LEWES SATURDAY FOLK CLUB PROGRAMME

September October November
2 September JEFF & ELAINE GILLETT (DISCOVERY) £10 Jeff & Elaine Gillett (Discovery) sing a mixture of traditional and contemporary folk songs with delicious harmonies with Jeff's sensitive, inventive and tasteful accompaniments on guitar, concertina, mandola and Appalachian dulcimer. Jeff will also sing some of his hypnotic settings of William Blake's poetry. 9 September CONOR REYNOLDS £5 Conor is a New Roots 2023 finalist, an impressive performer in a year of strong entries from young musicians under 25. He plays a mixture of traditional & newer songs & tunes on melodeon & whistle. He also writes his own music in traditional style. Last year he worked as assistant teacher for the London Youth Folk Ensemble. This year he played at Chippenham Folk Festival. 16 September RATTLE ON THE STOVEPIPE £15 Email to reserve tickets, pay cash on the night Rattle on the Stovepipe are Dave Arthur (voice, banjo, guitar, melodeon) Pete Cooper (voice, fiddle, viola) & Dan Stewart (guitar, banjo, mandolin ). They play mainly US Old-Time music with grace, good humour, dazzling musicianship & great affection. It's a measure of their excellence that one of their greatest fans is Shirley Collins. PETE COOPER US OLD-TIME FIDDLE WORKSHOP Saturday 16 September 10:45 - 16:45 £45 (2 under-25s £22 Email to reserve places) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day This practical Old Time fiddle workshop will focus on rhythms, bowing patterns, the use of drone notes, etc. to give an authentic mountain flavour - all in the process of learning some wonderful tunes. DAN STEWART US OLD-TIME 5-STRING CLAWHAMMER BANJO WORKSHOP Saturday 16 September 10:45 - 16:45 £45 (2 under-25s £22 Email to reserve places) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day Dan will teach a couple of straightforward tunes & move onto more advanced right-hand techniques for people to take away & apply to their own playing. Some music will be sent in advance, but we'll aim to learn the tunes by ear, & music for everything covered will be provided to take home on the day. 23 September PHIL TYLER & SARAH HILL £10 Phil Tyler (guitar, banjo, voice) and Sarah Hill (voice) perform mainly traditional English songs & tunes with beauty, clarity & inventiveness. Phil has played with the influential American traditional band Cordelia's Dad on European tours. 30 September TRANSATLANTIC: DEREK SEED £5
7 October SEA SONGS with DON & DI MORGAN £6 Bring songs & tunes of the sea - not only shanties, but music inspired by humanity's love, fear & need for the oceans. Don and Di Morgan are your hosts. Everyone is welcome, especially if you'd like to sing or play. 14 October JACK RUTTER £12 cash Fine young singer of traditional songs, accompanying brilliantly on guitar, bouzouki & duet concertina. Kathryn Tickell writes, 'In the spirit of the old traditional singers, Jack Rutter takes a song, shapes it, lives with it and brings out something unique. This album makes my heart sing.' Jack has played with Seth Lakeman, Sam Sweeney, & Jackie Oates, as well as in the celebrated instrumental trio Moore Moss Rutter. 21 October NEW SCORPION BAND £15 cash Email to reserve tickets, pay cash on the night Robin Jeffrey (voice, lute, mandolin, guitars) Brian Gulland (voice, bassoon, shawm, flute, oboe, tuba, crumhorn) Sharon Lindo (voice, violin, viola, guitar, rebec, trombone, whistle, curtal) & Robert White (voice, bagpipes, whistles, flutes. brass, percussion) are distinguished performers of mediaeval & Renaissance music who also have a full-blooded approach to traditional music. Between them they have played with The Sixteen, the King's Consort, The Purcell Quartet, Nigel Kennedy, Musica Reservata, London Pro Musica, Gryphon, & Jimi Hendrix. NEW SCORPION BAND WORKSHOP: EARLY MUSIC FOR FOLK MUSICIANS Saturday 21 October 10:45 - 16:45 £45 (2 under-25s £22 Email to reserve places) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day The music will cover the period between Henry VIII and the Restoration. We will represent as many genres of popular music as possible, both vocal & instrumental, discussing the ways in which these interacted. Much of the music will be anonymous, but Court composers such as William Cornish & Thomas Morley will also turn up, when their work touched on popular tradition, & there will of course be an appearance from Thomas Ravenscroft, the great popular composer and arranger. We will also learn a good collection of broadside ballad tunes, & some of their texts. The music we will be using will all be available as Muse Score files during the month before the workshop, so nobody will have to read any notes. All musical parts will be provided with the melody, a bass line & chord symbols. 