Transatlantic Sessions - new series

Subject: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: GUEST,Mick Tems (cookieless)
Date: 14 Feb 14 - 08:54 PM

I switched to BBC4 on Friday night, and what I think is a repeat series of Transatlantic Sessions had just started at 7.30pm... only 30 minutes and only six programmes, but what a joy to watch! Tim O'Brien was on, and Mary Chapin Carpenter (stunning country songwriter who loves and respects the folk tradition from this side of the Atlantic); Cara Dillon, with her husband Sam Lakeman; the incredible bass of Danny Thompson, and the angelic Gaelic singing of Julie Fowlis and Karen Mattheson; plus the masterful playing of Michael McGoldrick, Donal Lunny, Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas as music directors, John McCusker and the beautiful tunes of Phil Cunningham...

All this, packed into one brief half-hour! BBC-4 deserves to be congratulated; we don't see much in the way of folk/roots, but what we do see (i.e. Nic Jones, June Tabor) has been pretty fine stuff. Perhaps we should petition the BBC and ITV to show more quality music?

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: Andrez
Date: 14 Feb 14 - 09:30 PM

Hmmmmm sadly we don't get any of this on our ABC :-(

Cheers,

Andrez

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Feb 14 - 10:58 PM

Initially I enjoyed these shows and made a point of watching,
but 2 or 3 series ago I just gradually drifted off and stopped watching them.
Got to a point where I just couldn't be sure which were new series and which were repeats ???

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 03:55 AM

The series Mick is referring to is Series 6 which was first shown in England in the back end of 2013 and in Scotland a couple of weeks earlier.

For the location spotters out there, it was filmed in a hotel on the edge of Luss (the one next to the camp site) on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: evansakes
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 04:07 AM

I always enjoy the programmes but if they're going to do more I think they could freshen up the format a little bit. Make it a little less staged, less stylised...show more informal late night footage

It looks like a hotel these days...on previous occasions they seemed to be holed up somewhere remote where they all mucked in together (cooking for themselves etc). Then after dinner getting the instruments out and having a REAL session...

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: Will Fly
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 05:02 AM

cooking for themselves

I don't think so! Previous sessions have been set in fairly upmarket locations with proper catering facilities laid on.

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 05:05 AM

Does look stagey. Would hope the producer has a mond to these matters and is sympathetic to the music!

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: bubblyrat
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 07:09 AM

I watched last night and was thrilled ! Wonderful musicianship by some of the finest players in the land ; John McCusker reprising some his tunes from Battlefield Band's "Happy Daze" , and ,best of all ,the lovely Julie Fowlis ! Musical heaven !

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: GUEST,PeterC
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 12:34 PM

If you buy the DVD (as I have, of all six of the series) you can watch the tracks you like, and skip the ones you don't like!

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: GUEST,PadraigON
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 02:41 PM

You can of course get most of the programmes on youtube

Subject: RE: Transatlantic Sessions - new series
From: GUEST,Jon Jones
Date: 15 Feb 14 - 08:09 PM

Transatlantic Sessions - absolutely cracking!