Forwards to the beginning again

Shirley Collins: where it all began

Exactly five years after switching my musical focus from English Traditional Folk music and playing the Crane Duet Concertina to Americana and playing the Mandolin, I have decided to reverse direction again.

The Hillbilly band has been fun but I wanted to have a rest and to create more space to explore solo projects. I had a number in mind including Blues Mandolin, but the most obvious option was to revive my English repertoire and relaunch my concertina playing in a new, more chordal, style.

Bert Lloyd with Alf Edwards
on English concertina

Scarcely had I made this decision when my life was suddenly interrupted by a potentially fatal  condition requiring an immediate operation. Fast forward a month and I am now convalescing.

This unexpected time to reflect has given me an opportunity to think about style and I have been particularly drawn back to the very roots of my interest in English folk music. That is the singing of Shirley Collins, particularly when accompanied on Portative Organ by her sister, Dolly, and the singing and concertina accompaniment of Bert Lloyd and Alf Edwards.

It will take me some time - maybe months - before I develop anything performable. In the meantime I will just enjoy dabbling.