Unfashionable Folk 2

Crofty makes some good points in his blog about my post on Unfashionable Folk

One thing that got me thinking was when he traced back his own musical heritage.  At first, I thought, as Crofty did, that I am not like the Copper Family- a member of some folk music family going back through the generations.  But then it occurred to me, neither were the Copper Family.  Rather, they were members of a farming family who also liked to sing and play down the pub (albeit to a very high standard).

And that’s what most of us are.  People with day jobs who like to sing and play.

So what’s my musical heritage?  Well, my father is a talented Jazz Pianist, so I grew up listening to Jazz and Swing music, but that’s hardly in danger of dying out (nor is it really a North Eastern thing). But that’s not all I heard as a child…

My father also used to play clubs as part of a dance band.   I used to go with my grandparents to the last of the Tea Dances (in fact I can still do the Saunter Together and the Katherine Waltz (or Waltz Katrine as it is known up North))  So there is a bunch of songs that is fading from my memory, and I suppose they are part of my heritage.

So, the next time I sit down to play with Crofty, we could continue to work on our arrangement of the Princess Royal for Accordion and Guitar, or we could have a go at the Valeta and all those other old songs that neither of us really like, but will be forgotten unless people like us do something about them.  Or perhaps they’re not worth saving after all…

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