New series of Transatlantic Sessions starts up here on Beeb2 Scotland this Friday and I see they've got Eric Bibb for programme 1 complete with that crackin' hat - Bela Fleck's in there too - I'll keep you posted when LA kicks in.
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Thanks JC. That looks a good programme. I saw the sea today for the first time this year. It sounded good too. -
Really enjoyable it was Lat - apart from Eddi Reader who I ain't a fan of - she sings every song like it's the same song, in my opinion. They had the usual high quality band - Donal, Danny, McCusker, Aly, Jerry etc. Great stuff - highlight for me was Dirk Powell 'Boats Up The River' - Paul would love this one. It's not up on i-player yet but they're promising it shortly.Originally posted by Lateralthinking1 View Post
......and there's not much better than the sound of the sea, Lat - we're heading for Aberdeen tomorrow so I imagine we'll have a stroll on a beach somewhere en route or en route back.Comment
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That's it on the i-player.
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That was excellent. The combination of the celtic and the country really works for me. As you know, I like a lot of genres but I would find it difficult to find something that my ears take to so naturally. It really is home except it isn't. Very odd.
The opener was storming but I enjoyed it all. The Bela Fleck one, the Sam Bush etc. I have never analysed what instrumentation enhances my enjoyment of both celtic and celtic tinged music and what detracts from it. There are certainly big differences between what appeals and what doesn't and this series gets it very right somehow.
Agree that the Eddi Reader song was the least good. I chop and change with her. Didn't like Fairground Attraction, loved the Mark Nevin stuff. Kiteflyers Hill is brilliant. Not so sure that she has wholly successfully made the transition to the more traditional even though she crops up regularly. Also, love the hair but the mannerisms have always been unusual. It used to be the hands but now it seems that there is a lot of bobbing. I also saw her losing her temper once.
By contrast, I take to Alison Krauss more and more. Lovely song to conclude. She's 40 but doesn't look it. Obviously the music does something good to the ageing process. If I get to 60 and look like Eric Bibb, I will have done well. In fact, it will be a miracle.Last edited by Guest; 02-10-11, 20:28.Comment
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Lat, the thing I loved about the Bela Fleck was the way he took this unusual riff and then shared it out slowly and the various players took it on themselves. There's a look of uncertainty with Danny Thomson and then he catches the drift and starts to go. They do an interesting thing in the filming because as with the opening stormer of a track you think there's only a couple of people in the room and then as the tune progresses more musicians are brought into the shot. They did the same with the Bela Fleck tune as the various instruments caught the tune and ran. Great to watch. He looked very uncertain like he was feeling perhaps that he was sharing the wrong piece, but these are great musicians.
As for Eric Bibb, he did a great job on one of my favourite songs - and what a hat!
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That's what Beeb2 Scotland are offering tomorrow evening - have to say that I'm looking forward to hearing Sarah Jarosz' 'Anabel Lee' with the crew. I really enjoyed her performance of this song from earlier in the year - might have been on a Songlines CD.
There sure is a lot of banjos about just now don't you think?Comment
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zola - I see Amos Lee is featured on TS again this week.
I suppose my observation, for what it's worth, is that the Americans seem to be really taking over this series. I do like Dirk Powell - hadn't heard him before.Comment
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Because the quality of the visitors is generally so high, I can't object too strongly to them dominating the series. But there is sometimes just the tiniest smidgen of "gee, these Brits sure know how to play our music". Brits as in British Isles in case any Irish sensibilities are outraged. Are there any home grown performers that you would like to see featured who haven't yet been in any of the series ?Originally posted by johncorrigan View Postzola - I see Amos Lee is featured on TS again this week.
I suppose my observation, for what it's worth, is that the Americans seem to be really taking over this series. I do like Dirk Powell - hadn't heard him before.Comment
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zola, one of the things I've liked over the years with TS is when you have people from opposite sides of the pond singing together - a good example of this was last series' version of 'the King's Shilling' with Karan Casey and James Taylor which I thought was terrific fo lots of reasonsOriginally posted by zola View Post
.....or Paul Brady and Rosanne Cash in previous series. I know they're not a million miles away but that worked really well. I loved John Martyn when he was on years back but it was just him and Danny doing what they did anyway and that never quite seems the point.
(how about a bit of fiddle on there says someone at the end)
I would like to see Karan Casey back - really liked her voice. I suppose I'd like to see Michael Marra, but any excuse to give him an outing is worth it in my book. Karine Polwart has plenty experience of collaborating and would be great in there I'm sure. Kris Drever perhaps would be worth a shout. The quality of the musicians are terrific; I suppose I shouldn't complain.
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If you like Alison Krauss don't miss her singing 'Dimming of the Day' on this week's TS - such controlled, such beautiful singing. I also loved Iain Morrison's 'Lewis Summer' with the band putting in a fine shift. Lots to enjoy though I wasn't so keen on Declan O'Rourke, but the rest was great for my ears.
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I enjoyed the show as usual but it seems to be moving farther away from the rootsy kind of thing, e.g the Declan O'Rourke song mentioned above or even Alison's rather restrained and smoothed out rendition. Sam Bush for me this week and when's Eric Bibb going to put in another appearance ? I can't believe he was only shipped up there for one song.Comment
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He's in there this week coming zola - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b016ngm6Originally posted by zola View Post
Have to say that I was surprised by the quality of Alison Krauss' voice which I thought was beautiful.
What you say does highlight one of the problems with TS - when it's less successful I think there is a tendency to look only for the points of commonality between either side of the Atlantic and then it can prove a bit less vital. I like to hear the various acts hanging on to their roots but sharing. Kind of like Imagined Village when Cold Haily Rainy Night or Tam Lyn retold has the various contibutors coming from their own roots. Maybe one of the issues is the power of Jerry Douglas' dobro - it really can overpower everything else at times. There is still more to enjoy than not zola so I shouldn't grumble too much.
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More to enjoy than not, I absolutely agree. It's funny though how critical faculties can't help kicking in. You have a point about Jerry Douglas's dobro which occasionally seems shoe horned into the song's arrangement. I don't think that it is ego, more a bit of over enthusiasm. Current set up for the set list each week seems to be one brilliant, three great, two treading water. Which is not a bad hit list.Comment
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Eric Bibb's return was worth the wait I thought. The band seemd to enjoy a rare foray into the blues and Mr Bibb was in top vocal form, earthier than he often is. Apart from that, an edition where the homegrown contingent got more of a look in. Donal Lunny was especially noteworthy. All in all, an edition where the collaborative aspect really took off as evidenced by the number of grins and asides during the sessions.Comment
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