Swan-Upmanship

Swan-Upmanship is an album by the Old Swan Band.

Swan-Upmanship
Although these (mostly) obscure tunes come from England, Studio album by Old Swan Band
Ireland, Scotland, France and Sweden, the band puts a Released 2004
distinctively English stamp on all of them. Firstly they are taken at
a steady, unhurried pace. This is a dance, not a race. Secondly, the Genre English folk
style of the decoration is unfussy. Celtic bands often insert a Old Swan Band chronology
"triplet" when there is a slight gap in the melody, creating a kind of
Still Swan- Swan For
"fill". English traditional country dance bands tend to leave the gap
Swanning... Upmanship
The
there. This gives the tunes an "open" confident feel to them.
After All (2004) Money

Instead, the most frequent decoration these tunes are given is

These (2011)
something that only fiddles can do - they do a "swoop" into the
opening note of the melody. Finally there is the percussion. Celtic Years

bands tend to have a bodhran, a snare drum (particularly Scottish (1995)

bands) or else there is no percussion. Here Martin Brinsford uses a
huge variety of blocks, tambourines and shakers to give a certain swing to the quartet of fiddles. Sometimes
there is a cheeky little syncopation. Irish music also uses syncopation, but only in short doses. Running time
59 minutes 56 seconds. Released 2004.

Track listing
1. "The Green-Clad Hills/ Jimmy Garson's March" (Trad/ Trad)

A tune collected in Orkney by Peter Kennedy, and one from England

2. "Jack Robinson/ William Irwin's No 3/ The Tipputs" (Trad/ Trad/ Paul and Jane Burgess)

The second tune is from the 1840s or 50s

3. "Steamboat Hornpipe/ Gloucester Hornpipe" (Trad/ Trad)

The "Gloucester Hornpipe" is a different tune from the one the band recorded in 1981

4. (General Ward - false start)

5. "General Ward/ The Day Room" (Paul Burgess/ Paul Burgess)

Written by Paul as he lay on a hospital bed

6. "Winster Gallop/ Four-Hand Reel/ Dark Girl Dressed in Blue" (Trad/ Trad/ Trad)

The first is a morris dance tune, the second has 5 beats within a four-bar phrase,
and the third was recorded by Stanley Holloway in 1959

7. "Church Street/ Redwing/ St Mary's" (Trad/ Kerry Mills/ Trad)

"Redwing" is frequently credited as "Trad" but was written in 1907.

 8. "Flowers of Edinburgh/ Soldier's Joy/ Morpeth Rant" (Trad/ Trad/ Trad)

Three widely popular tunes. Two of them from the 18th century.

9. "Wenlock Edge/ Summer's Waltz" (Trad/ Ale Möller)

10. "Flowers of Edinburgh" (Longborough Morris Dancers version) (Trad)
11. "Schottis Fran Havero/ Another Fine Mess" (Trad (Swedish)/ Trad)
12. "George Green's College Hornpipe" (Trad)

A different tune from the standard "College Hornpipe"

13. "Basquet of Oysters/ Sally Sloane's" (Trad/ Trad)

The first title is based on a Basque tune, the second is from about 1840

14. "Freedom of Ireland/ Kitchen Girl" (Trad/ Trad)

The first tune comes from Leo Rowsome

15. "Beatrice Hill's Three-Hand Reel" (Trad)

From Gloucestershire

16. "Ger The Rigger/ Mickey Chewing Bubble Gum" (Trad/ Terry 'Cuz' Teahan)

Personnel
John Adams (trombone, fiddle)
Martin Brinsford (percussion, mouth organ)
Paul Burgess (fiddle)
Fi Fraser (fiddle)
Jo Freya (tenor saxophone, whistle)
Neil Gledhill (bass saxophone)
Flos Headford (fiddle)
Heather Horsley (keyboard)

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