Blowzabella, Two Score, CD 2018 - BLOWZABELLA4

Blowzabella celebrates its 40th anniversary with this album. The cover by Paul Woloschuk presents the group standing in front of an old wall, just like the one of the first album in 1982. This album comes from the individual research of each musician and, on top of that, from the collective work of the group. The result is that the style becomes homogeneous and characterizes the "Blowzabella sound”. Blowzabella is a real group for the meticulousness devoted to the arrangements through a common work.

Blowzabella celebra il suo quarantesimo anniversario con questo album. La copertina di Paul Woloschuk presenta il gruppo in piedi di fronte a un vecchio muro, proprio come nel primo disco del 1982. Questo nuovo CD nasce dalla ricerca individuale di ciascun musicista e, ma anche e soprattutto dal lavoro collettivo del gruppo. Il risultato è che lo stile diventa omogeneo e caratterizza il "suono Blowzabella". Blowzabella è un vero gruppo per la meticolosità dedicata agli arrangiamenti attraverso un lavoro comune.

Cé is composed by Gregory Jolivet. Arranged by Blowzabella. Greg composed this for a friend (Cecilia) who is a contemporary dancer. Her creative energy inspired what Greg describes as ‘a fuzzy pentatonic rock waltz’. The Uttoxeter Souling Song / Turner’s. Traditional / Andy Cutting. A great wassail song from the market town of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire sung at seasonal celebrations for reward with money or food. SCCS Polkas is composed by Jo Freya. Arranged by Blowzabella. Scarrington, Car Colston and Screveton are villages in the area near where Jo lives. The connecting roads enable you to travel between the villages in a triangular fashion without retracing your journey regardless of which village you start in a bit like these tunes. Coteeto is composed by Paul James. Arranged by Paul James and Blowzabella. Paul composed this tune in 3/8 time as part of his score for the production of John Milton’s “Comus – A Masque an honour of chastity” at Shakespeare’s Globe, London in 2016. The Grenoside Processional Dance: Traditional / Dave Shepherd. Arranged by Blowzabella. A dance created by Dave’s father Dick Shepherd in 1951, inspired by figures from the Grenoside Traditional Sword Dance for the first Grenoside Folk Dance Festival, one of many events organised as part of the Festival of Britain. Adam was a Poacher: traditional with extra lyrics by Jo Freya. Arranged by Blowzabella. Dave came across this in the William Andrews Tunebook, a book of Dartmoor tunes collected by the Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould from William Andrews of Sheepstor in 1893, published by The Wren Trust. Paul found a brief version of the words in the Kennedy Grant Library at Halsway Manor (national centre for folk arts), scribbled them on a piece of paper and gave them to Jo who added to the poacher’s story. Camdence is composed by Gregory Jolivet. Arranged by Blowzabella. Greg composed this for Barn, when he was staying at his place in Camden Town, as a thank you for inspiring him with his music, bass playing and cooking. The Lark Descending / Bushes & Briars. Arranged by Blowzabella. The Lark Descending was originally composed by Paul as a 'rant step' dance and companion to his tune Falco. Here it’s played as a little homage to the great English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams whose interest in English folk song was said to have been sparked by hearing a Mr Potipher sing Bushes and Briars in Essex in 1905. Juggler’s Jig, composed by Barnaby Stradling, was written in memory of the shining star who was Jasper King: Chipolata, entertainer, nutcase, gentleman. Sorely missed by all who knew and loved him. Jon wrote 481 because we needed new 48 bar jigs for dances and he started writing two. He discarded the second but 481 survived. Blackberry Fold is a traditional tune adapted with extra lyrics by Jo Freya. Arranged by Blowzabella. Jo found the song in the Kennedy Grant Library at Halsway Manor. There are numerous versions of this song most collected in the South West and East Anglia. Lord Frog: learnt by Dave from the playing of the band Boldwood who found it in the book '24 New Country Dances for the Year 1711’, published by L. Pippard. Colin is composed by Jo Freya. Arranged by Blowzabella. Written to celebrate Colin Taylor’s 60th birthday. A long-term fan of dance music, Rosie his partner, asked Jo to write a ‘European style waltz’ to celebrate the landmark.

Tracks: 1.Cé 4:44 – 2. The Uttoxeter Souling Song / Turner’s 5:03 – SCCS Polkas 3:22 – 4. Coteeto 4:32 – 5. The Grenoside Processional Dance 4:45 – 6. Adam was a Poacher 3:34 – 7. Camdence 4:17 – 8. The Lark Descending / Bushes & Briars 6:27 – 9. Juggler’s Jig/481 4:21 – 10. Blackberry Fold 4:10 – 11. Lord Frog 5:12 – 12. Colin 4:06

Recorded by Joe Garcia. Kennard Moor Drove, Coxbridge, Somerset, England, March and November 2017. Thanks Sarah Orme. Mixed by Joe Garcia at Joe's Garage, Bristol, November and December 2017. Mastered in the USA by James Plotkin. Pinhole camera photography by Paul Woloschuk. Design by Natalie Peter-Budge.