Below is a link to my research bibliography:
Thank you!
It is impossible to pull together large projects without the support and collaboration of other people and it is important that this is recognised.
So, I am grateful to the following folk without whose help neither Sayers Creek nor the Folk Trail would have been remotely possible:
- Fellow MA students Dave Coates (for his unerring advice) and Dave Eccles (for totally redesigning the Folk Trail leaflet and the Sayers Creek poster)
- Everyone at Kardomah94 – Mal Scott (who gave tremendous support despite illness), Ellie Scott and soundman Matt Lund
- The Hull Folk Collective (John & Rosie Butler & Kath Jordan) plus former members Andy Buckton & Jerry walker
- Musicians Lisa Knapp and Rick & Nellie Heavisides (Hautbois) for advice
- BBC Radio 3’s Lucie Skeaping
- Oxford University Don and archaeologist at Fulford, Charles Jones
- The following people for adding to the narration in Sayers Creek: Charles Jones, Kath Jordan, Lucie Speaping, Ed Williamson & Jackson Steer
- For allowing me to stage the Folk Trail as part of the 2018 Hull Folk & Maritime Festival – all of the committee (Lloyd Dobbs, Mark Pollard, Mick McGarry, Steve Gardham et al)
- For videoing and photographing Sayers Creek & the Folk Trail, Chris Warkup and Mick Murphy
- For advice in close harmonising on stage, ex BBC Radio Humberside Sound Engineer & folkie, Brian Swinton
- For unerring support, advice & believing in the projects, Craig Steer
- For her invaluable support and research via the British Newspaper Archive and various books, my wife Kath Jordan.
Thank you all!
Index and links to blog posts
Below you will find a list of all my blog posts with a quick access link to each post. The listing is in chronological order.
- Challenging the past – a new perspective on Folk Music? – Introduction
- Broadsheet Ballads and the Waits – a conundrum
- How did the system of Broadsheet Ballads work?
- Music Hall – the ‘new’ folk music?
- Song links? Notes and jottings
- Thoughts on Jack Hall
- Possible songs for set list?
- Ballad Plays
- Possible set list.1
- Brief Timeline of Events
- Actual Test Recordings of Practice
- W.G Ross & Arthur Lloyd – the links between folk and music hall?
- Jottings on Charles Dibdin & Charles Sloman
- The Smiths ‘Suffer Little Children’ – a modern day murder ballad?
- Amendments and new set songs?
- Revised set of songs?
- How quickly things do change!
- Jottings on rehearsals
- Further jottings on rehearsals
- Are the clues to how our music sounded pre 1066 to be found in Scandinavia?
- Set list revised
- Cecil Sharp – saint or sinner?
- My Luve’s in Germanie – the most difficult song I’ve learned – ever!
- Songs previewed at the Sheffield Folk Sessions 15th April 2017
- Song preview at Keyingham folk club 21-4-17
- When is a folk song not a folk song?
- From 1908 to 2017 in a couple of days
- Bottom up or, top down?
- Finalised set list
- Roast Beef of Olde England/Hard Times of Olde England links to practice recordings
- Immenseikoff practice recordings
- Jovial Broom Man practice recordings
- A New Hunting Song practice recordings
- Horses Brawl practice recordings
- Tomorrow the Fox practice recordings
- The Drunkard practice recordings
- Sumer is y cumen in practice recordings
- Rosebud in June practice recordings
- Lavenders Green, Lavenders Blue practice recordings
- Jack Hall practice recordings
- Exeter Riddles no 18 practice recordings
- The Broom of Cowdenknowes practice recordings
- Bluebells of Scotland practice recordings
- Who Liveth so Merry
- My Luve’s in Germanie practice recordings
- Lyre tune practice recordings
- Barbara Allen practice recordings
- Live practice at Springboard festival 26th May 2017 @ Anzali, Cottingham
- Hull Folk Collective
- A schematic info graph of lineage
- Ned Corvan’s Music Hall 10/6/17 @ the Sage Theatre, Gateshead
- First great folk revival?
- For the sounds of Pre 1066 music should we look abroad?
- Sometimes it’s good to take a chance!
- Learning new video making skills
- Authenticity in performance
- The worm turns!
- Presenting the narrative as performance
- Slowly filling the gap!
- Rough sketches! Early attempt to put flesh on the bones!
- Links between folk music and Hymnody
- Does football represent the final vestiges of the Oral tradition?
- Latest family tree of folk
- A summer of practice with Hull Folk Collective
- New song, new style.
- Waits tunes for the set?
- De-briefing and rehearsal following Whitby
- HFC rehearsals in preparation for the Whitby gig
- Hull Folk Collective list of songs
- Flowers of Knaresborough
- Live recordings of Hull Folk Collective
- Research to date
- St Andrews Dock demo
- Revised list of songs
- Contingency plan!
- Folk route – timings
- Appraisal of HFC’s gig at Hull Minster 16-11-17
- Appraisal of HFC’s performance at Keyingham Folk Club 17-11-17
- A possible additional alternative?
- Setting songs to the tour?
- Choices and possibilities?
- The Song of Roland and Tailefer
- Meeting with Mal Scott of Kardomah94
- TSF Forum @ Sheffield University 25th Nov 2017
- Report on TSF Forum meeting of 25th Nov 2017
- Date set for performance at Kardomah94!
