At last! A Cornish Music site run by Cornish musicians! Please check it out.
One of the purposes of this site is to help interested
people find more Cornish music. When I started collecting Cornish songs, this presented
quite a problem. (see story). I hope to help others have an easier
time finding, procuring and perhaps learning Cornish songs and other Cornish music.
(Please e-mail additions, corrections and
suggestions.)
Many years after she was taken from us - a new Brenda Wootton CD! Recorded during her triumphal run in Paris. www.brendawootton.com
Musicians in Cornwall - Check out this supplier of PA and other services www.hartatech.co.uk
At last! A Cornish Music site run by Cornish musicians! Please check it out.
The Cornwall Folk Festival has
been going for (as of now) 33 years!
Click here to find out why. http://www.cornwallfolkfestival.com/
Here's a fine site with a lot of Cornish music
for sale and much more. www.musicofcornwall.co.uk
This group is redefining Celtic music from a Cornish viewpoint - they're terrific! www.dalla.co.uk
Check out these (Kickin'!) Cornish Rock and Rollers- www.naked-feet.com
This site features contemporary original music from Cornwall: www.coverdriverecords.com
www.alhodge.com is the site of Al Hodge, a fine Cornish Rock and Roller with some great credits and experience.
Here's a site with a lot of info about Cornish bands of all sorts: www.cornishmusic.com
This site is all about music based on ancient, sacred sites in Cornwall (and more) from violinist Sue Aston http://www.geniusloci.co.uk/
Here's a music site I recently came across - haven't looked at it in detail, but it looks
very interesting! www.isleoflight.co.uk
The songs I sing are largely popular songs such as would be sung in the pub or anywhere a group of people might suddenly feel like singing together. Most are traditional, with some that are more contemporary. So I guess I'll start with sources of Cornish songs.
VOCAL
The Bolingey Troyl Band performs both instumental and vocal numbers and is a very popular ceilidh band. Their latest recording Gwenogennow Hag Oll (Warts and All) contains delights of both sorts, including traditional and new material. This would be an excellent introduction to Cornish music for those not already familiar. Fans of Cornish music should also pick it up. There's a lot to like here.
JINKS' STACK is a 3-man acapella vocal harmony group who perform anything from Cornish folk songs to Beatles songs, with the emphasis on the traditional. Lovers of sea songs will find a lot to like here, as well as anyone who appreciates fine harmony. The three voices, representing the full range of male voice, make magic, and you never miss instrumental accompaniments. I know of two recordings from Jinks' Stack: SEE THE BOYS OUT WALKING and SECOND TIME AROUND. I had the great good fortune to meet Jinks Jenkin and his family on a visit to Cornwall. From Brio Music (See below.)
SUE WHITE is a pen-pal of mine and a lovely singer of songs, both folk and contemporary. Three of her titles are CORNISH FOLK SONGS, CORNISH HARMONIES (With Rachel Daniel and Esther Dudley - another dynamite 3-part combination) and PADSTOW MAYDAY. These are studio recordings with excellent backup, ranging from Sue on guitar to full band. Her contact address PO Box 380, Exeter, Devon, EX2 7ZF. Email her at: cornishsinger@hotmail.com Her web site URL is www.cornishsinger.com .
BRENDA WOOTTON - (Now the late lamented I'm afraid) Was/is the Dean of Cornish folksingers. She has many recordings out, too many to list. Her voice, with a marvelous range, could be tender, bawdy, powerful, wistful, and a lot more. In various combinations ranging from single harmony partners (Including the legendary John the Fish!) to children's' choruses and brass bands, Ms Wootton covered the gamut of Cornish songs, some in the Cornish language. No collection of Cornish music can be complete (Complete? - can't be BEGUN!) without Brenda Wootton's recordings. From Brio Music (See below.)
TREVOR LAWRENCE is a wonderful singer/storyteller. He does some of his own, many traditional songs and some of the best contemporary songs about the state of Cornwall today. His storytelling prowess is legendary, and his tape SONGS, POEMS AND LEGENDS has some of his best. Trev is also an expert on Cornish wrestling, and many other things. Just stop in at his pub and ask! From Brio Music (see below.)
JOHN BARBER AND THE ST. IVES MINSTRELS have a recording out called CORNWALL IS CALLING (There may be others as well.) I'm afraid that I know little about John Barber except that this tape is indispensable. He shares the performance duties with members of his chorus both in solo and ensemble, with stories mixed among the songs. Most of these are original songs on traditional themes. Some have the harmonic profile that predates barbershop harmony, which was based on the Cornish "3-Man songs" form and originated in Cornwall. From Brio Music (see below.)
PAUL SIRMAN And his recording ONE FOR ALL is worthy of inclusion if only for his song "SOLOMAN BROWNE" about an heroic Cornish lifeboat crew. Several of the most popular traditional Cornish titles are here, and Sirman includes non-Cornish material (which is also very enjoyable) on this tape. From Brio Music (See Below.)
PATTI BROOKS is from the Isles of Scilly, and, to her credit, is not above making a pun of the name in her song "Scilly Boy." Her tape HERE WHERE MY HEART IS is full of lovely original songs from and about these remote western islands. From Brio Music (See Below.)
