Reviews Dave Brown's Recordings
Over
the last 25 years, I have written many tunes that reflect personal
connections to special people and places. I am pleased to share a collection
of these connections here on this CD and in my recently published tune books
– “Memories in Waltz Time” and “Shades of Brown”.
There
are tunes here for my two sons – Ben (“The Arborist”) and Mark (“Mark in
Thyme”) who grew up in the folk dance and music world. As children, they
spent happy days with me at my “Home on the Hill”, a beautiful Jacobean Manor
house on the side of Bredon Hill, Worcestershire and it was from here that
they accompanied Patience and me to our wedding.
I
am blessed with a wonderful hoard of nephews and nieces, all of whom you will
find here: “Miss Rosie Bird”, “Meg O’Lymm”, “Katharine the Great”, “Rachael’s
March”, “Felicity”, “Pip Squeak”, “Tom Tiddler”, “David’s Dilemma”. It’s hard
to believe, but I even have a Great Niece, “Miss Kirsty Rose” and a Great
Nephew, “Leaping Lewis”.
In
2004, Patience and I took a ‘gap year’ and, with backpacks on, headed off
around the world. We saw many fantastic places and things, met, and made,
some good friends. In Namibia,
the “Swakopmund Lass” sang us beautiful songs. “G and C” (or Gerard and
Claire) travelled thousands of miles through Africa with us and I wrote the
tune as a gift for their New
Zealand wedding in March 2006. “Rumble in
the Jungle” evokes memories of the hot and steamy Malaysian jungle, whilst “Turtle Bay”
stirs wistful thoughts of the turquoise blue, palm fringed bay in the South China Sea. By late 2004, we were “Home Again”
having completed our travels in the company of many good friends in the USA.
Sometimes,
the only connection a tune has for me is the way the notes suddenly seem to
tumble together in my head or through my fingers and onto the fiddle strings.
“Fiddler’s Fancy” “White Horse Waltz” and “Dandelion Whine” all have a rather
traditional feel – one a reel, one a waltz, and the other a jig, whilst “Do
You Wanna Dance With Me?” “Let It All Hang Out” and “Jig in a Box” are modern
Contra Dance tunes, the second of which is rather experimental and much
enjoyed by my new band, Skylark.
All
the melodies on this CD are recorded at dancing speed and with suitable bar
structures to match a range of general dances. Hopefully, there will be
something for everyone here, so I hope you will find enjoyment by listening,
dancing – or doing both!
Outside of the Square:
October 2002
“The
mood of this CD is set from the opening notes of The Congress Reel. This is an
hour of dance tunes you can listen to or dance to. The instrumentation
includes fiddle, piano, mandolin, guitar, recorder, bass and drums, and each
is used to great effect. From American style contra through Playford to Irish
air – this CD has much to offer. Listen to the driving rhythmic backing of
guitar and piano on track 1 accompanying the fiddle as it establishes the
tune and then takes it into a soaring improvisation,
and the release of tension as it hits the tune again. Catch the jazz piano
solo in the waltz Felicity; the swing guitar rocking the rhythm to the Irish
jigs with the mandolin taking the tune to supplement the fiddle, especially
in The Humours of Ballyloughlin; the insistent note
of the bass guitarist setting the beat before adding some runs to support the
syncopation of the fiddle and piano in Tom Tiddler; the subtle use of drums.
Each
track is a good length and speed for dancing and, because each time the tune
is played through there is a different use of the instruments, it makes for great
listening. My favourites:- the singing fiddle on Joyeux Quebec with piano,
running bass and drum accompaniment – great foot-stomping stuff; the
harpsichord backing the fiddles in harmony in the lovely Playford style
Elegance; the plaintive recorder setting loads of atmosphere in the Irish
sounding Celtic Rose; the wonderful swing hornpipes played with subtle
syncopation by mandolin and fiddles – body surfin’
music.
A
lot of these tunes are written by Dave Brown and all the instruments are
played by him. BRILLIANT. Buy it for yourself, your families and friends –
you will not regret it.”
Review
by Meg Winters - November 2002 for The Folk Mag.
To
buy Outside of the Square Click
here.
Review from Shreds and Patches: (Folk Arts in Shropshire and Bordering Counties.)
Review
Issue 27 – Spring 2003.
This is a fine Solo Album
from someone who has been around the folk dance scene for a considerable time
playing with various bands. On this one he goes it alone and ably
demonstrates his breadth and versatility. For my taste, his violin and
keyboards stand out, but he also shows great proficiency on guitar, bass
mandolin, and recorder. The tunes reflect a range of tempos, time signatures
and styles and would virtually all be suitable for use in dance clubs. I was
most drawn to those written by Dave himself. I’ve come across his tunes in
the past, in the bands I’ve worked with, and there’s no doubt he’s an
extremely good tunesmith. All in all, a really good, well produced album.
