A Beautiful Thing

For various reasons I have been in Paris three times in the last three months of 2006. Naturally, given my current interests I hit the record shops of Paris and splashed much cash on building up my collection of French traditional folk music. If I say so myself, I have a pretty solid collection now and the smoke is clearing as to who I like and who I don't.

However, I also took the chance to call in, on all three visits, on my good friend Susan, her husband Petros and their two beautiful children. I worked with Susan many moons ago and she is now lecturing in Paris. They were very hospitable to me throughout my visits and naturally we talked about what was happening musically. TAlthough not 'folkies', they were very interested in the French experiment and have given me lots of help and ideas.

Last week I received through the post from Susan a beautiful anthology of French songs - Volume 1 of a 4 volume series by a French Composer, published in the 1930s. In my thank you letter to Susan, I expressed to her what a beautiful object the book was but also what a beautiful thought it was from a friend, whilst passing a music bookshop in Rue de Rome, to take time out to go and look for a very special book. I was quite overwhelmed. What a joy it is to have good friends!

3rd January - Tai Chi Convention, St Albans

Tai Chi Club - Our most stretching gig yet (gerrit?)

We played for a group of Tai Chi teachers who had come together from around the world for a conference in St Albans. A very nice and welcoming group of people - very keen to party after being involved in serious study for the previous week. Along with a local choir master talking on the history of plain song, we were there to give the overseas visitors an introduction to some of the music of the Bitish Isles and France. We did 25 minutes worth and it was very well received. Perhaps a little out of practice given the summer festiviites, I seemed to get through Maid of Culmore with rubber fingers and the occasional jazz chord, but we were really motoring by the end. We did our new version of Three Bonny Ships, with Rob on Mandola, and it worked well. Our Dutch friend Joop, who was convenor for the conference, played percussion with us and 'the jive was jumpin'.

5th December 2006 - King Harry pub, St. Albans

Played at the King Harry yesterday. Nice crowd involved in the sing along - a lot of local folk fans we hadn't met before which was great. Nice atmosphere too. Sadly, most 'turns' had to compete with the music from the bar next door. Even something as simple as a curtain would have made the difference. Still, probably the best range of bottled beers in a pub that I have seen for a long time - and the staff seemed very kind to everybody involved in the folk music side, so its definitely a place we will go back to.

We tried out another couple of our French Songs - The Bloody Inn ( a chilling a broadly true tale of mass murder in 18th century France) and Three Bonny Ships - a French Sea Shanty, and both went down very well. This is all very encouraging for us.

Rob told me that we have got an invite to play at the Cambrigde Folk Club which we are both very excited about.