FRIDAY NIGHT AT CADGWITH is not a group but an event. Every Friday a crowd gathers at the pub in Cadgwith, a town on the Lizard Peninsula, to sing. They have no leader and the membership constantly evolves. They make wonderful music, including their signature piece "CADGWITH ANTHEM (THE ROBBERS RETREAT.)" The tape FRIDAY NIGHT AT CADGWITH includes some of their best, mixing Cornish traditional with other including American songs, with an emphasis on songs about the sea. From: Chough Tapes, 42 Penmere Drive, Newquay, Cornwall, TR7 1QQ. Web site: www.choughtapes.co.uk
LUXON AND CROFUT (more accurately Ben Luxon and Bill Crofut) have a wonderful CD out called TWO GENTLEMEN FOLK. It is a live recording with these two opera-capable voices (Yes, it's THAT Luxon - and he's a Cornishman!) and some of the best sidemen available. There's only one Cornish song, but it's the only place I've found this particular Cornish song - "SWEET NIGHTINGALE" - which is odd as it is considered one of the principal traditional Cornish songs. The rest of the CD is marvelous, with Welsh, American and other styles well represented. From Telarc.
SOUNDS LIKE WEST CORNWALL is a collection, including cuts from some of the above, interspersed with sounds of the sea, the mines and other Cornish audio. It is an indispensable souvenir of Cornwall and a good way to sample a lot of Cornish sounds. From Brio Music (see below.)
Marion Howard is a fine Cornish-American singer. Based out of Darlington WI, she performs programs of Cornish songs and stories. I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Marion on several occasions, and she never fails to delight with her honest, clear and very musical presentation. Marion has a CD out (A steal at $12.00) with many traditional and some original songs, all performed beautifully. Get in touch with Marion at mhoward@mhtc.net
SPOKEN WORD
MRS. ROSEWARNE has two tapes out that I know of. Her first was A BIT OF CHAT WITH MRS. ROSEWARNE. The one I have is MRS. ROSEWARNE ENTERTAINS. Mrs. Rosewarne is a character that Lilla Miller takes around to concerts, banquets and many other venues large and small. She is a lovely Cornish lady who loves to tell you all about her life and the people she knows and the things that happen to them. It is a bit of a surprise to her that people find the things she says so side-splittingly funny. Also a great way to get inside the Cornish accent and a bit of dialect. From Chough Tapes (address above.)
MADGE FIGGEY THE WRECKER AND OTHER CORNISH LEGENDS is the name of a tape narrated by JULIA McLEAN containing four well-done tellings of traditional Cornish folk-tales. Depending little on enhancements or recording magic, and mostly on Ms McLean's wonderful readings, this tape brings these stories to life. From: Julia McLean, Nanscawen Barn, Newmill, Penzance, Cornwall TR20 8XX.
INSTRUMENTAL
ANAO ATAO is a band that I have had the pleasure of meeting and watching more than once. Its core is the couple KYT LE NEN DAVEY and his wife SOAZIG, with their daughters STERENN and MAELA. They are all multi-instrumentalists, and the ladies of the band often demonstrate and teach Cornish dances while Papa plays the squeezebox. Their CD ESOTERIC STONES brings together Kyt's Cornish background and Soazig's Breton birth and synthesizes these and other Celtic influences into a complex and delightful contemporary mix. From ANAO ATAO, Te Anao, Withiel, Bodmin, PL30 5NN, Cornwall, G.B. For their web page, go HERE!
Asteveryn is a ceili band and dance troupe
popular at parties and concerts all over Cornwall. Formerly known under the name of Cam
Kernewek {meaning Cornish Step} - a group founded at the end of 1979 to promote and
perform researched Cornish Dances. The name Asteveryn derives from the phrase
"Asteveryn agan Ertach Kernewek" or "Let us replenish our Cornish
Heritage". The group operates as a Cornish Troyl {ceili/barn dance} Band with a
caller or as a Cornish Dance Demonstration Team. You can find out more about the
group, its members and also keep up with their current booking list by contacting Jim Pengelly:
Tel: 01209-820644
THE NEWLIN REELERS are a more familiar sort of group, resembling the traditional Irish jig/reel band. In fact, their tape A BIT MORE ROSIN contains O'Carolan compositions, American tunes and other influences as well as Cornish melodies. A word of caution; on my copy the labeling is wrong, and it lists the side 1 titles as being the side 2 titles and vice-versa. A bit confusing until you realize. From Brio Music (address below.)
HAL-AN-TOW is a CD from singer SANDRA REID and frame drummer RANDY CRAFTON. While avoiding the "Celtic New Age" genre, they manage to take music from all of the Celtic nations, sung in original languages, and make them feel contemporary. Only one Cornish number, but very worthwhile. (This one might well be in the vocal category, but it is all in languages I don't understand, so I'm thinking of the voice as an instrument.) From Lyrichord Disks, 141 Perry St. New York, NY 10014.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
MY STUFF. You have probably already seen references on
these pages to my recordings called Howl
Lowen, Me
and Cousin Jack, So
Low,
Kowetha , Here
and There and
Pysk Cover ha Sten.
You can link to them by hitting the
links above (Please.)
Information regarding booking me for festivals, folk clubs, coffeehouses, concerts etc. is available HERE!
(I know I'm a shameless self-promoter, but if I don't do it, who will?)
CELTIC FESTIVAL 1996 - LIVE AT OATLANDS Is a
compilation CD of great (if I do say so) performances at the 1996 Oatlands (now
called the Potomac) Celtic fest in Leesburg Virginia (D.C. area.) In addition to my
track (#11) there are numbers from ANDY M. STEWART, THE POOR CLAIRES, IONA
(Who also do some Cornish - but not on this CD) MACTALLA, and many other fine
Celtic groups. It's a wonderful sampler of Celtic music.
From Barnaby Productions, PO Box 1160, Burke, VA 22009-1160
BELOW
I kept saying "See below" so here it is:
BRIO MUSIC Has a catalog of many fine Cornish musical groups, including folk groups mentioned above as well as bands, choruses and many others. Visit http://www.brio-music-distribution.com/index.html to see their selection, including "Christmas at Cadgwith," an excellent source of the sounds of Cornish Christmas cheer!