Satellites Over Skye
Slow, relaxing and laid back eclectic folk selection with an emphasis more on melody than song and a proliferation of instrumental airs, ballads and ditties old and new. The session has easy listening qualities in its own way as it moves between Celtic and Gaelic, African, N & S American, Caribbean and Australian worlds, rambling at times into jazz, reggae and (almost) classical territory. Pipes, flutes, strings, keys, harps, concertinas, drums...
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This session is named strictly after elements of song titles. The mix doesn't follow any set theme though the title does kinda set the stage. Skyscape background in the cover picture is taken from a somewhat disturbing time-lapse photo recently shot by Brendan Larsen over three successive nights in New Zealand. It the skies are that cluttered all the way down in Oceana, I'd safely deduce that it can only be much worse over Europe, the East Atlantic region and Western Isles. Food for thought. I can't recall anyone ever seriously asking the public if we might want all this space junk polluting our skies forever. But satellites also bring calm, floating, dreamy images to mind, as do the fells, seas, lochs and tides...
Playlist images of the Western Highlands, Wales, Ireland, Skye & Orkney.
Atmospheric tracks of great variety by The Boys of the Lough from their classic 1980's albums In the Tradition and Open Road, including the well-known ballad Dark Woman of the Glen. Manus Lunny joins up with Andy Stewart & Phil Cunningham to sing the lovely Gaelic lament Nil Si I nGra (She's Not in Love). Two Silly Wizard songs, including a braw live performance of The Banks of the Lee. Staying in Scotland, pianist Dave Milligan teams up with Karine Polwart for a song and a poem from their Still As You're Sleeping Album (2021) Lovely fresh version of emigrant song Craigie Hill.
June Tabor got together with saxophonist Iain Ballamy & pianist Huw Barren in the 2010's to form the experimental folk-jazz group Quercus, making two interesting albums. The superb Christchurch is pure jazz. Veteran vocalist, one of the quintessential voices of Jamaica, the great Ken Boothe then drops in with his stunning rewriting of the horns-heavy Godfather Theme (Speak Softly My Love - James Last) and it blends in surprisingly well! Next up is then a cool reggae-jazz fusion number by Yorkshire-based Caribbean jazz outfit The Judah Lewis Band. Judah passed away at too young an age some years ago but his legend lives on. This one's called The Return. Blessings Ali and all the Calderdale family. The Bob Brozman Orchestra get on the Ska Waltz Train.. all aboard! Jazz classical guitar tune by Gustavo Pazos Conde with Campos de la Tarde while Maskandi guitarist Shiyani Ngcobo tears it up Sowetto style. Tabor returns at the close with Jean Gordon, a heavy Savourna Stevenson & Danny Thompson collaboration from 1996.
More Celtic vibes come courtesy of Welsh, Scots and Irish artists like Ann Mayo Muir, Margo Carruthers, Planxty, The Chieftains with James Galway, Dafydd Iwan, Margie Butler and harpist/renowned glass sculptor Alison Kinnaird. Guitarist John Renbourn breathed new life into old renaissance melodies on his The Lady and the Unicorn album, 1970, while Bert Jansch focused more on Irish-gypsy sounds on his The Ornament Tree LP with an all-star group of musicians in 1990. American strings maestro Billy Strings does something similar with his two instrumentals, but in a deadly bluegrass style. Both are taken from his 2024 Highway Prayers album.
Spotlight on Nancy Kerr & James Fagan with interesting tracks from their Strands of Gold (2005) and Twice Reflected Sun (2010) sets, leading with the brilliantly done instrumental Satallite. Back to back versions of Down By the Sally Gardens: a flute version from James Galway & The Chieftains followed by a lively strings cut by Peter Knight's Gigspanner.
Continuous mix 2hrs 30
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