Subject: 'Song Links' is now launched!
From:
George Papavgeris
Date: 30 Mar 03 - 03:03 PM
If you were not at the Song Links launch in the Main Hall of Cecil Sharp House (London) today, well you missed a special little moment. Because how often can you see Shirley Collins, Martyn Wyndham-Read, Bill Whaley and Dave Fletcher, John Kirkpatrick, Bob Copper and the Copper family (oh, and our "own" Mary Humphreys and Anahata - "treewind" to us Mudcatters) on the same stage together? As Shirley said to general applause, it was a honour just to be in the same room as Bob Copper...
But 350+ of us were there, and thoroughly enjoyed the Song Links concert to mark the launch of Martyn's project of the same name, dealing with English traditional songs that crossed the water to Australia, were adapted there and occasionally crossed back in their new form ("The Convict's Lamentation" is a splendid example of the latter).
The output of the project is mainly a 75-page booklet dealing with the subject, accompanied by 2 CDs containing 17 songs, in their English and Australian versions, sung by the above plus Martin Carthy, Norma Waterson, Nancy Kerr & James Fagan, Louis Killen, Tony Rose, Kate Burke & Ruth Hazleton, Danny Spooner, Dave de Hugard & Cathy O'Sullivan. There is also word of a video documentary being produced.
Got mine (and thanks to My Guru Always Said, also got it signed by the performers present). And I lapped up the performances on the day too. Mary and Anahata did themselves real proud; I could see John K cocking an ear at some of Anahata's playing, and Bob Copper was nodding very appreciatively at Mary's rendition of "Lovely Nancy" and Banks of the Nile". Martyn was, well, Martyn. And John K, as well as Bill & Dave dazzled. But I'd never seen the Coppers before, and the afternoon was worth it for me, just for that - a living tradition in themselves with the 200 years of passing songs down the line.
And as icing on the cake, at the launch party afterwards I also got to meet one of my favourite songwriters - Graeme Miles (of "Where Ravens Feed" fame). Graeme came down from Tyneside just to be there. Others travelled similar, or longer distances.
Definitely the high spot of the year for C-Sharp House.
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sj
