TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Advance notice of an unmissable event!  :)

"SANDY DENNY: AN ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE"

Sunday, 20 April 2008

The Troubadour, 263-7 Old Brompton Road, London, SW5

With Linda Thompson, Joe Boyd, Linde Nijland and friends
 
Doors 8pm
Tickets: £8 in advance from www.wegottickets.com/event/27641
£10 on the door

On the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of her death, in one of the clubs where she made her name, a celebration of the legendary singer-songwriter in words and music.

Check the Troubadour website in coming days for further info and updates on artists taking part: www.troubadour.co.uk  

thanks for posting !

Tickets booked.Thank you for posting this

Just got mine  ;D

Kamila Thompson has now been added to the bill. Kamila is the youngest child of Richard and Linda and, with her first album due out this year, the latest to join the family firm: www.myspace.com/kamilathompson

Watch out for news of a(nother) major artist we hope will be joining us on the night.

Early booking advised. Only 80 tickets have been released for advance sale.

Philip

Fab! Looking forward to it.........

Martin Carthy has now been added to the bill. It’s quite an honour for us that he’s agreed to do this and evidence – not that TalkAwhilers will need convincing – of the high regard in which Sandy is held. Of course, Martin’s connections with the venue go way back when: there are some priceless photos of him jamming with Bob Dylan and Richard Fariña at the Troub on Dylan’s first trip to London in 1962-3.

Sounds wonderful.  Wish we could go!

Good news that Linde Nijland is involved.  We saw her on her recent tour, and she was wonderful.

Last advance ticket has just gone (while I was dithering whether to go on my own  ::) :( )

I've never been so could someone tell me how many tickets there will be on the door, what time they go on sale etc - happy to take a chance but I'd like to know the odds

Cheers

R

Ah yes, there was a publicity push at the Shirley Collins event last night. However, good news, Rog. We've just released another 15 tickets for advance sale, so hurry hurry down to www.wegottickets.com !
 :)
Philip

Many thanks for that Philip, I've now secured a pair. 10 left at time of writing!

Really looking forward to it, sure it'll be a great (and poignant) night

Cheers

Roger

Latest news on this is that Lisa Knapp is joining us as a singer, which we’re rather excited about. Karl Dallas, veteran folk journalist and peacenik, will be a third speaker alongside Linda Thompson and Joe Boyd. We’re hoping to get Vikki Clayton as well, with her pianist, to tackle some of the big late ballads which were otherwise missing from the programme.

The event has been sold out for some time. However, we plan to make a professional, mixed recording; how wide a circulation this receives will depend on the artists. Plus, the ever-dependable Chris Bates will be on hand with his camera. So there should be some record of the night for those who have been unable to get tickets.

If we’d known how much interest there would be in dear old Sandy thirty years on, we’d have booked the Queen Elizabeth Hall! Ah well, next time…

Philip

Damn and blast....something's come up...and so I can't make this anymore...I have two 'tickets' for sale (16 quid)... These are not actual tickets but can be 'reallocated' by email through the wegottickets system... Contact me by IM if you're interested....

Am looking forward to this so much. Does anyone know if this is a seated event ?

Gone now...

There is a very limited amount of fixed seating with tables. We hope to add a few more chairs. If you have special need of seating it might be best to let people on the door know as you come in. It’s a small club venue in the basement of the Troubadour café, reached via the staircase at the far end of the café. Somewhat enlarged (and gentrified) since Sandy and Linda T appeared there in the Sixties but still a tight squeeze. ‘Intimate’ – is that the word I'm looking for?

P

See some of you guys there hopefully! It was all a bit touch and go for us as my Mum's been rather ill, but she's better now so the sheriff and I are risking it. And big thanks to Philip for alerting me about this.

Blimey - the Troubadour gentrified? Used to be full of Swedish backpackers looking for Paul Simon! Better go and find my Sandy badge (from a stall at Cropredy about 1980 I think) - they might let us provincials in then.

Cheers - Ed

Have fun you lot, and please report back with reviews, pictures etc.  {:-)

songs performed from memory (might have missed one or two)

Linde Nijland
Sailor's Life   Listen,Listen   No End   Who Knows Where...............

Martin Carthy
The Deserter   Sir Patrick Spens   Georgie (Geordie)   Seven Yellow Gypsies  ??????????

Vikki Clayton
Solo   Old Fashioned Waltz   John the Gun

Lisa Knapp
Blackwaterside   Quiet Joys...........

Kamila Thompson
Stranger to Himself   Nothing More..............was that the end ? i had to leave as i could no longer stand up.had a disaster getting there though we got a great spot looking through a sort of giant serving hatch at the back.a bit more air there as well just no seat.a doddle getting home......................

Joe Boyd  Linda Thompson and Karl Dallas came on together and told a few yarns - nothing new.

great night.........thanks to all concerned for providing it.

