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24 Nov 15 - 07:12 AM (#3753130) Subject: Innaccuracies in June Tabor article From: The Sandman JUNE TABOR'S laughter has the quality of a babbling brook — it is loud, sparkling and goes on quite a while. But the biggest surprise is that the 67-year-old icon of contemporary folk music is capable of humour at all. Tabor's public persona is of a severe matriarch, weighed down by all the sadness in the world. "Well I AM serious — about my music," says Tabor, taking a break from tending her farm in the rugged hinterlands between Wales and England. "The songs are about difficult subjects. You should be serious about it. What I don't like is when people say 'Ooh, your music is a bit dark isn't it? 'Dark' — what is that supposed to mean? Life is a serious matter — the problems we face are often very serious. That doesn't mean I walk around with a scowl, my jaw about to hit the floor." Tabor is a towering figure in English folk. Her haunting interpretations of venerable dirges such as 'Bonny May' and the 17th-century Canadian ballad 'Plains of Waterloo' remind us the genre can be as powerful — and relevant — as music written just yesterday. Thus, she has helped demolish the perception in England of folk as historically the preserve of cranks, obscurists and morris dancers, and carved a trail for younger artists such as The Unthanks and Sam Lee. "I discovered traditional music when I was 15 or 16," she says. "My family has no musical background at all, except that my mum and dad liked to sing along to anything they'd heard on the radio. To me, singing was a natural expression. I sing even when nobody is listening. I will be on a bike singing and people may perhaps wonder, 'why is that woman singing to herself?" Her introduction to folk came via religious programming on the BBC. "I'm extremely old and a long time ago there was this unwritten rule that public broadcasters had to put on religious programmes on a Sunday. That is where I first encountered folk. Then a traditional club opened in the town next door and a friend said, 'Well you like folk music — let's go'." If singing came naturally, live performance did not. "You have to learn how to do it — and it's a petrifying experience at the start," she says. "Goodness, it can be scary. "But I do enjoy it — when you get an audience that is listening. I've had audiences where no one is listening and that is a very depressing experience. It doesn't always happen that things go fantastically — if it did, then it wouldn't feel so special." Tabor was born in Warwick in the English midlands and studied at Oxford. She found work as a librarian after graduation (and later ran a restaurant). But music was the constant running through her life. Having started as accompanist to influential folk singers such as Martin Simpson and Rosie Hardman, in the '80s she forged a partnership with jazz pianist Huw Warren, later to become her musical director. After stepping away from music for several years she joined the Oyster Band for the seminal Freedom and Rain LP in 1990 and collaborated with Elvis Costello on the track All This Useless Beauty (which he wrote especially for her). Her most recent solo release, 2011's Ashore, was a rumination on mankind's often troubled relationship with the sea. She travels to Cork this weekend for a Triskel Christchurch performance with Quercus, her jazz-influenced collaboration with Warren and experimental saxophonist Iain Ballamy of Food. It's part of a three-day celebration of the Munich classical and jazz crossover label ECM, which, along with its support of Quercus, has helped introduce to the world such far-flung avant-gardists as jazz pianist Keith Jarrett, experimental guitarist Pat Metheny and minimalist composer Arvo Pärt |
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24 Nov 15 - 07:19 AM (#3753131) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: The Sandman the article appeared in The Irsh Examiner, Arts section journalist Ed Power. I am pleased to see Tabor getting publicity, but since when has she been an accompanist to Martin Simpson or Rosie Hardman? since when has Plains of Wterloo, been a 17 century ballad, who is this berk Ed Power, That cannot get his facts right. r DickMiles |
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24 Nov 15 - 07:26 AM (#3753132) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: Kampervan Battle of Waterloo - 1815? |
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24 Nov 15 - 07:33 AM (#3753134) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: GUEST,Raggytash On June's own webpage there is reference to a long standing collaboration with Martin Simpson but I am a tad surprised Ed Power doesn't refer to her collaboration with Maddy Prior |
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24 Nov 15 - 08:03 AM (#3753140) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: The Sandman June Tabor is a vocalist not an accompanist |
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24 Nov 15 - 08:30 AM (#3753148) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: GUEST,Raggytash Does it REALLY matter what she is called if you enjoy her singing ? |
