Reviews of 'A Most Particular Vintage' - WildGoose WGS439CD, with many thanks to the reviewers.
To buy the CD or the download please go to our shop here.
To buy the CD or the download please go to our shop here.
Bosun Higgs is an English Country Dance Band who's members are Carly Rose (percussion), Keith Holloway (melodeons), Martin Banks (banjo and autoharp), Neil Gledhill (bass saxophone) and Taz Tarry (fiddle) all of whom have a long established musical pedigree. They play mostly for English dances and ceilidhs and certainly have the 'oomph, swing and lift' as mentioned in the release notes that is required to get everyone dancing!
Now what about this CD as a purely listening medium? Well, let's start with the title 'A Most Particular Vintage' which, as those of you who know me, any reference to the grape is a good start!
The album opens with a jolly rendition of Fred Pidgeon's No. 1 and Babes in the Wood from the English tradition and setting the style and pace for the rest of the recording. With reference to the pace it could be said that many of the tunes are somewhat 'plodding' but remember these are dance tunes so any super fast playing that is normally associated with instrumentals is out of the question. Besides these are mostly English tunes so let's have some decorum please!
Variation comes with the waltzes Snowday Waltz and Dream Waltz which slow things down nicely and are newish compositions. Tracks which especially appealed to me were The Swiss Girl (traditional) and Prince Albert's Jig (written by Flos Headford a fine fiddler who is well known in the North) both of which have a lovely lilt to them. Also the intriguingly and amusingly named Wigan Peer (sic!) written by Keith Holloway is an appealing tune from the days when he played for a dance side that did clog step dancing. The collection of tunes rounds off nicely with Taz's Deed Polka and the traditional Double Figure 8 which is adapted from the Old Swan Band's version.
Overall there are 11 tracks comprising a total of 23 tunes which makes this a very good reference album for bands looking for material to add to their repertoire. It goes without saying that the playing throughout is of a very high quality and that the instruments blend very well together and also the recording is of the usual high quality from Doug Bailey at the Wild Goose studios.
Therefore, going back to my original question, the answer is 'yes', it is a delightfully cheerful album just for listening to. Available through the Wild Goose web site or at the bands many gigs.
Derek 'Giff' Gifford http://www.folknorthwest.co.uk/
Now what about this CD as a purely listening medium? Well, let's start with the title 'A Most Particular Vintage' which, as those of you who know me, any reference to the grape is a good start!
The album opens with a jolly rendition of Fred Pidgeon's No. 1 and Babes in the Wood from the English tradition and setting the style and pace for the rest of the recording. With reference to the pace it could be said that many of the tunes are somewhat 'plodding' but remember these are dance tunes so any super fast playing that is normally associated with instrumentals is out of the question. Besides these are mostly English tunes so let's have some decorum please!
Variation comes with the waltzes Snowday Waltz and Dream Waltz which slow things down nicely and are newish compositions. Tracks which especially appealed to me were The Swiss Girl (traditional) and Prince Albert's Jig (written by Flos Headford a fine fiddler who is well known in the North) both of which have a lovely lilt to them. Also the intriguingly and amusingly named Wigan Peer (sic!) written by Keith Holloway is an appealing tune from the days when he played for a dance side that did clog step dancing. The collection of tunes rounds off nicely with Taz's Deed Polka and the traditional Double Figure 8 which is adapted from the Old Swan Band's version.
Overall there are 11 tracks comprising a total of 23 tunes which makes this a very good reference album for bands looking for material to add to their repertoire. It goes without saying that the playing throughout is of a very high quality and that the instruments blend very well together and also the recording is of the usual high quality from Doug Bailey at the Wild Goose studios.
Therefore, going back to my original question, the answer is 'yes', it is a delightfully cheerful album just for listening to. Available through the Wild Goose web site or at the bands many gigs.
Derek 'Giff' Gifford http://www.folknorthwest.co.uk/
This jaunty outing from the five-strong Bosun Higgs England Country Dance Band
is much as you would expect from the outfit's name: traditional and modern dance
tunes to set your feet tapping. If you like country dance music, at a ceilidh or on
your hi-fi, here are 11 tracks, and twice as many tunes, to lift the spirits.