28 October SUNTRAP £10 cash Suntrap are an English five-piece folk band specialising in a unique musical experience of folk-inspired traditional, original and contemporary songs featuring entrancing harmonies. Vocals, Guitar, Accordion, Banjo, Whistle: Sara Byers Vocals, Violin, Mandolin: Mary Wilson Vocals, Guitar, Ukulele: Sue Graves Violin, Viola, Cello, Vocals: John Sandall Double bass, Accordion, Guitar, Everything: Tom Evans
4 November CLOSED FOR LEWES BONFIRE 11 November BRYONY GRIFFITH & ALICE JONES £12 cash Email to reserve tickets, pay cash on the night Unusual, powerful traditional songs from Yorkshire with fiddle, guitar & body percussion from Bryony (Witches of Elswick, Demon Barbers, fiddler for Newcastle Kingsmen) & Alice (Pete Coe’s Black Box Band, Ryburn3Step) with huge energy & authenticity. BRYONY GRIFFITH VOCAL HARMONY WORKSHOP Saturday 11 November 10:45 - 16:45 £45 (2 under-25s £22 Email to reserve places) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day Bryony is a highly accomplished fiddler & distinctive singer in the English traditional style. Joining acclaimed ceilidh band Bedlam in her teens, she later became musician for Dog Rose Morris & The Newcastle Kingsmen, sang with 4-part female a cappella group The Witches of Elswick & was a key member of The Demon Barbers. She now performs solo, in duos with Will Hampson & Alice Jones, & in The English Fiddle Ensemble. Bryony is a vocal & fiddle tutor on the Folk, Roots & Blues degree at Leeds Conservatoire & runs a cappella folk choir Shepley Singers. The workshop will cover three of Bryony's 4-part (SATB) a cappella vocal arrangements of Winter/Christmas songs. Teaching will be by ear but dots & lyrics will also be provided. All abilities, no experience needed. 18 November JAN CREAYE & BRIAN COPE £9 cash Two fine unaccompanied singers of mainly traditional songs. Jan specializes in ballads & tales of mystery, Brian in more convivial & humorous songs. Plenty of choruses. 25 November JAMES DELARRE & SAUL ROSE £15 cash Email to reserve tickets, pay cash on the night Timeless combination of fiddle & melodeon with a few traditional songs for good measure. James is a fine fiddler, largely self-taught, blending English fiddle styles with his own to produce an exciting, distinctive sound with a great range of moods. He's worked with Jim Moray, Mawkin:Causley, Mawkin, & Topette. Saul is an outstanding melodeon player. He's played in The Kings of Calicutt (with Eliza Carthy & Nancy Kerr) Waterson:Carthy, Whapweasel, the Jim Moray Band, & Faustus. He has played The Songman in the West End show Warhorse. JAMES DELARRE FIDDLE WORKSHOP Saturday 25 November 10:45 - 16:45 £45 (2 under-25s £22 Email to reserve places) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day The Lewes Arms, 1 Mount Place, Lewes, BN7 1YH James is a fine young fiddler, largely self-taught, blending English fiddle styles with his own to produce an exciting, distinctive sound with a great range of moods. He's been a professional musician since his late teens, working with Jim Moray, Mawkin:Causley, Mawkin, a duo with Saul Rose & Topette (Andy Cutting, Barnaby Stradling, Julien Cartonette & Tania Buisse).The workshop will focus on developing the player's personal style, dissecting tunes to find the elements that make them come alive, use of techniques used to deepen an understanding of the melodies. Some music will be sent in advance. SAUL ROSE MELODEON WORKSHOP Saturday 25 November 10:45 - 16:45 £45 (2 under-25s £22 Email to reserve places) Email to reserve places, bring cash on the day Elephant & Castle, White Hill, Lewes BN7 2DJ Saul is a fine melodeon player. A professional since his late teens, he came to traditional music through Morris dancing. He's played in The Kings of Calicutt (with Eliza Carthy & Nancy Kerr) Waterson:Carthy, Whapweasel, the Jim Moray Band, Faustus, and in a duo with James Delarre. He has played The Songman in the West End show Warhorse. The workshop will focus on getting the most out of your melodeon. 2 rows and 8 basses can be quite versatile. Using common tunes we'll free up the left and right hands and play some great accompaniments.