 |
 |
 |
|
Men of the Deeps |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
||
|
|
This Entry: Date: 2003-12-18 Time: 00:32 Comments: 0 Return To: Recent Entries | |||
|
|
|
||
| ||||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Elsewhere:
Archive: • Aug 2008 (2) • Jul 2008 (2) • Jun 2008 (4) • Apr 2008 (2) • Mar 2008 (2) • Feb 2008 (2) • Jan 2008 (4) • Dec 2007 (2) • Nov 2007 (4) • Oct 2007 (1) • Sep 2007 (6) • Aug 2007 (4) • Jul 2007 (3) • Jun 2007 (2) • May 2007 (2) • Apr 2007 (4) • Mar 2007 (2) • Feb 2007 (4) • Jan 2007 (4) • Dec 2006 (4) • Nov 2006 (24) • Oct 2006 (3) • Sep 2006 (1) • Aug 2006 (2) • Jul 2006 (3) • Jun 2006 (6) • May 2006 (5) • Apr 2006 (5) • Mar 2006 (1) • Feb 2006 (8) • Jan 2006 (11) • Dec 2005 (8) • Nov 2005 (12) • Oct 2005 (10) • Sep 2005 (18) • Aug 2005 (8) • Jul 2005 (10) • Jun 2005 (14) • May 2005 (8) • Apr 2005 (10) • Mar 2005 (14) • Feb 2005 (12) • Jan 2005 (12) • Dec 2004 (9) • Nov 2004 (18) • Oct 2004 (13) • Sep 2004 (12) • Aug 2004 (16) • Jul 2004 (6) • Jun 2004 (10) • May 2004 (8) • Apr 2004 (8) • Mar 2004 (27) • Feb 2004 (19) • Jan 2004 (8) • Dec 2003 (10) • Nov 2003 (18) Random Entry Others: • Jen • Keltie • On LiveJournal |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
Men of the DeepsThis inaugurates a new blog category: Letters! This is going to be a place where I store selected correspondence with other people/organizations. This could be personal, commercial or political correspondence, as I see fit.This letter arose from listening to an interview on Sounds Like Canada about the Men of the Deeps coal miners choir from Cape Breton and the new NFB (National Film Board) documentary about them. It’s funny how one doesn’t automatically associate coal miners’ music in Britain with the experience of Canadian miners… Anyway, it was cool to find out about this group.
Men of the Deeps Music
This also resulted in an email to the CBC people about a followup they could do:210 Neville St. Dominion, NS B1G 1P8 Greetings Men! I’m a great fan of folk music, and have enjoyed two recordings based on Kay Sutcliffe’s Coal Not Dole (set to a different tune), one by Coope, Boyes and Simpson from the UK. The other is “No more fish, no fishermen” about the collapse of the Eastern Canadian fishery by Shelley Posen of Ottawa (recorded by his group Finest Kind, and also on his new solo CD). When I heard your recording of Cole Not Dole on CBC radio this morning I did a double take, the words were so familiar and it took a moment to realize that I was hearing Sutcliffe’s original tune… Anyway, I was delighted, and I’d like to order a copy of your Coal Fire in Winter CD. I’ve enclosed $25.00 for the CD and shipping. Would you be so kind as to send me a copy to the above address? Thanks for the pleasant moment this morning, and best wishes to all of you at Christmas.
Sincerely,
Sounds like Canada Crew: I listened with interest to your “Men of the Deeps” segment this morning. You played the choir’s recording of Kay Sutcliffe’s “Coal Not Dole”, and I thought you might like to know of another Canadian connection to that song; a connection that crosses the Atlantic and back again. There is an excellent recording by the UK singers “Coope, Boyes and Simpson” (on their album “Funny old world” NMCD3) which makes a medley of Sutcliffe’s poem with another, and is sung to the Victorian Christmas tune “See Amid The Winter Snow”. In 1996 Shelley Posen (of Ottawa’s acclaimed “Finest Kind” folk trio) penned new words to the tune, calling the new song “No more fish, no fishermen”. In his words, the song was written about the calamitous demise of the 500-year-old Newfoundland cod fishery in the 1990s; years later its dire message can apply to most fisheries in the world. Basing his poem on Sutcliffe’s as interpreted by Coope, Boyes and Simpson, Posen’s version packs the same punch as the original poem. Sadly, these two songs are just as relevant here in Canada today as Sutcliffe’s original was in Britain. I think Posen’s version is worth playing, particularly with its Christmas tune. He recorded it with Finest Kind in 1999 (on “Heart’s Delight” FAM03) as well as on his new solo recording (“The Old Songs’ Home” WDM01). I urge you to check it out.
Regards,
LINKS:
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
| ||||
|
|
|
||
|
Add your comment... |
|
||
|
|
|
||
