Dave Swarbrick & Jason Wilson - Kailyard Tales - 12th January 2018

Dave Swarbrick was and is a legend to me, and I am really pleased to see a second album Kailyard Tales being released by this duo. The first album Lion Rampant was a fantastic eclectic mix of styles between traditional/modern, reggae, folk; and was quite simply great fun to listen to. A real quality record. There were many other albums if you wanted to hear the pure traditional Swarbrick on display, however he always seemed extremely proud of this collaboration with Jason Wilson and his band and as always Swarbrick's playing was exemplar. If this is kicking off 2018, then it should be a very fine year.....



Kailyard Tales is the follow up album to 2014's Lion Rampant. Sadly, it marks Dave Swarbrick's last studio album, recorded before he passed away in 2016. The duo, backed by Wilson's band and several special guests, continue to explore the intersections of various folk/rebel musics of the past 400 years. The album includes a few self-penned cuts, Sandy Denny's 'It Suits Me Well', John Dowland's 'Say Love if ever thou didst find', and the Scottish abduction ballad 'Eppie Moray'. Special guests include Martin Carthy, Dick Gaughan, The Battlefield Band's Alan Reid and Rob Van Sante, Ian Campbell and his son, UB40's Ali Campbell (marking the only time father and son sang together on record).

Running against the purists' convention, Wilson & Swarbrick hope to pick up where they left off with Lion Rampant , an album that was described by English folk music critic Ken Hunt (fRoots) as "Head and shoulders, the most eclectic, catholic and coherent musical banquet of 2014 thus far." Similarly, Michael Hunter (Fiddlestix) described Wilson & Swarbrick's first full-length offering as "predictably high quality, well produced music with intelligently considered arrangements…this music works because it is in exactly the right hands."

 

Thanks for the heads-up on this. Any new Swarbrick is worth a listen.

Best Wishes,
David

 

Thanks for this. Swarb was one of the greats.

 

They're doing John Dowland?!?!?!?

 

Not wishing to hijack the thread, but donkey's years ago I saw Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick playing at the Sale Folk Club (Sale in the northern UK). I wasn't too familiar with their work, but I certainly remember being transfixed by their prowess, and the audience were in raptures too. A great night.

 

Any and all Swarb stories welcome....I also (thankfully) caught them live a couple of years before Swarbrick's passing and it was exceptional.

Infact of all the concerts I saw this year Martin Carthy's was the most enjoying.

 

Arrived yesterday!!!

Great sounding album on the first few listens. Starts with a version of Wishing (originally from Smiddyburn) and includes versions of songs that will already be familiar with Fairport patrons, including Farewell To A Poor Mans Son, It Suits Me Well and Eppie Moray (originally Fotheringay did a version amongst many others).

Fabulous to hear Swarb reunited with Ian Campbell one last time and Martin Carthy reprises a very gentle version of Seven Yellow Gypsies from the Prince Heathen album he and Swarb did way back in 1969. Carthy does sound significantly more fragile vocally on this album than he did when I saw him in concert in August last year. Jason Wilson and his band and collaborators again sound fabulous on this album as they did the first, although I do recall a few grumblings by traditionalists when the first album came out that Swarb was in this setting.

This collaboration with Jason Wilson was one Swarb was extremely proud of, and I never thought there would be a second album. Hopefully its not the last we hear of the great Swarb and there is other material tucked away in the archives.

I would love a re-issue of the Ian Campbell Folk Group with Dave Swarbrick (1969) if anyone of influence is reading.

 

Just landed and playing as I type. Great album!!!

 

Sound samples for Kailyard Tales are available at Amazon U.K.

I was watching Far From The Madding Crowd (1967) and Dave Swarbrick is credited as fiddler at the end of the movie!

Time to pull out some of my Swarbrick albums!!