

So Jim Moray is now being sampled into tv trailers during inspector morse. What next Hollywood?, Hope Jim is doing well in Australia.

Subject: RE: Jim Moray....
From: Spittal B
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 12:25 PM

heard another track on Mike harding, where can you get the three track cd ?, Also how did jim do in australia ?