- Caller Herrin’ – top down folk or bottom up?
- Hull Folk Trail – revised
- Song try outs & practice – home rehearsal
- Latest HFC rehearsals
- Street Ballads printed in Hull
- Theatre Royale, Humber Street, Hull
- Positives and negatives!
- Hull Folk Collective in rehearsal.
- Two news songs rehearsed, one demo, one recorded
- Ballads printed in Hull
- Use of technology in the performance
- Hull Folk Collective rehearsal 14th Dec 2017
- Reflections on the mini-gig at Whittington & Cat 16th Dec 2017
- Authenticity in performance
- A brief study of history and other trails
- Authenticity through narrative?
- Latest info graph on the History of Folk Music
- Latest version of the Hull Folk Trail
- Hull Folk Collective – now a formed group?
- Set list for trail?
- Future Developments
- Song list for set 1 of performance?
- Updated song listing
- First plus for Kardomah94 event on 14th June 2018!
- Folksong or Fakesong?
- Hull Folk Collective perform at Kardomah94
- 1st draft for Kardomah94
- New Songs
- Hull Folk collective play Jaz Bar 1st Feb 2018
- Script development, research and bibliography
- Costings for Kardomah94 and the Hull Folk Trail
- Authenticity or accessibility?
- Song listing – more on authenticity!
- Hull Folk Trail – latest updates
- Promoting Kardomah94
- Research Bibliography
- Judicious cuts to the script under way!
- Beavering away! New ‘hacked’ back script and 1st draft of the notes on the Hull Folk Trail leaflet
- Further editing of the script & updating the songbook
- Finally! A name for the performance!
- Promotional activity under way!
- Full test recording in Kardomah94
- From Sayers Creek to St Andrews Dock has it’s own Facebook page!
- Maritime Museum event 24th Feb 2018
- First major rehearsal of songs for the performance
- First rehearsals of songs in Anglo-Saxon and Old English dialect.
- 1st timings of performance
- Rehearsal of songs for Kardomah94
- Re-draft of the Script and poster finally designed!
- Kardomah94 previewed at the Whittington & Cat sessions on Saturday 10th March
- Trial aromas purchased!
- Further promoting!
- Rehearsals and the Sheffield Folk Sessions 2018
- Assessment of Kardomah94 & first posters up
- Rehearsals from 27th/28th March 2018
- Latest info graph on research…..
- Rehearsals 10th April 2018
- Distribution of posters has commenced!
- First meeting of the Hull Folk & Maritime Festival Committee & introduction of the Hull Folk & History Trail
- Promoting well under way
- Rehearsals from 17th April 2018
- Rehearsals from 24th April 2018
- Hull Daily Mail 1st May 2018 & Hull Mag
- Folk Trail – new timings
- First act run through and timed
- Five weeks of intensive rehearsals, live performances, sessions & a dress rehearsal
- Early reflections on From Sayers Creek to St Andrews Dock
- Possible set listing for the Folk Trail?
- Hull Folk & History Trail is ready for lift off!
- The Folk & History Trail – a resounding success!
- Hull Folk Trail – montage of photos by Mick Murphy of the Hillbilly Troupe
- More photos of the Folk Trail taken by Chris Warkup.
- Videos of the Folk Trail:
- Hull Folk Collective shine at Whitby
- She Moved Through the Fair – the legend of Margaret Barry
- Are the days of the large folk festivals numbered?
- The future? – Utilising my BA Hons & MA research
- Thank You!
The future? – Utilising my BA Hons & MA research.
The past five years have been a wonderful experience personally, however it is important not to let all the lessons learned go to dust.
In many ways my academic experience has taught me far more in 5 years than my near 40 years in a position of working for a living. I need to use my abilities to research, think critically, enable, write and play as much as possible and to pass on what I have learned to others willing to learn.
With this in mind, I have set myself a series of projects to further develop both my research and performance.
In no particular order of importance these are:
- To edit the sound recordings from Sayers Creek so they are suitable for playing on Max Robert’s Folk Hour Xmas Special programme. This will mean they might be listened to across the entire North of England.
- To use the edited recording as a double CD album release complete with notes and artwork.
- To master the video recordings so they can be released as a DVD recording of the show, again with notes and artwork.
- To fully investigate the possible staging at festivals, or elsewhere, of Sayers Creek and Keep Your Gansey Dry.
- To fully investigate putting on a performance of A Country Life For Me as part of the Remembrance Day events.
- To use my knowledge gained in the five years of harmony to improve the harmonic work and structure of the songs performed by the HFC.
- When I first attended Hull College my aim was to record an album. This is, as yet an unfulfilled dream. I intend to record, to professional standard with the HFC a studio album suitable for CD and vinyl release.
- To look to stage a new show at Kardomah based on early Music Hall. All four of us in the HFC like performing songs with a touch of the theatrical thrown in. It would be a pity not to use this experience.
- To contact Hull City Council with a view to making the Hull Folk & History Trail a permanent event throughout the summer months.
- To write down my research into book form so that others might carry on the research into the development of folk song.
Finally, to try and get the HFC playing at as many festivals as possible and to keep on enjoying the playing and music at the same time.
As you may see, I fully intend putting my academic experiences to full use!