The songwriter and singer Elizabeth Cotton. “Freight Train”

Fond teenage memories of coffee-bars, this and virtuoso whistling too!

Original film footage of The Vipers? Here. Sorry, but there’s no sound to this one. You’ll have to locate your own soundtrack: try this clip or this one. What you’re watching is eight minutes or so of primetime skiffle, from late 1956 or early 1957: three guitarists, an acoustic bass and a half-hidden percussionist singing their hearts out to a basement of London hipsters.

If there’s a similarity between this and the Humphrey Lyttleton clip from 1950, that’s because both represented a grassroots approach to music making at the dawn of British pop culture. Skiffle was nothing less than American folk-blues transmuted through the nervous systems of British teenagers, and explored further the rich seam of American roots music already opened up by the trad jazz revivalists.

Skiffle was kickstarted by Lonnie Donegan’s cover of Rock Island Line – a huge hit in early 1956: an imaginative reworking of the Leadbelly tune that, with its accelerating tempo, had all the excitement of early rock’n'roll. Coming out of the pub and coffee bars including the Gyre and Gimble and the Nucleus, groups such as Russell Quaye’s City Ramblers and the Vipers turned a hit record into a movement.

It’s the Vipers who are pictured here, with one extra guitarist. Maybe it’s a jam session. The location is almost definitely the 2i’s, the famous coffee bar in Old Compton Street, in London’s Soho. It has to be, with the blond-haired interviewer Daniel Farson not having to stray far from his usual haunts. Led by Wally Whyton – yes, the future children’s TV presenter – the Vipers were Donegan’s biggest competitors at the time, scoring two top 10 hits in 1957: Don’t You Rock Me Daddy-O and Cumberland Gap.

The Skifflers were often the younger brothers (and, occasionally sisters) of the trad jazzers who had packed the 100 Club: Whyton had been a habitue. However they mined a different tradition – folk blues as opposed to hot jazz – and, crucially, placed the guitar at the centre of their sound. String, rather than horn instruments would attract the next generation of young British musicians, and acoustic would soon turn to electric.

The band are giving their all to a rapt audience. The crowd here is a wonderful cross-section of 50s youth: the older sophisticates, the young man with white shirt, unbuttoned collar and loosened tie, the bespectacled, bearded guitarist – the living exemplar of what would soon become the beatnik cliche – and, best of all, the young existentialist woman, with black outfit, a long necklace and a cigarette holder, posing in front of a jazz-patterned curtain.

It’s hot, sweaty, rock’n'roll in all but name. The Vipers’ breakthrough hit, Don’t You Rock Me Daddy-O was not a traditional song but an updating of Sail Away Ladies with new lyrics: “Daddy-O” was a less-than-flattering term for adults, injected into teen slang by its use in the classic film The Blackboard Jungle. Lonnie Donegan wanted to record it but the Vipers beat him to the punch, and the fallout was bitter.

The Vipers didn’t outlast the end of the Skiffle fad. They had a third hit, Streamline Train, and kept on releasing singles until late 1958: their last was a cover of Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues. But they had a enduring influence on British pop: not only did they help to institute the 2is as part of the teen circuit, but they also included – in later incarnations – Tommy Steele and two future Shadows: Bruce Welch and Hank Marvin.

As they realised, the great thing about skiffle was the fact that it was a way of making music that could transcend boundaries, that could include contemporary American pop music as well as traditional folk blues. This met a great deal of opposition at the time, as many jazz clubs loathed rock’n'roll, but it would be unstoppable. For more on this, see another Pathe clip of an impromptu band murdering Rock Around the Clock.

Daniel Farson’s appearance shows how much skiffle was becoming part of the media landscape. The ITV clip is probably from late 1956, after Tommy Steele’s success made the 2i’s famous. Farson was a Soho habitue who wrote a series of excellent memoirs, including Sacred Monsters, Soho in the Fifties and Never a Normal Man – in which he discusses his brief TV celebrity: “I was impersonated by Benny Hill, complete with special wig even though our hairstyles were identical.”…More at Pop at the pictures: The skiffle crazeMore Reading

Many fond teen years listening to Lonnie and the great Nancy Whiskey classic Frieght Train. Real home made music with all the energy of the new contemorary age

• Define Folk Music

www.raremusez.co.uk are delighted to inform you, following talks with Paul Lovelace New York City based independent filmmaker that Martins acoustic music from “Coming Back to Stay” will be part of the soundtrack for the new ‘Lost Footage Films’ movie. We wish them every sucess for the 2012 spring release “Radio Unnameable”

Coming Back To Stay

Radio Unnameable tells the story of the groundbreaking New York City disc jockey Bob Fass and his innovative use of the airwaves to inform, entertain and open dialogue amongst listeners.  His program is entirely free form, there’s no telling what might happen next.  It is a place to hear great music, conversations with artists and activists, miscellanea from the ether, and where the average listener can discuss local and international issues, from problems with landlords in the Bronx to the war in Afghanistan.

