A very varied selection of dance tunes from The ceilidh band English Rebellion, some traditional, some more lately written, some foreign and two songs, all performed with a wonderful infectious exuberance. Anahata: melodeon, cello, anglo concertina Mary Barber: fiddle, viola Nick Barber: melodeon, horn, soprano recorder, baritone Mary Humphreys: piano, English concertina, banjo, vocals Track Listing: 1. Merry Month / Squirrel in a Tree 2. Tricky Dicky / Liberation Polka 3. Harry Enfield's Waltz / String Quartet 4. Gypsy's Wedding (The Gypsy Girl) 5. Spanish Patriots / Duke of York's Hornpipe 6. The Cream Pot / Bang Upp 7. Will You Patch My Pants for Me? 8. La Fete de Village / Hornpipe 9. S-M Hornpipe / Red Lion / Tumblers Hornpipe 10. Bath Hornpipe / Miss Gayton's 11. Said Too Much Already / Wals voor Polle 12. Chatsworth House / Dummy Head 13. The Bonny Bunch of Roses-O! / Last of June 14. Angela Mary Lee 15. Uncle Jim's Barn Dance / The Prince Albert Jig Reviews: Theo Unicorn (25 May 2010) Ceilidh band English Rebellion are Anahata (melodeon, ‘cello, anglo concertina), Mary Barber (fiddle, viola), Nick Barber (melodeon, horn, soprano recorder, baritone) and Mary Humphreys (piano, English concertina, banjo, vocals), and this album is a glorious compilation of traditional, recently-written and ‘foreign’ tunes, plus a couple of songs. It’s unashamedly dance music, in a style recognised as typically English -bouncy, measured and infectious - exactly what you’d get at an English Rebellion ceilidh; jigs, reels, polkas and hornpipes. The musicianship here is impeccable, with subtle interplay between the melody instruments as each takes the lead, whilst the ‘cello, horn and piano add depth and rhythm. There are some of my very favourite tunes here too -‘Merry Month’, ‘The Duke of York’s Hornpipe’, and ‘La Fete du Village’. The material is gleaned from a number of traditional sources, from Yorkshire to Devon and beyond, and these sit easily alongside compositions from John Kirkpatrick, Nick Barber and Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787)! This is a delightful collection of wonderful dance music from a truly exciting band. I urge you to seek them out live, to dance to as well as listen to! Available from Wild Goose Studios or from any member of the band. Colin Andrews Whats Afoot (31 March 2010) Of all the crop of good albums I received for review in this issue, Four Across is undoubtedly my favourite. But I would not have expected the music from a group made up of Nick & Mary Barber, Mary Humphreys and Anahata to be anything less than inspirational. At Sidmouth, when they are not running big band workshops, Nick and Mary can often be found playing french horn, melodeon and fiddle at the Radway English music sessions. Mary and Anahata, with banjo, English concertina, melodeon, cello & anglo, are popular at folk clubs and festivals across the country for sympathetic performance of traditional song and music. The CD gets off to a cracking, foot-tapping start with Merrry Month and Squirrel in a Tree, two jigs which sound traditional even if the first one, at least, is a recent composition.The brass really adds bounce to this, and many other tracks, not just with rhythm but taking the tune and counter melodies. Although the album includes several modern tunes, it has very much a traditional Englishness about it, even the delightful instrumental Will You Patch My Pants For Me (my favourite track!) which is Swedish tune acquired by way of the U.S.A. Mary Humphreys sings Gypsy’s Wedding and Bonny Bunch of Roses-O but with the band accompanying in full swing, you could easily dance to these tracks too! Marvellous ! |
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