Monthly Archives: February 2011

Annie Dearman and Steve Harrison, Artists at Frittenden, Kerry Fletcher, Rosie Davis, Sessions and concerts, Singers, Stepdancers and stepdancing

Frittenden 2011 – an Old Fashioned Night Out

Frittenden Old-Fashioned Night Out

26th–27th March 2011

Tunes and songs from guests at 12 noon at the Bell & Jorrocks 26th March•  Afternoon workshops at the Memorial Hall on stepdancing and old-fashioned dancing led by Kerry Fletcher and Rosie Davis (learn the Veleta, the Palais Glide and the St Bernard’s Waltz) • An atmospheric and old-fashioned social evening at the Memorial Hall including songs, games, music and old-fashioned dancing to the music of the Gun & Spitroast traditional music class, friends and guest artists (tickets will be available from the village shop) • The end of the month free B&J session on the Sunday evening with special guests Peta Webb and Ken Hall • Invited weekend performers include Will Duke, Andy Turner, Annie Dearman and Steve Harrison, and Peter Collins.

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Download a poster for this event

Peta Webb and Ken Hall, Traditional and old fashioned songs, dances and tunes in mid-Kent

Peta Webb and Ken Hall (Sunday evening, 27 March)

Peta Webb is a Londoner with an Irish background, formed her highly-acclaimed individual vocal style through the influence of Irish traditional singers especially Margaret Barry, Sarah Makem and Sarah and Rita Keane. Peta believes firmly in the importance of learning directly from traditional singers wherever possible and has taken part in many collecting trips. With Ken Hall she now runs the successful Musical Traditions Club in London, which has a policy of presenting traditional singers.

Ken Hall, originally from Liverpool, started singing at the Islington Folk Club in London and was much influenced by Bob Davenport, Reg Hall and the traditional singers he heard there. He later developed an interest in the Northern Irish singing style of Joe Holmes and Len Graham , Kevin Mitchell and Roisin White. Ken has a fine voice and has a reputation for introducing in England the satirical and humorous songs of Sean Mone and others in the ongoing Irish songwriting tradition.

Annie Dearman and Steve Harrison, Artists at Frittenden

Annie Dearman and Steve Harrison sing and play at the Frittenden Festival

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Annie Dearman and Steve Harrison

We’re delighted to be able to present Annie Dearman and Steve Harrison at this year’s Frittenden Old Fashioned Night Out. We don’t see them very often in this corner of the country, but they’re a high class act, and Annie’s terrific voice and considered way of working with a song are sure to impress anyone who sees them perform.

Singer Annie and Steve (melodeon, mouthorgan, anglo-concertina) perform traditional songs in a robust and firmly-rooted English style. They take their songs from traditional singers, the folk song collectors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, manuscript books of past performers of traditional music, printed ballad sheets, and songs and tunes they happen to hear and like.

Annie is our Essex representative. She sang with several Essex-based a cappella groups in the 1970s and 1980s, and after moving to Yorkshire in 1990 she was a founder member of the voice workshop Making Waves, before teaming up in a duo with Vic Gammon in 1993. She wrote, directed and sang in the show The Weavers’ March (starring Pete Coe, Chris Coe and Vic), which was commissioned by the 1998 Ilkley Literature Festival.

Away from music, she is a freelance designer and maker of theatre costumes, backdrops and banners, and has recently completed several seasons’ work for the well known Mikron Theatre Company. Annie also designed and made the costumes for the Long Company mummers, who appear on the cover of Pete’s CD also titled Long Company.

Steve has lived in Yorkshire all his life. He played mouth organ, pipe and tabor, bagpipes, whistle and saxophone for the ceilidh bands Official Brawl and The Herb Boys, and has been musician for several morris and sword dance teams. He is a member of the Long Company mummers and currently leads the traditional English dance band The Black Box Band with Chris Coe, Alice Jones and Sue Coe. Away from music, he is a social scientist at the University of Manchester.

Annie & Steve are residents at the Ryburn 3-Step Folk Club in Ripponden, and with Vic, are Dearman, Gammon & Harrison, whose highly recommended CD Black Crow/White Crow was released not to long ago by the English Folk Dance & Song Society (EFDSS CD11).