Radio Unnameable’s orbit of listeners are active participants and a key component to the program.  They are referred to as the “cabal”, defined as people meeting in secrecy at night in order to plan something subversive.  Fass utilizes this community as an organizing tool, working with listeners to stage protests and events, such as the 1967 “Sweep-In” where listeners gathered to clean up a Lower East Side block during a garbage strike.  He has talked callers down from bad trips and even averted a suicide attempt.  On Radio Unnameable every voice is heard.

From beginning, major cultural figures have dropped by the studio to perform, take calls and engage in the program’s spontaneity.  The list of notables who’ve appeared is astounding: Bob Dylan, Abbie Hoffman, Allen Ginsberg, Joni Mitchell, Yoko Ono, Muddy Waters, amongst many more.  In the film, we will showcase these appearances alongside current sounds that Fass champions.

As a station, WBAI is filled with volatile internal politics.  Fass often finds himself in the middle and as a result has been forced off the air numerous times.  One such incident, in the late 1970s, saw him being carried away in handcuffs.  The station today is flirting with bankruptcy and many staff members are volunteers, including Fass, who’s been unpaid for years.  His timeslot is never safe and support at WBAI is tenuous.

Bob Fass’s goal has always been to create a participatory democracy on air and parallels can be drawn with today’s innovations such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc…  We will exemplify this through interviews, verite scenes, breathtaking nighttime imagery of New York, playful animation and by showcasing Fass’s extensive archive of thousands of reel-to-reel recordings, photographs, film and video.  As radio is an aural medium, we will establish a distinctive style that combines the visual elements with the sounds and voices heard on Radio Unnameable. Sometimes the images will be directly related and other times the connection will be abstract and visceral.  The film’s palette will consist of 8mm and 16mm film, Hi8 video, VHS and HD.

Since it’s conception, there have been no boundaries for Radio Unnameable.  Fass’s unique and influential program has blazed a trail for everything from NPR to Howard Stern.  Our film is not only about Bob Fass and his remarkable journey, but also changing landscape on the FM dial and the necessity for free expression on the airwaves.

Link to Video. mp4

You can also watch it on Youtube HERE

Martin Jenkins

“1946-2011 Musician”

Thanks to all who made it happen. September 2011

Condolences Here

This gem of a song is from Martin Jenkins. He is playing all the intruments on this original composition. From the 1994 album “Nov Jhivot” which is Bulglish (a language which Mart outvented) for “New Life”. Many wonderful tunes therein. Video by Coopz.

Well, if you are travelin ‘ in the north country fair, Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline, Remember me to one who lives there. She once was a true love of mine.Well, if you go when the snowflakes hurricane, When the streams freeze and summer ends, Please see whether she’s wearing a coat so warm, To keep her from the howlin ‘ winds. Please see for me if her hair hangs long, If it rolls and flows all down her breast. Please see for me if her hair hangs long, That’s the way That I remember her best. I’m a-wonderin ‘ if she recalls me in any way. Many times I have regularly prayed In the darkness of my night, In the brightness of my day. So if you are travelin ‘ in the north country fair, Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline, Remember me to one who lives there.  She once was a true love of mine. – Lyrics of “Girl from the North Country” by Bob Dylan.

These words were penned in the early 1960s by a young but world weary Bob Dylan. The tune appeared on the now infamous “Freeweheelin’” album of 1963. An easy song consisting of nothing more than a finger picked guitar, ragged vocals and occasional bits of harmonica.

I am a enormous fan of all of Bob Dylan’s music, the folks, rock and roll, country and blues, but this song remains one of my convincing faves. Not sufficiently old to have heard Dylan sing in the 60s, the “freewheelin’” album was my first experience with his music and with real folk music the likes of Woodie Guthrie, Leadbelly and Alan Lomax. When I first hear the album I was certain that Dylan was a wanderer about the age of 50 or 60 who had more experience than I could ever have, not the twenty something year old he was when he recorded it. It had a providence and weariness that I thought must have come from age, but I learned it was less about age and more about experience and truth. These words are so starkly honest as they tell a story of lost love, remembrance and unhappiness, that it becomes awfully hard not to relate or at the very least understand where Dylan was coming from. They read like a direct window to the soul so honest and legitimate in nature they’re hauntingly real.

