Hadleigh French Weekend

[hais1273]

Here are the final details of the Hadleigh ( Suffolk) French/Breton Folk music and dance weekend.

https://www.hadleighfolk.org.uk/?page_id=831

With the usual suspects BOF, Dave Shepard and Anne Pack, plus La Mere Folle. Last Year Duo Synkro ( 1/2 of La Mere Folle it seems) played a couple of excellent sets on for the Saturday Bal. Even if you arent particularly dance orientated its worth going to the concert on Friday to hear some very fine traditional music.

 

[maugein96]

Hi hais,

Seems the words "French" and "Folk" are almost guaranteed you get no response on here.

Great that somebody takes the trouble to arrange such venues here in the UK, and if I was in the area I'd certainly take a look.

When I first came onto the forum it seemed that there was an eclectic mix of people with many different interests, but of late that definitely does not seem to be the case.

I suppose that's just the way things are with the accordion these days, and we should be grateful that we at least have a forum where we can all hate each other amicably!

Folk music of any country often makes for fascinating study, and I have recently been listening to a lot of Italian music from the area of Emilia Romagna, especially the mountain areas around Bologna. There is little doubt that to appreciate it fully you have to "live" with it, and be physically present when the artistes perform. I'd love to visit that area to listen to the local village bands, which I hope to do some day.

I have only been to Brittany once, and unfortunately never heard much music there at all. The only accordionist I've ever listened to from Brittany was Andre Blot, and he was essentially a mainstream French musette player. I do believe he did record several Breton folk tunes, but I've never heard them.

Hope all goes well at Hadleigh, and I'm sure it will be a success.

 

[losthobos]

Lucky me is only half an hour away....and I know better than to dis a scene till i've been
Thanks for notifying us...missed last year as spaced the date...

 

[hais1273]

Well, if the info is out there then people can make there own mind up. I'm aware "folk" can be an aquired taste. French and Breton dance is an eccentric minority activity at best and at worst has been descibded as pointless and wierd! I feel much the same way about most jazz. IMHO taste is what makes music and musicians interesting, one of our hard core folky musician chums who seems to be able to play any instrument presented to him, recently had to play a piece by Paul Hindemith for a clarinette exam. I had a listen on YT and found it as exciting as slowly drying paint. He loves it, I remain indifferent!

In a simialar vein we went up to the Les Panards dance club near Leeds in October. (Jeez-a lou it was cold) They had a simialar event with Phillipe Plard ( Diatonic box) and Mark Gulston fiddle as the main turn. I did a very helpful PA workshop with Sian Phillips ( Not the actress!) Helen took an enjoyable bourree workshop with Phillipe Plard and we went to 3 excelent bals. The event was very well attended. On saturday evening the main room in Todmorden town hall was full.

Now I know it's a good event I'll post the info as and when it becomes availble and then people can make there own minds up.

Hope you can make it Loshobos.

 

[maugein96]

I think a lot of the "correct brigade" tend to look down their noses at folk type music, and I suppose at one time in my life I was as bad as anyone.

It's when you actually try to play "easy" folk music that you discover that it often has techniques that even experienced pro players cannot quite manage. The bourree is a perfect example. I can get to grips with most of the older French musette tunes, but couldn't play a bourree if my life depended on it. Java is also quite tricky and often ends up as just a waltz with pauses when some try it.

The only dancing I've ever done was on a parade square when I got out of step, and to this day cannot get into dancing at all. Shame that as most of the popular accordion repertoire was composed for that very purpose.

I'm not very knowledgeable about accordion venues, but in my experience folk music is as much a social event with bands playing tunes they know their audience will appreciate, compared to events where people pay a lot of money to watch the professional "posers", who often just play what they think we should hear.

I share your views on the more formal music styles, and jazz is something I can live with (for maybe 5 minutes at a time). All that theory behind something which is best played by people with a great musical ear worries me.

 

[Glenn]

It's a bit unfair to say french and folk put off our forum members. You have to consider the number of active members and their geographical location to realise that an event in Hadleigh isn't in many people's striking distance. Certainly not mine although I'd love to tag along and see what's going on. Best I can hope for are a few youtube vids and a report on this very forum.

 

[Anyanka]

I for one am very very happy to hear about French dance events, as you know (off to the Eurobash in Kent this weekend myself), so keep it coming!

 

[maugein96]

Sorry Glenn,

It seems Hadleigh is a very long way for most of us, but that's not what I was getting at. The active forum members are widely spread geographically, as you have pointed out, and we all have different tastes in music.

I saw the word "French" in the thread title, and when the OP hadn't received any replies by the end of the day it was posted I attempted to console him with my version of humour, which I think I'm finally beginning to appreciate is not shared by many other forum members. I was implying that we were two of a kind in that we had put on posts which nobody appeared to have much interest in, due to the title header. Unfortunately I also capitalised on the word "folk" which I shouldn't have.

I know that the forum caters for loads of different styles and some of us form distinct minorities. I nearly said "minority groups", but in my case I don't think there are enough to form a group! I sometimes tend to forget that the forum is not full of French and Italian musette enthusiasts, then wonder why some of my posts attract hardly any interest. With the encouragement of other members, I have learned to live with that. I now simply put on the posts in the off chance they may be of interest to somebody, and if they aren't, too bad.

My dour Lanarkshire humour has often got me into trouble in the past. We are negative about everything, but try and make light of it. That's all I was attempting to do here, and if I have upset the applecart (again) I am sorry. I promise to put all the apples back into the cart, just as long as I don't have to travel all the way to Hadleigh to do it!