Hi John P - I believe 'twas me (among others) who said that the evolving process in traditional music had been stifled by the process of documentation.

I hear what you say, and I would agree that each of us as a performer will inevitably bring something of our own to a tune or a song - to the point, perhaps, where it's changed quite a lot. The problem seems to be that people will refer back to the original, whether you like it or not. Where there's no "original", then there's less of a reference point for fair or unfair comparison. However, I think more and more stuff has such a reference point now - including songs from the tradition - which is probably why you got your "outraged purists" accosting you! :-)

Such rudeness, I have to say, is unpardonable. We're all entitled to interpret any piece of music in our own way - people may disagree with it, and be very critical of it, but there's no excuse for animosity.