Some 'B' quality outtakes from our new CD Blackheath plus a live track, and some notes on the music
'Fiddle Hill Jig' was written by Ralph Page in 1967 - 'Belle of the Ball' I got from
Jason Rice; one of the Dartmoor tunes
Both from the 1651 edition of John Playford's 'The English Dancing Master'
From the Baroque dance collection Terpsichore (1612) by Michael Praetorius
The only recording of me playing a Melodeon, a one-row 4 stop in C
Another tune from the 1651 edition of Playford's Dancing Master
From a gig somewhere in Northamptonshire with Chris Punter on guitar
A canon for accordion left & right hand. Tune is basically the French 'Frere Jacques' in the minor key; the funeral march from Mahler's 1st. Symphony
A tune by Henry Purcell - Mavis is an old name for a Thrush
A demo of this lovely tune by Thomas Campion (1567-1620)
Written in Vienna in the 90s
The Nick Jones Tune Book 2021
Notation for my tunes that appear on the CD plus many more
Liner notes for some of the CD tracks
1 - ‘Blackheath’ is a dance we played for years ago, but always liked the tune. ‘The Goblin's Dance’ was inspired by Alice informing me that G minor is a good key for fiddles.
2 - ‘Coty House’ is sometimes called ‘Kit Coty’s Jig’, Kit's Coty House being the name of an ancient earthwork in Kent; from the 1686 edition of Playford’s Dancing Master.
4 - ‘Carpenter’s Maggot’ was a great find from the 1701 edition of the Dancing Master; can’t imagine what the dance is like. Not even attempting this one, fiddle only!
5 - 'TMPTEOTW' - I was walking down a back street in Ludlow in the 90s and emerged into the sunshine to see one of those 'The end is nigh' people with a sandwich board. For some reason it inspired a happy tune, which I found years later in my sketch book and worked into the final version presented here. Struggling for a title, I could only come up with the obvious!
7 - 'Black Crow' - a tune with an asymmetrical feel to it, changing from 6/4 to 7/4 to 8/4 time and back again. Actually just a function or writing it down correctly; looks worse on paper than it is to play.
9 - ‘The Red Headed Girl’ was inspired by a special friend with red hair. D major with a C natural.
12 - ‘Northumberland Air’ won the 1996 ‘Tune for Northumberland’ competition. A Northumbrian pipe tune that I was inspired to record after my rendition of it was well received in a session at Sidmouth Festival.
13 - 'Broadwoodwidger' - pitched for a BBC Radio 4 live broadcast in 1972 and never used. Once again an asymmetrical time signature changing from 6/4 to 8/4, 9/4 and back again. I played the organ for our local flower festival in this village in Devon in the early 70s, and after everyone had gone home I was left alone at the organ and this tune appeared. It originally had chords but I think sounds better without. Another find from the sketch book.
15 - ‘Gavotte’ is also known as ‘Flute tune 29’, as it's the 29th. tune in a German baroque manuscript of flute tunes from 1732. Unfortunately, 80% of the tunes in this book are called Gavotte! Perhaps it needs a title? Some bars removed to make it fit the dance (Longways duple minor), makes a great English tune.
16 - 'Sicilienne' - Maria von Paradis was a pupil of Mozart and there are a few theories about the piece's origin, but it's generally ascribed to her.