Available for another 20 days or so – a splendid BBC Radio 3 hour with Martin & Eliza Carthy and homages to departed musical family members, presented by Kathryn Tickell. 🙂
It was 151 years ago next month…
…that a late-night affray at Rufford Park in Nottinghamshire involving poachers and gamekeepers gave rise to a classic folk song. Using the British Library’s subscription online newspaper archive, I found a report of the incident in several local papers in October 1851 along with reports of the court proceedings a month later… and reference to the song in an opinion piece on songs about criminals from 1862. So, 11 years for a folk song (author unknown) to be created.
I’ve long thought the 1987 BBC radio session version by Martin Carthy to be his finest rendering of the song – and Martin agrees. He vividly recalls the way the engineer miked his guitar. It will, of course, be on the 20CD ‘Martin Carthy at the BBC’ planned for next year. 🙂
Martin Carthy – a livestream from this evening
The great Martin Carthy performed live on YouTube this evening. Starts at the 2 hour mark.
If you want to buy Martin and Eliza (and her children) a coffee – a small price indeed to see a giant of English music emerging after two years of lockdown – here is the link:
https://ko-fi.com/elizacarthy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSbq2gMDAPM
Norma Waterson RIP
After a long period of ill health grande dame of folk Norma Waterson has died at the age of 82. When Norma sang a song it bloody well stayed sung, to the extent that it was hard to imagine why anyone else would bother trying it.
Martin Carthy at the BBC: crowd-sourcing
New Martin Carthy concert film
A splendid half hour with the Great Man 🙂
How to play like Martin Carthy
First: be brilliant.
Second: use this tuning, CGCDGA.
I’ve used it for about 20 years, with others, and though, as MC says, it imposes limitations, it allows some very beautiful chords to be found and some melodic invention that would be very difficult otherwise. You can also play very simple-sounding classic rock style music with it (within limited keys, of course) – there are some monstrous ‘big’ Kossoff-esque chords to be found as well as lots of sensuous Joni-esque ones.
Have fun!