Well worth getting hold of whether you are a member of a dance club or simply
enjoy listening to that style of music played at its best.
Ian Wilson
English Dance and Song (Summer 2003)
review by Clive Pownceby
Dave Brown is a prodigious
musician whose enviable reputation in the world of Folk Dance will be known
to many readers of this (ED&S) magazine. Even a song person such as your
reviewer was aware of Wild Thyme, the band Dave formed in 1975 with john
& Elvyn Blomfield and which headlined at such festivals as Sidmouth and
Broadstairs for many years. Patently not work shy , he plays in three bands
besides putting out occasional, hugely rewarding collections such as this
from (yes you’ve guessed it) his own home portastudio!
As Dave says in his liner
notes he “produces material for use in the weekly dance club or simply for
listening.” It’s from the latter angle that I’ve been quite captivated by
this album – as a charter member of the Feet Don’t Match Society which finds
“Lucky Seven” quite challenging, Outside of the Square has been a sedentary
experience for me, but none the less pleasurable for that.
English, Irish and American
Folk Dance Music is the sub-title for this album and right from the opening
“Congress Reel/Has Transformation” the stage, and the floor for that matter,
is set with high energy playing that really does make it hard to remain
motionless. Primarily a fiddler, Dave also contributes the entire
instrumentation here – Piano, Frets, recorder, drum programming – he probably
had to make his own tea as well! Trad arrangements and DB compositions
feature equally and many styles are embraced with jigs, reels, hornpipes and
waltzes in the mix.
His own tunes have that
immediacy and simplicity that characterise a composer at one with his genre.
“Celtic Rose and Fields of Corn” are evocative, almost pastoral pieces –
quite charming, with that way of conveying a feeling so universal yet so
personal. By way of contrast the “Humours of Ballyloughlin”
which follows, rolls, tumbles, and fairly “rattles along” as Dave himself has
it.
Successful on all levels
then, the Saturday night dance club is in for a treat, as are those who enjoy
an invigorating listen – and why shouldn’t you have happy feet in both camps?
This is a thoroughly likeable CD. It’s the sound of a fine musician
stretching out, enjoying himself and communicating that emotion to others,
which is “erm!”, what we’re all about – isn’t it?
Enough to motivate even a
Barn Dance wallflower like me into shaking a leg – you may purchase with
confidence and visit dave at www.dlbmusic.org.uk
To buy
Outside of the Square Click here.
Recorded by Dave Brown Easter 1997 DB001CD
When
folk dance music is talked about as being modern, exciting and innovative
most people would think of 'ceilidh', but
'Gingerbread and Moonshine' is the music that is needed to lead Folk dance
Clubs into the 21st century. If I was looking for comparisons, I would think
of bands like Yankee Ingenuity, but that would be unfair, Dave's music is
original.
It's
all Dave's own work. He, as you may expect, leads on fiddle with all the
other parts added by him to create a very full sound drawing on many
influences including swing, ragtime, jazz, rock, blues and Debussy as well as
folk. The tunes are a mixture of traditional and self-compositions.
I
believe that music, and therefore dancing, the physical embodiment of music,
comes from the soul. This CD runs the whole range of emotions; it builds up
tension then releases it, there is sadness and romance, excitement and
relaxation etc.
To
listen to it is good; to dance to, it is superb, it compels you to dance.
Dave
Brown was always a good fiddler with Wild Thyme but working with a variety of
bands/musicians has given him the freedom to explore the cuffing edge of folk
dance music where playing the tune is only the starting point. However, no
recording can convey the excitement of a live performance. I suggest you
experience Dave live and prepare to be excited by the music.
John
Meechan
English Dance and Song Autumn 1997 To buy Gingerbread and Moonshine
Click here.
Awaiting Review Upload..............
To buy Halsway Millennium Players Click
here.
Recorded by SKYLARK in February and March 2007 (DB005CD)
Elaine
Bradtke - English Dance and
Song - September 2007.
The
musicians who make up Skylark are: Dave Brown (fiddle), Elaine Meechan
(keyboards), Kathryn Meechan (Flute), Dave Hunter or Patience
Scott-Brown (Guitar) and Mark
Brown (Bass). They are the White Horse Contra's resident
band, and experienced dance musicians in their own right.
I've
got a lot of Contra Dance recordings in my collection, but this is the first
one I've had from Britain.
My first impression was "they sound English". It's not the
instrumentation - they certainly have the requisite fiddle and piano core.