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24 Nov 15 - 08:36 AM (#3753151) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: Vic Smith Guest 24 Nov 15 - 07:31 AM is being unkind (and is nearly always the case) under the cloak on anonymity. [Post deleted as anonymous attack. Those who post anonymously in the music section are expected to be on their best behavior. -Joe Offer-] Dick is correct to point out the glaring inaccuracies in the poorly researched and badly written piece which he quotes in full and typos in in his posting do not make the case he is making any less valid. I would like add to Dick's complaints about the mistakes in the piece an accusation of sloppy journalism. Here's an example:- Thus, she has helped demolish the perception in England of folk as historically the preserve of cranks, obscurists and morris dancers One of journalism's worst cliches is to write a piece which demolishes unfairly an entire genre apart from the one character that is being written about who is painted as its saviour. Cranks? I would like to meet Ed Power and ask him to name those associated with the folk scene who are characterised by peculiar or eccentric ideas. Not the ones that I meet. Obscurists? I can't find this word in any respectable dictionary. Does the writer mean 'obscuritanists'? Is an 'obscurist' a person who takes takes research into their interest seriously and comes up with interesting but neglected items? A person who might be a highly-qualified senior librarian like.... for example... June Tabor. In her concerts she is full of the interesting backgound to the songs that she sings and has researched. Morris dancers? Ed Power makes a cheap and meaningless jibe without any justification. On my visits to Ireland, I have always bought the Cork Examiner as a substitute for The Guardian which I read from cover to cover daily. In the past have often marvelled at the quality of the writing in that Irish broadsheet. I hope that this article is not an indication of how its standards have slipped. |
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24 Nov 15 - 08:42 AM (#3753154) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: Kampervan From June Tabor's wiki entry.... . One of her earliest recordings was in 1972 on an anthology called Stagfolk Live.[5] She also featured on Rosie Hardman's Firebird (1972) and The First Folk Review Record (1974). At the time she was singing purely traditional unaccompanied material but in 1976 she collaborated with Maddy Prior on the Silly Sisters album and tour, with a full band that included Nic Jones. It provided the launching pad that same year (1976) for her first album in her own right, Airs and Graces. She later joined again with Prior, this time using the name Silly Sisters for their duo. Starting in 1977 Martin Simpson joined her in the recording studio for three albums before he moved to America in 1987. (Simpson has returned from America to be a guest guitarist on albums in the 2000s (decade).) After his departure, she started working closely with pianist Huw Warren. So she certainly worked WITH Martin Simpson and Rosie Hardman, but to say she accompanied them is probably not really correct. Certainly the Plains of Waterloo does not seem to have been a 17c ballad given that the battle occurred in the 19c. |
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24 Nov 15 - 10:14 AM (#3753169) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: The Sandman Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article "From: GUEST Date: 24 Nov 15 - 08:15 AM When Martin is playing, you accompany, trust me... Vocals can and do accompany anyway. The voice is not always the dominant section of the piece of music. Choirs show this all the time. I was looking for reference to when she worked with Dick Miles, but I couldn't find anything." accompanists such as Martin, accompany they do n0t dictate, she worked with Martin Simpson, she did not accompany him with any instrument, if she sang Harmony Vocals, that would be the correct and accurate description. I have never sung with June Tabor, but what relevance is that? I respect her as a singer and would like to see articles about her written in an accurate manner |
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24 Nov 15 - 11:52 AM (#3753187) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: Bainbo Also, I'd be interested to find out which country lies "between Wales and England", where these rugged hinterlands are. |
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24 Nov 15 - 11:59 AM (#3753188) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: Reinhard "After stepping away from music for several years she joined the Oyster Band for the seminal Freedom and Rain LP in 1990" June released two albums in 1988 and one in 1989. "collaborated with Elvis Costello on the track All This Useless Beauty (which he wrote especially for her)." True, Elvis Costello wrote this song, but he did not perform with June on her album with this song, Angel Tiger. |
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24 Nov 15 - 12:10 PM (#3753190) Subject: RE: Innacuracies in June Tabor article From: Marje I agree with Vic about the use of tired cliches. If the writer is going down that route, the least he should do is mention Aran sweaters, beards, and finger-in-the-ear, to make it quite clear that none of these is applicable to June Tabor. Marje |
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24 Nov 15 - 01:03 PM (#3753213) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: JHW Saw the title. Guessed who first guess. |
