ENGLISH FIDDLER
Swarb, as he is popularly known, is the figurehead of
England’s folk violinists. His clearly recognisable playing style, with its
exceptional command of varied bowing, and his singular, impish character have
allowed him to retain his place as the leading player over four decades despite
his many musical and geographical excursions. Even when illness intervened in
an otherwise continually busy playing career, his broad fan base remained
unswerving in its enthusiasm, ensuring full houses on the diminished number of
appearances. He is always assured of tumultuous applause as he comes on stage,
to contrast with a rapt silence as he picks up his violin.
Swarb emerged from a pool of growingly accomplished folk
musicians in the late 1960s, initially appearing on the leading English folk
label Topic. The stepping stones were skiffle bands, the mighty figure of
singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl, the Ian Campbell Folk Group, and a friendship
with the guitarist Martin Carthy. The late 1960s saw three joint albums with
Martin Carthy which created a new genre and helped lead the way to the
folk-rock fusion epitomised by Fairport Convention. In came the world of the
electric violin, and it was characteristic of Swarb that he embraced the
experiment - despite the harshness of the early sound. The album Liege and Lief
(1969) and the subsequent years of enthusiastic touring established the
Fairport language, and the image was enshrined of Swarb dominating his spot on
the stage, with his fiddle and a fag hanging from his mouth in equal
prominence.
Deceptively casual despite the pyrotechnics, Swarb charmed
and wowed his way through the decades. He regularly appeared playing the
mandolin, an instrument he has always loved; and Swarb the singer won growing
admiration, all his charisma, rich musicality and deft persuasiveness
outshining any vocal deficiencies. In turn and intermingled were Fairport
Convention; duo tours with Martin Carthy, Simon Nichol and others; a new group,
Whippersnapper; a period in Australia; riotous living; a cameo appearance as
the violinist in the film Far from the Madding Crowd; a car crash; solo albums
with Transatlantic; and periods of hand-to-mouth existence. His Australian period
was underlined by an important duo relationship with Alistair Hulett, and on
his return to the UK he formed another duo with Kevin Dempsey.
As a player he has always demonstrated a richly musical
character, though one that slips with a smile past easy categorisation. He is a
folk violinist, sure, but one unique in sound and colour, influencing
generations of amateur and professional players and folk fans. For many, Swarb
is what a folk violin should sound like. It is this ability to nail his roots
to the mast while being able to rock with the best that makes Dave Swarbrick
“Swarb.”
He has emerged from his lively catalogue of life with yet
another existence. Struck down by serious illness, he so nearly died in
hospital in Coventry, where he frequently played, that the UK’s establishment
newspaper The Daily Telegraph printed, prematurely, a glowing half-page
obituary. It confirmed his achievements, if somewhat bizarrely, and drew from
Swarb the characteristic comment, ‘It wasn’t the first time I have died in
Coventry.’ Equally characteristically, he sold framed reprints of the obituary
at all subsequent gigs. They are now treasured items.
It was during the early Fairport time that Swarb showed
himself to be an individual and original songwriter. From his youthful
imagination came ‘Crazy Man Michael,’ one of the most perfect of the Fairport
songs. He wrote it with guitar virtuoso Richard Thompson and it is one of the
highlights of the Liege and Lief album. Other songs punctuated his career and
his life, such as ‘Rosie,’ and many of these, for the first time, are gathered
together on this album devoted exclusively to his work as composer-performer.
His songs are individual to him: not quite folk, not quite rock, not quite
ballad, but all of them with sumptuous, persuasive melodies, like that of ‘My
Heart’s in New South Wales.’
There is even a new song on the album, written for the
pianist Beryl Marriott, who, when Swarb was just 16, invited him to join her
ceilidh band and has been a key figure in the background ever since. It is
symptomatic of Swarb’s personality that many of the players who have featured
in his active performance life have visited his home studio in Coventry to
participate in this Naxos World recording; and equally symptomatic of his
generosity that he marks this special disc with a newly composed tribute to
Beryl Marriott, who in many ways started him on his road.
Nicolas Soames
1. My Heart’s In New South Wales
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub:
Ryko Music
Fiddle: Dave Swarbrick • Guitar: Kevin Dempsey
I lived in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales for a number
of years. A place of exotic wildlife, full of venomous spiders and snakes,
blue-tongued lizards, wonderful cockatoos, parrots and the like. The Blue
Mountains really do seem to be blue, a beautiful ultramarine that is created by
way of the sunshine refracting through the evaporating resin of the eucalyptus
trees. This was written as my personal “farewell” to all that.
