Transatlantique

Transatlantique is a banjo tune written by Tarrant Bailey Junior on the 12th August 1958. He dedicated it to the American Banjo Fraternity. They are still going and have a website here – https://banjofraternity.org I was helped in the making of this video by Charlie the cat!

Abide With Me

Arranged by SE Turner, this was a celebrated version of the hymn tune in banjo circles prior to World War Two. This performance is by no means perfect, but I thought it was good enough to share and an interesting example of a tremolo technique that is very rarely heard …

Hold the Line plus anti-fascist chants at the Bookmarks Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration

My performance of Pete Seeger’s Hold the Line at the Fiftieth Anniversary celebration for Bookmarks held on 18 February 2023 in London. Bookmarks is a radical bookshop located in the heart of Bloomsbury in London’s West End. On the platform are Roger Huddle (co founder of Rock Against Racism) Judy …

COP26: What’s This?

November 2021 saw the global climate talks known as COP26 held in Glasgow.

The COP26 Coalition organised decentralised mass mobilisations across the world, bringing together movements to build power for system change – from indigenous struggles to trade unions, from racial justice groups to youth strikers.

This is my contribution. he words are by Steve “Protest Family” White and I set them to a tune of my own devising. It was great to go some collaborative songwriting like that, and great to have such a great songwriter as Steve on tap to call on!

I was also pleased with the edit in the “It’s a Wonderful World” introduction.

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Then as part of the day of action I was privileged to perform the song in Barkers Pool Sheffield…

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COP26, what’s this?
COP26, what’s it gonna fix?
COP26, just more politics
And we’re running out of time.

This flooding is brought to you by Microsoft
This wildfire by Sainsbury’s and our friends at Sky
This drought by Unilever and some others we forgot
We’re saving the planet
One multinational at a time

Your speech is sponsored by “blah, blah, blah”
Your blind eye by corporate environmental crime
It’s greenwash, we know what you are
You’re not saving the planet
And were running out of time

You’ve got the tarmac, but we’ve got the glue
You’re stuck on the motorway, and we’re stuck on it too
You can stick your air source heat pump scheme,
‘Cos that just will not do
You’ve got the tarmac,
but we make the glue!

Palestine

My banjo arrangment of the song Palestine by Jim Page. Find out more about Jim here – www.jimpage.net I’ll tell you a story, make it clear as I can About the far away troubles in the holy land Pictures of the children etched in your mind Layin’ down their bodies …

They’re Beginning to Notice Me!

They’re Beginning to Notice Me is a Music Hall song written by Murray and Leigh in 1899 and sung by George “Prime Minister of Mirth” Robey.The banjo part is from the song as it appered in Sheards 7th Banjo Album which you can download here: http://www.classic-banjo.com/files/JOURNALS_AND_ALBUMS/Sheards_Banjo_Annual_No_07.pdf I think it’s interesting …