There was one more song-a group version of "I'm a Dreamer" with Vicky Kamilla and Linde on vocals Lisa on backing vocals and Martin,Kamillas band and Lisa and Linde's accompanists playing.  

I just wanted to say that it was a wonderful evening, and a big thanks to everyone who arranged and helped arrange it, and to all the folks on stage as well. I now know that I have to see Linde, Lisa, and Kami again some time!

And to find us sitting with Joe Boyd on one side of us, Linda Thompson on the other, looking up at Martin Carthy singing like a man possessed is something that normally only happens in dreams.

Thanks.

thanks.i think we made the right move,it was a bit close for comfort down there.i thought Linde was marvellous and it was a bit unfortunate that Karl Dallas spoke after her performance and made  a crack about copying Sandy.

i also think Martin Carthy should have chosen four "proper" Sandy Denny songs  or performed those he did in the way that Sandy did them instead of banging on about obscure folk singers and singing completely different lyrics.

sorry for moaning ! it was a great night - and all for £8. :o

sorry,i mucked that up..............




thanks.i think we made the right move,it was a bit close for comfort down there.i thought Linde was marvellous and it was a bit unfortunate that Karl Dallas spoke after her performance and made  a crack about copying Sandy.

i also think Martin Carthy should have chosen four "proper" Sandy Denny songs  or performed those he did in the way that Sandy did them instead of banging on about obscure folk singers and singing completely different lyrics.

sorry for moaning ! it was a great night - and all for £8. :o

Can't help feeling it's a pity Linda didn't sing...after all, she is singing in public again, isn't she?  Anyway, sorry I missed it.... Grrrrr.

What a very enjoyable evening - well worth the train trip and the hotel overnight.

I thought Martin Carthy (especially The Deserter), Lisa Knapp (especially Quiet Joys) and Kamila Thompson were standouts.

It was BLOOMING hot down there - the missus flaked out for a bit and had to sit down, but encountered Mr. Carthy; I believe they exchanged tips about May Day in Padstow!

I was so knackered after weeks of worry about my Mum that I'm afraid I had one too many large coupes de rouge  :-[  ::), but managed to avoid spilling any down the back of Clinton Heylin's neck. However, some other rioter managed to chuck the contents of their glass over my nice Italian jacket - off to the dry cleaners now, let's hope it's not ruined. One does like to keep in the spirit of the seventies though doesn't one?

Anyway, hope I wasn't too incoherent Philip, and thanks a million to you and Andrew for organising it. Looking forward to seeing Chris Bates' shots.    

Ditto to both Andrew & Philip - a well organised event. I think that hack was from the INdependent, so there might be a review tomorrow.

As above thanks to all for organising. Moving to see such interest 30 years on.

High points were Linde and Lisa - both stunning and entirely in keeping with the mood and the reason for being there. Shame Lisa only did 2 songs.

Martin Carthy came across like some vengeful Folk-Nazi banging on about the 'proper' versions of the trad songs Sandy sung. Doing Seven Yellow Gypsies was just odd and I was considering reaching for the ipod to hear Nic doing it properly

Kami & band were OK.


Overall a fantastic night and well worth the money :) Thanks again

Review of the gig in today's Independent. Four stars!
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/sandy-denny-tribute-the-troubadour-london-813252.html

Whilst I can accept Mr Carthy may be a folk reactionary I feel the, even possibly humourous, use of the word Nazi inappropriate in almost every sense.

Sorry but thats the way it is.

David W

Agree with David W.  Too strong and for me bordering on a personal insult.  

is it OK to say that in my humble opinion Martin Carthy took a diabolical liberty ?

Absolutely - I must admit to wondering why he was there when I heard about it. I have never really been aware of him having any particular link with Sandy other than via Swarb.

David W

Carthy must have been on form, alternately described as stunning, reactionary and diabolical and superb, good to know folk music is still controversial or at least Martin Carthy is.

Seems like Carthy was the only near contemporary performing at the event and as a pivotal member of the folk scene then and now an appropriate addition.

So without the invective what did he do to offend on the night?

Failed to sing Sandy songs in her style, it seems.

It is really rather pathetic, because he was definitely on Carthy-esque form!

if Carthy had spent a bit less time tuning his guitar and banging on about unknown Irish singers we could have heard a couple more songs from the girls................

You don’t tell someone of Martin’s stature what to sing. I approached his agent, who reported back that Martin was keen to be part of this event; he doesn’t do Sandy’s own songs, the gent explained, but he’d like to perform several of the trad numbers in their common repertoire. I admit Martin’s versions are some way from hers – quite a long way in the case of ‘Seven Yellow Gypsies’/’Gypsy Davy’ – but still pretty darn interesting. In fact, on the night, quite unexpectedly – and no one has mentioned this – he accompanied Kamila Thompson in a beautiful version of ‘Stranger To Himself’, for which he came up with an artful new guitar part in the afternoon rehearsal. I take my hat off to him.