First on to the floor, as it were, are two traditional tunes, Fred Pidgeon's No 1 and
Babes In The Wood, a properly cheerful start. Tunes written by band members
include Out To Lunch by fiddle player Taz Tarry, and Wakes Barn Polka by melodeon
player Keith Holloway. Another song by Taz, Taylor's Ale, lifts a glass to a favourite
Yorkshire beer. Deed Polka, united on the last track with Double Figure 8, is another
Taz song, written after his fiancée changed her name by deed poll when their wedding
was postponed.
Both the closing tracks make splendid use of Neil Gledhill on bass saxophone,
always a deeply welcome sound.
Spencer Taylor https://www.efdss.org/
is much as you would expect from the outfit's name: traditional and modern dance
tunes to set your feet tapping. If you like country dance music, at a ceilidh or on
your hi-fi, here are 11 tracks, and twice as many tunes, to lift the spirits.
First on to the floor, as it were, are two traditional tunes, Fred Pidgeon's No 1 and
Babes In The Wood, a properly cheerful start. Tunes written by band members
include Out To Lunch by fiddle player Taz Tarry, and Wakes Barn Polka by melodeon
player Keith Holloway. Another song by Taz, Taylor's Ale, lifts a glass to a favourite
Yorkshire beer. Deed Polka, united on the last track with Double Figure 8, is another
Taz song, written after his fiancée changed her name by deed poll when their wedding
was postponed.
Both the closing tracks make splendid use of Neil Gledhill on bass saxophone,
always a deeply welcome sound.
Spencer Taylor https://www.efdss.org/
I’m afraid that I’m long out of touch with the barn dance scene. The pandemic brought it to a shuddering halt but I don’t know how much things have recovered so it may be that Bosun Higgs – great name, by the way – are ahead of the curve in releasing an album of music for dancing. A Most Particular Vintage consists of eleven sets, mostly pairs of tunes. Some are traditional, some originals and other garnered from here and there in the time-honoured manner.
The sets are timed for dancing and the tempos are pretty strict so if you run a dance club that uses records and are looking for new material this is perfect. Bosun Higgs haven’t just put a bunch of well-known tunes together – that’s the easy way to do it. I don’t recognise many of the titles but they sound familiar and you can hear echoes of Old Swan Band, New Victory Band, perhaps Cock And Bull and half a dozen other bands you’ll have heard and danced to.
The lead instruments are melodeon, fiddle and banjo and may I go against convention by saying that there isn’t enough banjo for me? Unlike the folk-rock style of barn dance band Carly Rose’s percussion is big at the top end; cymbals, snare, wood blocks and even a cowbell at one point unless I’m very much mistaken. This is the sound that carries in a hall whereas a kick-drum would just vibrate the floor. The bass is taken care of by Neil Gledhill’s bass saxophone and it’s nice to hear an autoharp played by Martin Banks on one track – the last fifty years just rolled away.
With the exception of ‘Snowday Waltz/Dream Waltz’ the music is suitably up-tempo but not too fast. Keith Holloway’s melodeons are solid and dare I say, occasionally almost funky, and Taz Tarry’s fiddle supplies the flourishes. I’ve already said that A Most Particular Vintage is excellent for dancing but what about listening? Well, I’ve enjoyed it but I was concentrating on the music – I’m not sure that I could play it and read a book at the same time.
Dai Jeffries https://folking.com/
The sets are timed for dancing and the tempos are pretty strict so if you run a dance club that uses records and are looking for new material this is perfect. Bosun Higgs haven’t just put a bunch of well-known tunes together – that’s the easy way to do it. I don’t recognise many of the titles but they sound familiar and you can hear echoes of Old Swan Band, New Victory Band, perhaps Cock And Bull and half a dozen other bands you’ll have heard and danced to.
The lead instruments are melodeon, fiddle and banjo and may I go against convention by saying that there isn’t enough banjo for me? Unlike the folk-rock style of barn dance band Carly Rose’s percussion is big at the top end; cymbals, snare, wood blocks and even a cowbell at one point unless I’m very much mistaken. This is the sound that carries in a hall whereas a kick-drum would just vibrate the floor. The bass is taken care of by Neil Gledhill’s bass saxophone and it’s nice to hear an autoharp played by Martin Banks on one track – the last fifty years just rolled away.
With the exception of ‘Snowday Waltz/Dream Waltz’ the music is suitably up-tempo but not too fast. Keith Holloway’s melodeons are solid and dare I say, occasionally almost funky, and Taz Tarry’s fiddle supplies the flourishes. I’ve already said that A Most Particular Vintage is excellent for dancing but what about listening? Well, I’ve enjoyed it but I was concentrating on the music – I’m not sure that I could play it and read a book at the same time.
