What's New at Fledgling Records

What's New at Fledgling Records A previously unrecorded suite of compositions by JOHN WARREN Recorded live by the JOHN SURMAN led BRASS PROJECT Dear Keith Welcome to the latest newsletter from our colleagues at Fledg'ling Records. We are very proud to release a wonderful album of new music by John Warren. In the early 1980s John Surman and John Warren realized a long-held ambition and formed the Brass Project. The ensemble was conceived as a brass led group focusing on new compositions from Surman and Warren. The large group ‘had to survive without grant or subsidy' yet released a mesmerizing and critically acclaimed album for the ECM label and toured extensively on the European jazz circuit. Surman and Warren had first collaborated on the masterly 1971 Tales of the Algonquin suite, and saw the Brass Project as a further exploration of ideas they had begun to explore more than ten years earlier.   The 11-piece Brass Project captured live on this previously unreleased recording from June 1993 features - John Surman saxophones, alto and bass clarinets, Stephen Waterman, Guy Barker, Steve Sidwell trumpets, Pete Beachill, Malcolm Griffiths trombones, Richard Edwards, Kenny Hamilton bass trombones, Chris Laurence bass, John Marshall drums, percussion and John Warren conductor, This hitherto ‘lost’ The Traveller’s Tale recording captures a sumptuous suite of compositions inspired by stories of the early life of John Warren’s grandfather. The piece is not programmatic but loosely traces episodes in his adventurous life, allowing for some glorious ensemble and solo playing. Read the 4 star review in The Guardian here: The Traveller's Tale  Warren’s composition...“stands comparison with the music of Gil Evans or Maria Schneider.” FLED 3103  JOHN WARREN, JOHN SURMAN & The BRASS PROJECT ~ The Traveller's Tale The Traveller's Tale follows Fledg'ling's highly acclaimed JOHN SURMAN re-issues:   FLED 3093  JOHN SURMAN ~ Westering Home FLED 3101  JOHN SURMAN ~ Morning Glory An incredible fifty years ago, back in 1967, Dorris Henderson and John Renbourn released their magical Watch The Stars album. If you don't have a copy now might be just the time to investigate this wondrous collection. FLED 3055  DORRIS HENDERSON & JOHN RENBOURN ~ Watch The Stars Last September we helped to organise a day long tribute to John Renbourn at Cecil Sharp House. John's wife Judy produced a pair of greetings cards based on her drawings of John from 1970. We have a limited quantity of cards for sale by mail order at £5 per set:   JOHN RENBOURN greetings cards Here at Fledg'ling we are busy working on several new projects for release during 2017 - our 23rd year of idiosyncratic releases. More news in the coming months. In the meantime here's a sneak preview of a forthcoming album: Daphne's Flight - Christine Collister, Melanie Harrold, Julie Matthews, Helen Watson and Chris While - have re-united to record their second album twenty years after their debut. Knows Time, Knows Change will be released early in May when Daphne will begin an extensive UK tour. www.fledglingrecords.co.uk All best wishes from Fledg'ling for the year ahead.

The Latest News From Fledg'ling Records November 2016

"our nearest star" Shirley Collins has been one of our dearest friends and loyal supporters ever since Fledg'ling Records began in 1994. We are thrilled beyond words that she has returned to recording after 38 years. Lodestar is released today, Friday 4th November, on the Domino label. It is an absolutely wonderful album - austere, full of foreboding and stunningly beautiful. Undoubtedly one of the finest recordings of the year. “… picking her way back across almost a century, finding for herself the traditional heart of each song… What comes through is sincerity, purity of instinct, and a tremendous depth of feeling.” Alan Lomax Fledg'ling has helped to keep much of Shirley's back catalogue in print over the past twenty years. During November we are celebrating the release of Lodestar with some special offers. The perfect opportunity to fill the gaps in your music collection, or to give as splendid gifts for friends:  During November these early Shirley albums are priced at only £6.00 each:         FLED 3029  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ False True Lovers FLED 3080  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ Sweet England FLED 3028  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ The Power Of The True Love Knot FLED 3023  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ Adieu To Old England FLED 3019  SHIRLEY & DOLLY COLLINS ~ For as Many As Will FLED 3057  SHIRLEY & DOLLY COLLINS ~ Snapshots We have a very limited stock of the souvenir programme from Shirley's 80th Birthday event at the Southbank in July 2015. Special November price only £12.00: SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ All In The Downs with 7" single     WING 1001  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ The Foggy Dew WING 1002  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ English Songs WING 1004  SHIRLEY COLLINS ~ English Songs volume 2 MARTIN SIMPSON & DOM FLEMONS ~ Ever Popular Favourites Stocks of the vinyl LP are disappearing fast! We are currently preparing some exciting new releases for early next year. The first is a previously unreleased 1993 recording of the JOHN SURMAN / JOHN WARREN BRASS BAND with a specially composed suite by John Warren. DAPHNE'S FLIGHT have just finished recording a second album Knows Place, Knows Time which is stunningly beautiful. The album will be released in time for their 21st Anniversary Spring tour. Watch this space. N E W   W E B S I T E We have a shiny new home on the Internet: www.fledglingrecords.co.uk