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24 Nov 15 - 01:34 PM (#3753225) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker "the rugged hinterlands between Wales and England" would that be my mythical homeland ... Scrumpyshire...???? The glorious land of council estates, closed down factories, dilapidated seaside attractions, rehab hostels burnt out for insurance pubs & hotels, empty whitewashed windows shops, failed & bankrupt property developments... ah.. yes that wonderful hinterland between Wales and England... 😜 Unless June Tabor literally resides on one of the tiny seagull shit encrusted islands in the middle of the Bristol Channel.....????? |
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24 Nov 15 - 01:35 PM (#3753227) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: Vic Smith Another quotation from towards the end of the article:- It's part of a three-day celebration of the Munich classical and jazz crossover label ECM, which, along with its support of Quercus, has helped introduce to the world such far-flung avant-gardists as jazz pianist Keith Jarrett, experimental guitarist Pat Metheny...... 1] To suggest to a jazz enthusiast, that Quercus - fine a group as they may be - have been able to 'introduce the the world to' a central jazz figure like Keith Jarrett is plain nonsense. Since the early 1970s Keith has enjoyed a great deal of success as a group leader and a solo performer in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music. 2] To use the French phrase avant-garde to try to create an English word/phrase avant-gardists is poor thinking as well as being inaccurate. Surely the Irish deserve better from an Arts journalist in one of their leading newspapers? |
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24 Nov 15 - 01:48 PM (#3753234) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: GUEST,Peter I wouldn't blame the journalist until I had seen the press release that Tabor's agent/publicist had sent him. |
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24 Nov 15 - 01:49 PM (#3753235) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker I'm sure we've all known our fair share of not particularly bright or knowledgeable ambitious & opportunistic wannabe arts & media journalists... Highly skilled social networkers & arse lickers... Public schools are churning them out year after year......... 😣 |
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24 Nov 15 - 01:58 PM (#3753237) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: Jack Campin Unless June Tabor literally resides on one of the tiny seagull shit encrusted islands in the middle of the Bristol Channel.....???? I can only find one song about guano on the web; nobody's put a tune to it yet. It may have potential but I wouldn't have thought it was Tabor's style. A challenge for somebody. Joseph Scheffel: Guano Song Journalist guano (like the small gooey splatter referenced here) deserves a song too. |
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24 Nov 15 - 01:59 PM (#3753238) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: GUEST,Suck it Ed Power is a well-known Irish freelancer who knows a little about not a lot, but spreads his lack of knowledge very broadly. Ed Power |
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24 Nov 15 - 02:32 PM (#3753248) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: Sean Belt Vic Smith, It's part of a three-day celebration of the Munich classical and jazz crossover label ECM, which, along with its support of Quercus, has helped introduce to the world such far-flung avant-gardists as jazz pianist Keith Jarrett, experimental guitarist Pat Metheny...... 1] To suggest to a jazz enthusiast, that Quercus - fine a group as they may be - have been able to 'introduce the the world to' a central jazz figure like Keith Jarrett is plain nonsense. Since the early 1970s Keith has enjoyed a great deal of success as a group leader and a solo performer in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music. I think the article is actually suggesting that ECM records (not Quercus) introduced the world to Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny. And that would be true. Both of them have recorded extensively for ECM since the 1970's and '80's. At that time, no other label was releasing anything like the music that both Jarrett and Metheny were making. |
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24 Nov 15 - 02:50 PM (#3753256) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: Vic Smith Yes, Sean, if we extract the words along with its support of Quercus then there is little to disagree with in that sentence. Mind you, only 2 of his first 10 albums (1967 - 1971) were on ECM but since 1976 he has recorded exclusively for ECM and that has been dozens and dozens of albums. My objection was to the stated influence of Querecus; I'm afraid that I phrased it rather badly. |
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24 Nov 15 - 03:56 PM (#3753270) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: keberoxu There is a June Tabor interview in the Guardian -- not new, a few years back -- that shows how to do the thing respectfully. THAT interview, while preserving the confidentiality of where Ms. Tabor lives, states that her town is in Wales, near the border with England. Does sound a little more down to earth. Also, that she does not suffer fools gladly. |
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24 Nov 15 - 05:54 PM (#3753309) Subject: RE: Inaccuracies in June Tabor article From: Richard Bridge She is not only possibly the best female interpreter of English folksong, ever, but extremely intelligent (save perhaps on the matter of investments) and if I correctly recall did well on University Challenge in 196-and frozen-to-death. I hope she meets the idiot journalist. |