Pete Cooper and Richard Bolton
are proud to announce the release of their
third album of English Roots Fiddle and Cello music -
dance tunes, original pieces and songs
(Big Chain BC104) 'Two superbly innovative musicians at the height of their craft; communicating their love of the material they choose to play, while continuing to explore and develop their repertoire and range. Straightforward traditional English, classical, jazz, blues, world roots: all these performing styles are skilfully utilised, but not at the expense of communicating and sharing the intrinsic qualities of each piece.…Do not miss this superb album.'
- Jenny Coxon, English Dance & Song magazinewww.efdss.org
'Pete and Richard's third eclectic, vigorously executed collection, delivering mainly tunes from old fiddlers' manuscripts, spiced with several originals, along with three contrasted songs.'
- fRoots magazine, 376
Jigs, reels and triple hornpipes from 18th and 19th century fiddlers, 'Jamaica' from Playford (1670), a brace of triple hornpipes ('John of the Green' and 'The Presbyterian Hornpipe'), a tune from Cahusac's 'Country Dances for the Year 1800' and 'Lemmy Brazil's', a tap dance from the Forest of Dean - all are played (mostly on fiddle and cello) in fresh and striking arrangements, with some nifty guitar from Richard. Pete and Richard also play a poignant Hungarian funeral tune collected by Béla Bartók.
Pete sings a setting of John Clare's 'A Gipsy's Life', a murder tale from Missouri, 'Duncan and Brady', and 'That Lucky Old Sun'. Richard contributes new pieces 'Djarabesque' and 'Hacksaw', from a work-in-progress suite based on various African musics, as well as 'Dufton Pike', a reel he wrote in the Lake District. Pete offers a pair of jigs, 'Rilloby Rill' and 'Maisy' and the title track, 'Angel's Waltz'.
'This versatile duo traverse Africa on the way to Missouri, back to Hungary, a dash to Jamaica and home to England in time for tea, before finishing with a Ray Charles hit "That Lucky Old Sun". Lots of great tunes, all in stylish and effective arrangements with complete seamlessness between cello and fiddle.'
- Tom Bell-Richards, FiddleOn magazine
