Old Folksinger's Pick
2019

A note from Bob

December 2019

Back in the Day, come Christmas time, I used to make cassettes of my favourite songs for friends. Then it was CDs. Now – small fanfare – here is the 21st century version. Probably illegal, but not immoral.

This is some of the best music I know, which is to say, these are a bunch of songs and tunes I really like these days – beauty residing firmly in the ear of the beholder. Since people’s taste in song is as diverse as their taste in, well, people, there are likely some pieces here that will elicit a head shake and a puzzled “what does he hear in that?” No worries: just click on the next title. On the other hand there will be, I bet, a piece or two you will love, or a singer you will want to chase down. While you are at it, look up the great Ontario banjo player, Arnie Naiman and Toronto’s purveyors of music from the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkwaz. I would have loved to include them, but just couldn’t fit them in. Others too. But I promised myself no more than 20 songs, and stopped at 26. Close enough.

Thanks to Skel Jopko who created the web page and Ben Mink who can make The Unwanted transition smoothly into Paul Simon and Paul Simon into Gerry Rafferty.

I’d love to hear what you like and what you don’t. Drop me a line, eh?

bob@bossin.com

P.S. My plan is to leave this web page up through January, 2020. After that, the songs will be available through my GoogleDrive “page”. Contact me and we will sort it out.

A few notes on the songs:

15 Procurade 'e Moderare is Sardinian. It dates from the time of the French Revolution and warns the Sardinian barons to “moderate your tyranny” or risk a similar consequence.

16 I Burn But I Am Not Consumed won the award for best original song at this year’s British Folk Music Awards. Amen to that.

17 Cielito Lindo. Thanks to Heather Gale for introducing me to Marta Gomez’ beautiful rendition.

21 Salonika is a genuine 20th century folk song, first sung in Cork at the time of the First World War. It was resurrected by Irish folksinger Jimmy Cowley in the 1970s, and again this year by Lankum. A history of the song, along with its lyrics, is here: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/culture/salonika-corks-greatest-hit-910762.html

22 More than Enough. Martin Simpson is Roy Bailey’s son-in-law. He sang the song to Roy in the last days before Roy’s death last year. Roy joined in.

23 Carolina. I Draw Slow is actually an Irish group, not American. Fooled you, I bet.

25 The Brockie Lads were the roustabouts who would come to town with the travelling carnivals in bygone days. The song is an early one by the great songwriter from Durham, Jez Lowe.