The Latest News from Fledg'ling Records October 2016

Dear Keith Martin Simpson & Dom Flemons release their splendid new album today! Resulting from an EFDSS commission in 2014 these two maestros explore the common threads of their folk and early blues repertoire. Ever Popular Favourites is now available  on CD / LP / DL. Dom ~ “We explored how folk songs travelled between England and North America. Martin and I have a shared interest in the early American Songsters. He told me that even though he doesn’t generally play their songs he is a fan of people like Henry Thomas and Peg Leg Howell. We also spoke of our mutual admiration of revivalists and folksingers like Mike Seeger and UK collectors like Peter Kennedy and Seamus Ennis.” Martin ~ “It was so easy to find a repertoire in common with Dom, I immediately felt at ease and at home with all the music we discovered we shared. I was overjoyed when the quills and bones and banjo and Dom’s wonderful energy emerged on the first rehearsal, it reinvigorated songs and styles for me.” "That Flemons and Simpson can rework and revive the tensions and turmoils that fester in blues and folk music is the deepest tribute a musician can pay to their forebears, as well as the only way to bring those ghosts back to life." FRUK   "The musicianship is exemplary, with each performer supporting and enhancing each other's songs - Simpson with guitar and banjo, Flemons with those plus bones, quills and harmonicas. Even on an audio recording there's a real sense of joy taken in each other's company and performance styles." fROOTS You can follow this link to preview John Hardy Track list: 1 My Money Never Runs Out, 2 John Hardy, 3 If I Lose, 4 Little Sadie, 5 Pay Day, 6 Short Times Come Again No More, 7 Too Long (I’ve Been Gone), 8 Bulldoze Blues, 9 Stealin’, 10 Champagne Charlie, 11 Coalman Blues, 12 Buckeye Jim. MARTIN SIMPSON ~ vocals, guitar, banjo DOM FLEMONS ~ vocals, bones, banjo, quills, harmonica, electric kettle ALL orders received before midnight on Monday 10th October will receive a FREE set of SIMPSON & FLEMONS button badges: Ever Popular Favourites pinned insignia. During October we have a special offer on these two fabulous early Martin Simpson albums at only £6.00 each:   FLED 3021  MARTIN SIMPSON ~ Grinning In Your Face FLED 3022  MARTIN SIMPSON ~ Sad Or High Kicking   Back in 1996, when Fledg'ling was barely fledged, five wonderful singers - Christine Collister, Melanie Harrold, Julie Matthews, Helen Watson and Chris While - were kind enough to trust us with their debut Daphne's Flight album. Fast forward twenty years and we're going to do it all over again. They have just finished recording a second album which is stunningly beautiful. More news in the next newsletter. Best wishes and many thanks for continuing to support Fledg'ling. N E W   W E B S I T E We have a shiny new home on the Internet: www.fledglingrecords.co.uk

The latest news from Fledg'ling Records.

"Essential Autumn listening!" Our newly-released Anne Briggs - Four Songs EP has received very positive responses throughout the press. Last month Folk Radio UK published a lengthy new interview with Anne that focused on her early years as a travelling musician and the time around Four Songs. Earlier this week BBC Radio4 broadcast a wonderful half-hour interview with Anne - The Voices of Annie Briggs. A further feature is due to be published in the next issue of fROOTS. Four Songs, as the title suggests, collects together four previously unreleased recordings - three BBC recordings from the radio series ‘Folk-Song Cellar’, plus one song privately recorded by one of Anne’s oldest friends - on a beautifully presented vinyl 7" EP. These rare, simple, unadorned and intimate performances, aching with poignancy, make their first appearance on record, fifty years after recording and capture Anne Briggs singing at just the right time in her brief singing career. Anne herself has been very excited about the project: “…the results couldn't have been better. Nice the way it came about too, with lost recordings and old friends caring for them for decades.” Track list: 1 The Recruited Collier, 2 My Bonny Boy (A Bower In My Breast), 3 Polly Vaughan, 4 The Verdant Braes Of Skreen. You can follow this link to preview: The Verdant Braes Of Skreen MARTIN SIMPSON and DOM FLEMONS proudly present a selection of Ever Popular Favourites will be released on Friday October 7th on CD / LP / DL. Track list: 1 My Money Never Runs Out, 2 John Hardy, 3 If I Lose, 4 Little Sadie, 5 Pay Day, 6 Short Times Come Again No More, 7 Too Long (I’ve Been Gone), 8 Bulldoze Blues, 9 Stealin’, 10 Champagne Charlie, 11 Coalman Blues, 12 Buckeye Jim. MARTIN SIMPSON ~ vocals, guitar, banjo DOM FLEMONS ~ vocals, bones, banjo, quills, harmonica, electric kettle You can follow this link to preview John Hardy You might care to purchase an exclusive set of four Ever Popular Favourites pinned insignia. During September we have a special offer on these three fabulous albums from the Fledg'ling catalogue at only £6.00 each:       FLED 3008  ANNE BRIGGS ~ Sing A Song For You FLED 3064  ANDY ROBERTS & The Great Stampede FLED 3088  ANDY ROBERTS ~ Urban Cowboy Early in 2017 we will release The Traveller's Tale a previously unreleased suite of tunes composed by from JOHN WARREN and recorded live in June 1993 by the  JOHN SURMAN / JOHN WARREN BRASS PROJECT. Best wishes and many thanks for continuing to support Fledg'ling. N E W   W E B S I T E We have a shiny new home on the Internet: www.fledglingrecords.co.uk