Yes, her contemporaries were talking rather than performing – Joe Boyd, Linda Thompson, Karl Dallas. We’d hoped up to the last that Linda would sing. That was the reason for climaxing on ‘I’m A Dreamer’, the Sandy song that Linda used to do. But I believe she found it too emotional and so couldn’t take the stage. Also, the anniversary happened to fall in high season for touring – FC, Swarb, John Renbourn, Dave Cousins, Robert Plant (in your dreams!) and other patriarchs were all tied up. One consequence is that we gave more prominence to young artists, like the excellent Lisa Knapp – who are the future, after all.

I don’t regret how it turned out.  

Philip

Sandy came from the folk tradition, she definitely stepped outside of it after leaving Fairport but it seems appropriate to acknowledge her roots and I can't think of anyone better than Martin Carthy to do that.

Martin Carthy must have an affection for Sandy's body of work in order to appear at the event, he does not seem to be a person who would appear for the cash and he does not need the exposure so it can only be admiration that compelled him to perform. He also has not in any way in his work been an advocate for not moving the folk tradition forward so he cannot have been offended by the liberties Sandy took with folk song, at the end of the day though who knows he may have changed his mind since being involved with the Imagined Village project.

Where the other performers recreating Sandy's songs or interpreting them?

it was a great evening.thanks to you and the others for providing it.just expressing my honest opinion re Martin Carthy.i hardly know anything about the bloke.what i have heard doesn't grab me.first time i heard his name was on the liner notes of Bob Dylan's Freewheelin' album.i bought a couple of his CDS but his voice does my head in..........

all the ladies were great,perhaps Vikki Clayton a bit less so.i thought Linde was wonderful both in her choice of songs and what she said.

Fair enough, you're right - too strong a word.

I just felt his attitude was wrong, condescending almost.

I was there to think about & celebrate Sandy not to hear him holding forth on the 'proper' versions of songs she should have sung.

 

Yes Philip I agree that was certainly an unexpected treat for me as well. Can I just add my thanks to yourself and all
involved in organising a wonderful evening and thanks for that early warning on here I was so pleased to to be in time
to get a ticket

Bryan

review from the independent here
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/sandy-denny-tribute-the-troubadour-london-813252.html

A good night and nice to chat to a couple of the TAW-ers in attendence (edthefolkie and Chris).
For what it's worth I thought Martin Carthy provided the highpoint of the evening. As well as her obvious (and well-represented) talents as a songwriter, Sandy was one of the finest traditional singers of all. Part of the deal is re-interpretation surely.  If Matin Carthy copied her arrangements of Sir Patrick Spens or Gypsey Davey or The Deserter then he'd be selling himself and the audience short. For me, as good as some of the other singers were, it was the real potential of traditional song that we were witness to while Martin was up there and therefore a more than suitable addition to the bill. The only real lowpoint for me was Linda not appearing for I'm A Dreamer. Completely understandable given the emotions involved but I always thought she sung the hell out of that song and it would have been wonderful to see but...oh well :'(

I'm with The Jolly Hangman on this -- and think Martin Carthy's contributions were indeed the high point of the evening, for all the same reasons. Also, the great man just stood in the audience before and after his performances, listening to the other artists, rather than walking out or gabbing. Very touching.

I'm with several others about Martin. He did HIS take on the songs - as he always does - and that's one of the things that have put him in the preeminent position in our music he holds today. I know that sounds pompous, but it's true. The man is an absolute diamond. He also never does the superstar bit and always listens to other people. Considering he's only one Pegg Number from Bob Dylan, that is remarkable. Rant over!

I only have four regrets about the evening:

a) Norma, Mike, Eliza and particularly Lal weren't there too

b) I shook hands with Martin and said how good he was about 6 times (according to my wife),  :-[

c) I forgot Lisa Knapp's name while talking to her - multiple  :-[ :-[ :-[

d) The red wine stains won't come out of my jacket. Oh well, I can always do a Les Patterson impersonation...  

I like Martin Carthy and personally thought he was excellent-However his contribution was out of touch with the rest of the evening and also not representative of what I feel was Sandy's biggest strengths-the ability to present traditional and modern folk music in a more widely accessible way.I know that he put off the people I came with because whilst they are extremely fond of Sandy's music they are sceptical of the wider "finger in ear" folk music that Martin exhibited on the night. That said the rest of the evening was amazing (and accessible) and could only have been made better if Linda had sung.

Two very brief video clips of Linde Nijland's set on tribute night have turned up on YouTube:

Rising For The Moon
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4EQ7rd-PiC4

WKWTTG (unplugged)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BXeC-DvSbn0

Some pics from Vikki Clayton's accompanist:
http://www.btinternet.com/~unclechristo/phot.html