Out of Africa

Plantation remains in Saint Lucia
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

At last week's Dragon Folk Club session we were delighted to welcome back Mel who last visited us over six years ago, and Habib who accompanied him on this visit. It was Habib's first experience of the club and we hope they will return.

Colin started us off with Navvy boots (* roud 516) and that led us into two songs which Stuart and Carrie performed together: Waiting around to die (Townes Van Zandt) and Hard times (* David Rawlings, Gillian Welch).

The first song of Mel's return to the club was When all men sing (Keith Scowcroft, Derek Gifford). Habib's debut song was a shanty which drew from his time living in Africa: Down the river of Gambia (*).

Simon completed the first rotation with Isabel makes love on national monuments (Jake Thackray).

As is usual, I must mention all the songs sung by newcomer Habib, to simply list them wouldn't do justice to how he presented them, hence a longer thank usual narrative.

He referred to the Sons of Africa, a group of freed African slaves in Britain who campaigned to end slavery towards the end of the 18th century. He took a poem entitled We are not putting down our pens (*#) and put it to a psalm tune, Truro. It certainly wasn't this rap entitled Sons of Africa from Horrible Histories, but that gives an idea of the subject matter.

His next song was another with a slavery-related theme being another poem set to music, Come all you hearts of oak (*#) which relates to the West Africa Squadron, a squadron of the Royal Navy whose goal was to suppress the Atlantic slave trade by patrolling the coast of West Africa. The squadron operated from 1808 to 1867.

Habib said he had recently seen the silent film version of The Student Prince. While it obviously didn't include the songs from the original operetta, it reminded him of one of those songs and he therefore gave us The drinking song (* Sigmund Romberg, Dorothy Donnelly).

His final offering was a self-penned poem, again set to music. Each year he writes a poem for his wife's birthday, and this one was entitled The quilter excellente (*# Habib).

The remaining songs new to the Dragon database were:

• Colin - Morning glory (* Guy Fletcher, Doug Flett)
• Stuart and Carrie - Empty trainload of sky (* David Rawlings, Gillian Welch)
• Colin - Brown girl in the ring (* roud 13195) - a Jamaican playground song long before Boney M. sang it or at least a version arranged by their producer and covert band member Frank Farian
• Mel - Captain Jack and the mermaid (* Meg Davis)
• Carrie - Child in time (* Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice)

Having a longer journey home than most, Mel and Habib left with just three songs to go, the last of which for the evening was John O'Dreams (Bill Caddick, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky), sung by Simon.

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 6 of whom 6 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though not always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

New friends and old

Terry C a few years ago
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Once again your usual scribe wasn't at the Dragon Folk Session last week, but it was great to hear that our old friend Terry C made an appearance for the first time in a long time. Also great to hear was that it was the first visit by Stuart and Carrie who both play the guitar and the ukulele.

Stuart and Carrie were straight in at the deep end, starting the session with Fresh as a sweet Sunday morning (Bert Jansch) and Waiting around to die (Townes Van Zandt).

Bob sang Merle Haggard's White line fever which Sue followed that with Ain't misbehavin' (Andy Razaf, Fats Waller, Harry Brooks).

Terry C's long-hoped-for return to the club started with Jim Moreland's What happened to the ponies. Sorry, there's no YouTube video in the playlist of this lovely song and even an article I have linked before about Jim has disappeared from the Sunderland Echo website.

On easier ground for this report writer, Colin went to Newfoundland for I'se the b'y (roud 4432).

Denny sang Broom of the Cowdenknowes (roud 92). The linked recording, made by Terry H, is of the club's late friend Ray.

Paul finished the first round with Keith Marsden's Bring us a barrel.

It is tradition that I mention all the songs sung by newcomers Stuart and Carrie. Their remaining offerings were:

• Bring me a boat (Kate Rusby, Phil Cunningham)
• Don't let the sun catch you crying (Gerry Marsden, Freddie Marsden, Les Chadwick, Les Maguire)
• Nine hundred miles (roud 4959)
• The rambling Irishman (roud 3572)
• Spancil Hill (roud 22062 - Michael Considine)
• Don't want to know (John Martyn)
• Long black veil (roud 18510 - Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin)
• Summertime (DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)

There were lots of songs sung during the evening that are new to the Dragon database (though not necessarily new to the club). Some of these have already been mentioned, but the remainder are listed here:

• Sue - Love of the common people (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins)
• Colin - Drinking with Rosie (Richard Digance)
• Terry C - Soap, starch and candles (V56772) - not in the playlist linked below
• Colin - Down on the corner (John Forgerty)
• Bob and Sue - Blue eyes crying in the rain (Fred Rose)
• Bob and Sue - Blackpool Belle (Howard Broadbent, Jimmy Smith)
• Colin - My friend the sun (Roger Chapman, Charlie Whitney)
• Paul - Rufford Park poachers (roud 1759)
• Terry - Goodbye my old friend (Mike Denver)

After all that excitement it feel to Colin to complete the evening with Peter Bellamy's Sweet ladies of Plymouth from his folk opera "The Transports".

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 8 of whom 8 performed)