Dai Jeffries https://folking.com/
This is a new band name in English dance music, but the names will be familiar to enthusiasts. The fiddle player is the very likeable Taz Tarry, a good man to sit near in a tune session and a fine driving player who has fronted a number of bands including The English String Band and Grand Union. Another face that will be known to festival ceilidh dancers is Neil Gledhill who has played bass saxophone with the Old Swan Band for decades now.
The melodeon player is Keith Holloway from both Random and Monty’s Maggot. The percussionist is Carly Rose from that powerful unit, Token Women, and the banjo player Martin Banks has also played previously with Taz.
This is straight ahead, no nonsense English dance music played in an exhilarating manner at danceable speed; music that pleases the ear as well as the dancing feet and from the opener, Fred Pigeon's No. 1 / Babes In The Wood, we know we are in for a good time.
Traditional tunes mix in with newer ones, several made by Taz, and they fit well with melodies showing fine interplay between fiddle and melodeon, underscored well by sax and banjo. Perhaps the element that gives the band its distinctive sound is the nifty and varied percussive sounds in what seems to be a fairly minimalist kit with good use of woodblocks and bells.
The band was formed in 2019, not the best time given the looming pandemic, but as we put that behind us and festivals and dances return to full activity, this band is likely to be to the fore.
Vic Smith https://www.livingtradition.co.uk/
The melodeon player is Keith Holloway from both Random and Monty’s Maggot. The percussionist is Carly Rose from that powerful unit, Token Women, and the banjo player Martin Banks has also played previously with Taz.
This is straight ahead, no nonsense English dance music played in an exhilarating manner at danceable speed; music that pleases the ear as well as the dancing feet and from the opener, Fred Pigeon's No. 1 / Babes In The Wood, we know we are in for a good time.
Traditional tunes mix in with newer ones, several made by Taz, and they fit well with melodies showing fine interplay between fiddle and melodeon, underscored well by sax and banjo. Perhaps the element that gives the band its distinctive sound is the nifty and varied percussive sounds in what seems to be a fairly minimalist kit with good use of woodblocks and bells.
The band was formed in 2019, not the best time given the looming pandemic, but as we put that behind us and festivals and dances return to full activity, this band is likely to be to the fore.
Vic Smith https://www.livingtradition.co.uk/
Bosun Higgs English Country Dance Band are a bunch of established musicians who have played for a variety of outfits including the Old Swan Band amongst others. They were first formed in 2009 and comprise Taz Tarry on fiddle; Carly Rose on Percussion; Keith Holloway on Melodeons; Neil Gledhill on Bass Saxophone and Martin Banks on Banjo and Autoharp.
‘A Most Particular Vintage’ is the band’s new CD and meant to be a good representation of what you can expect to hear if you book them for a ceilidh. It is presented in a hard protective case which includes an eight-page pull-out with notes on all the tunes and an attractive looking bottle of wine on the front to illustrate the title.
There are eleven tunes or combinations of tunes on the album being a mixture of traditional arrangements and those written by the band, most of them by fiddler Taz Tarry with contributions from Melodeon Player Keith Holloway. There is a nice balance of instruments at work here and enough variety to make this a very listenable CD as well as being a good advert for the excellent dance music that is perhaps the main aim.
Whilst listening to the CD is a pleasure (and you can always enjoy a little dance at the same time!) I am sure that you will find it even more enjoyable to see and hear them in the flesh and better still from the dance floor.
Carl Filby https://unicornfolk.uk/
‘A Most Particular Vintage’ is the band’s new CD and meant to be a good representation of what you can expect to hear if you book them for a ceilidh. It is presented in a hard protective case which includes an eight-page pull-out with notes on all the tunes and an attractive looking bottle of wine on the front to illustrate the title.
There are eleven tunes or combinations of tunes on the album being a mixture of traditional arrangements and those written by the band, most of them by fiddler Taz Tarry with contributions from Melodeon Player Keith Holloway. There is a nice balance of instruments at work here and enough variety to make this a very listenable CD as well as being a good advert for the excellent dance music that is perhaps the main aim.
Whilst listening to the CD is a pleasure (and you can always enjoy a little dance at the same time!) I am sure that you will find it even more enjoyable to see and hear them in the flesh and better still from the dance floor.
Carl Filby https://unicornfolk.uk/