The repertoire isn't vastly different - there's a nice mix of traditional,
recently composed, Irish and American tunes, arranged in sets. "Robin's
Bodhran/Heavens to Betsy" is a pretty pair of 32 bar jigs, the ragtimesque favourite "Shenandoah Falls"
and Dave Brown's languid waltz "Miss Claire
Moir" are among the highlights.
Everything
is played beautifully with plenty of verve, and the tracks are dance length
for those who are so inclined. It's a lovely-sounding recording, full of
interesting but not intrusive arrangements of good dance music.
So
why does it sound to me like Contra music with an English accent? Out of
curiosity, I performed a blindfold test with another American who's done more
Contra dancing than I have. He listened to cuts from the Skylark CD back to
back with American versions of the same tune without knowing what was what.
He picked out the English ones everytime. His
verdict - "it lacks a certain swing". To be more technical,
Skylark's melodic lines emphasise the down beat much more than the down and
dirty back-beat heavy style favoured in North America.
It's a matter of taste, I suppose.
At
any rate, Skylark are a fine band and this is an
excellent performance from them, so give it a whirl.
Return to Skylark's website.
What
other people say!
Pat Spaeth – Indiana, USA about Cecil Sharp House
Contra evening 13th October 2007.
I can testify that Seattle-style
contra dancing is alive and well in London.
Saturday night the 13th I went to a "barn dance" at Cecil Sharp
House, and it felt very much like a HOT northwest dance. Essays you'll find
on the web warn you that the Brits are very different. They don't make eye
contact. They don't like dances with swings. They mix contras, squares and
Playford in one evening. They stay with one partner all evening. The dances
are done only 7 or 9 times. Many clubs use recorded music, and bands are
usually accordion powered.
None of these seemed to be true of
the Second Saturday barn dance. I wrote to the organizers ahead of time, and
they urged me to come because people DO change partners frequently during the
evening. Imagine my feelings coming up the steps to Cecil Sharp House and
hearing the band warming up with Anita Anderson's 'Bus Stop'! Cecil Sharp
House (C# House to the regulars) had an international festival going the same
weekend. But the contra dancers got the upstairs room with the nice wood
floor. The band, Skylark, is led by Dave Brown, who had hosted KGB and Bag
O'Tricks (/Tricky Brits) when they visited. The influence certainly shows.
This band had no accordion, for one thing. They kept things lively with
piano, guitar, electric bass, and fiddle and flute trading off on lead and
high-flying jazzy variations. (Their relatively new CD, Skylark, shows off
the band well -- send Dave Brown $20 for the CD and an extra $5 for postage
across the puddle.)
There were some 80 people there,
including some teenagers. Most were very free with the eye contact, vigorous
balancing and swings in almost every dance. (The caller did about half
Beckett formation -- perhaps his preference.) They opened with a waltz, did
four or five contras, a square, a couple more contras and a break. Then more
contras and squares and a final waltz. Not a problem for even a grey-haired
little “pudge” like me to get partners. You could
see that some of them had more experience with Scots or Irish dancing from
the way they balanced.
Anyway, Skylark used the same tricks of
high-energy bands to lift everybody off the floor and bang on the changes.
Most dances went 13-17 times through -- enough to dance with everyone in the
set. I think they would be a 'brilliant' band for a festival or camp. Very
nice people, too. (And all this on a Saturday night when England faced France for a crucial semi-final
game in the Rugby World Cup. These folks really love their dance!)
Pat Spaeth
Return to Skylark's website.
Overseas review from Kentucky! “…..for making such a good CD. The tunes are just wonderful and they
won’t leave my head. I keep waking up with them playing in endless loops, I
hum them doing laundry, I catch myself whistling them in meetings (oops).
It’s a real triumph for the dance world, but driving me crazy just at the
moment. Congrats to Skylark. A+!”
Kent
Gilbert,
Berea Kentucky,
USA
From Colin Hume:
“I've just listened to the whole of
the Skylark CD again and I want to tell you again how terrific it is. There's so much life and vitality, and the
final tune is so much fun.
Afterwards
I listened to Mozart's Piano Concertos number 20 in D minor and 21 in C major
which were also terrific, but I couldn't email him to tell him so!”
Colin Hume,
Hertfordshire, England,
United
Kingdom
Return to Skylark's website.
Reviews for
Books:
Awaiting Review Upload..............
To buy Shades of Brown Click
here.
Awaiting Review Upload..............
To buy Playford Style Click
here.
Memories in Waltz Time.
Awaiting Review Upload..............
To buy Memories in Waltz Time Click
here.
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