2. The Seven Keys
‘
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub: Ryko Music
Fiddle: Dave Swarbrick • Guitar: Kevin Dempsey
Acoustic Bass
Guitar: Dave Pegg • Button Accordion:
John Kirkpatrick • Percussion: Gerry Conway
I composed this for the acoustic band Whippersnapper I
played with in the 1980s. I wanted to emulate the eastern European melodies
with their wonderful key changes. This is in 7 keys: Em, G, D, Bb, F, C, and A
... hence the title.
3. Boadicea
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub:
Ryko Music
Fiddle: Dave Swarbrick • Piano: Beryl Marriott
Boadicea was my nickname for Sandy Denny ................. I
won’t tell you hers for me! Written In Memorium some 25 years ago now.
4. The Wives / The Battler
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub:
Ryko Music
Fiddle: Dave Swarbrick • Guitar: Kevin Dempsey
Bass Guitar: Maartin Allcock
“The Wives” is dedicated to all wives everywhere.
“The Battler” to all those people who persevere against all
odds.
5. Mrs. Marriott
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub:
Ryko Music
Fiddle: Dave Swarbrick • Piano: Beryl Marriott
For my old pal and mentor Beryl Marriott.
6. March of the Last
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub:
Island Music
Fiddle: Dave Swarbrick • Guitar: Martin Carthy
Written originally for the song ‘Jack O’Rion’ performed with
Fairport Convention on the album Tippler’s Tales. Here, ‘March of the Last,’ as
with ‘Miss Stevenson’ and ‘Turnabout’ are separate and appear as tunes in their
own right.
7. The Pepperpot / Banksie
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub:
Ryko Music
Fiddle: Dave Swarbrick • Guitar: Kevin Dempsey
‘The Pepperpot’ I wrote for myself just because it’s fun to
play! Named after a West-Indian dish.
‘Banksie’ is for my better half and named after an English dish!
8. Carthy’s March / The Lemon Tree
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub:
Carthy’s March: Island Music / The Lemon Tree: Ryko Music
Fiddle: Dave Swarbrick • Guitar: Martin Carthy Acoustic Bass: Dave Pegg
I wrote ‘Carthy’s March’ many years ago as I slept. I dreamt
I saw Martin playing it. I woke up, hastily searched for some manuscript paper,
wrote it down and tried to play it ..... I couldn’t play it. It was too
difficult. I had to go back to sleep for three days to practise it! ‘The Lemon Tree’ is another In Memorium
for my dear pal Trevor Lucas who died many moons ago. Trevor was very insistent
on buying a house in Sydney that had a lemon tree growing in the garden ... he
was a keen gin and tonic drinker. Eventually to his great joy he found one. At
his funeral, I had the brainwave of smuggling a couple of lemons back to
England, it’s illegal to bring fruit back to Britain in case it contains some
dreadful bug or whatever ... but! If you don’t mind a little discomfort ... and
grow a
couple lemon trees in my greenhouse in memory of Trevor. After a 24 hour
flight, I arrived hot and sweaty back at home in the UK. I rushed to the kitchen
and sliced open the two lemons ... which were so hot I was afraid they’d
germinate right there and then! ... They were seedless.
9. Medley (Crazy Man Michael / To Althea From Prison / White
Dress / Rosie)
Comp: Crazy Man Michael - Swarbrick/Thompson, Pub: Warlock
Music/Embassy Music Corporation • To Althea From Prison - Swarbrick, Pub: Warlock Music • White Dress - Swarbrick, Pub: Island Music • Rosie - Swarbrick,
Pub: Warlock Music
Fiddles: Dave Swarbrick, Chris Leslie, Ric Sanders Guitar & Bass Guitar: Maartin Allcock
There are clubs
for many things. For instance, for people who have climbed Mount
Everest, or for people who have become passionate when a mile high, and there
are clubs for people with tracheostomies. I hold two membership cards for the
latter which has left me without a singing voice. Hence this musical medley of
four favourites wonderfully arranged by Maartin Allcock.
10. Miss Stevenson / Turnabout
Comp: Swarbrick • Pub:
Warlock Music
Electric Violin: Dave Swarbrick • Fiddles: Dave Swarbrick,
Chris Leslie, Ric Sanders • Guitar: Simon Nicol
Bass Guitar: Maartin Allcock • Piano: Beryl Marriott
Button Accordion: John Kirkpatrick
Percussion: Gerry Conway
See notes from track 6 ‘March of the Last’.