The works of Guthrie, Leadbelly, Lomax and other folk artists also share this genuineness. They’re the songs of regular, fair people, singing what they like and what they suspect. This genuineness had an amazing impact on me and my view of society, music, culture, distinctiveness and life. Image in Society With the increased commercialization of music, it was inescapable that the music industry and certain artists would become more curious about maximizing their profit and money making capacities. We have formulas on how to be a successful pop star, groups designed with a particular image and artist image overtaking the soul of the artist.

This produced form of music lacks something very urgent to the soul of the music : authenticity, and has replaced it with an image designed to make money. Even folk music has gotten an overhaul to help it reach the biggest possible audience. Infrequently these production and selling images are totally harmless, the talent and soul of the artist showing through, but other times These images exist outside the music biz as well . In a society that appears increasingly driven by cash and greediness, there seems to be a rising number of dishonorable, depraved cheats, liars and shady characters pervading our humdrum lives. This makes it tough to believe that any person is being genuine or perhaps be honest ourselves for fear of being hurt . Instead we create an image, a rep, a legend per say, that exists in society along with us. This image dictates how we act and how we treat people but is not the real world.

We employ it to hide who we really are for fear of disrespect, being hurt, being exploited or being outcast. Other times we use a express image and projection to get what we need, assuming a persona or personality as we know that it will allow us to achieve what we desire. It is maybe not possible to completely get rid of these pictures from our lives as there’ll always be occasions where we will slip into a certain public image either accidentally or on purpose.

The issue exists when these images overtake our lives, fully eliminating genuineness and honesty, leading to paranoia and undermining trust. When we become conscious of image in society and why they’re used, it is simple to become paranoid and suspicious about others. We begin to query other individual’s motives, whether they are using a public image to hide their feelings for fear of being hurt, or with the intention of manipulating us. This makes it more difficult to trust, leading to bitterness and hatred. This is a major problem in modern society. I have even been charged with using the picture of a fair person for private gain. I insist that I’m just being myself (and I really am, no side motive, not even money, the proof now being that I am poor) and that appears to just increase the sentiment that I must be lying because “no one can be that fair all of the time, everybody has an agenda.” I am still fair with these people, they just choose not to believe it. When we do not trust people, of course they’re going to have an agenda and be out to break us because that is all we are open to believe, and in turn is all we will see. As a society we need something authentic to assure us that people can be honest, not everyone is out to injure us, and we don’t need to put on airs to get what we need out of life.

If we are unable to be honest, why should we are expecting people to be? Why We Need Folk music In Contemporary Society The wide reach and influence of music makes it the ideal media to implant any sort of social change. Music was the guiding force behind the hallucinogenic movement of the late 60s, and has for a considerable time been interwoven with social causes and social changes. I think that music is a direct link to the soul when done correctly, and so by letting artists bare their soul, we will connect with them on a particularly private level. This allows us to relate to them, understand a little bit about where they are coming from, why they suspect the way in which they do and in turn get even more empathetic. This then interprets into our actions with others.

When we see an artist being totally truthful, bearing their soul and being legitimate, it shows us that we will do this too and still be accepted by our peers. It does not always have to be through folk music, but can include any category so long as the validity and realism that’s so common in folk music is included. Blues is another extraordinarily truthful brand and other genres can be too depending on the artist.

Providence in all genres in music can help to break down these fake photographs and personae encouraging folks to trust each other again. Empathy, truth and veracity are only ways that we can create a better society, and have peace. This is not a cure all, that’s for sure, but perhaps recollecting and appreciating the simpleness and honesty of hippy music can help us recover the authenticity that appears to elude us in the modern world.

The post Modern eara has left a great yearning for “the authentic”. The new Greenism, local food, the rise of festival culture, a search for fire and the hearthside? As a great man said; I never heard a horse sing. So I am happy we continue to need to share a song “A wailing tune, a good guitar, the only thing that I understand” Kingston Trio

We had a wonderful night. Thanks to all the players, friends and family who made it happen.

We will be posting some video soon!

We are thrilled to release from Martin’s collection an unreleased version of “Kalliope Driver”. Nice BBC studio sound and live, lively session.

Just Click on the Reward Button. It will cost you one Tweet or FB Like and then download. If you go to the App page you will also get the secret URL for the Fanz Page as a bonus!

Dando Shaft! did a number of radio sessions through the early seventy’s. This is one of six available tracks. See the side Widget.

1968 the woods

Named after a character in a Don Calhoun novel, Dando Shaft began as a five-piece folk-band formed in Coventry in 1968 and comprised of Kevin Dempsey ( guitar,vocals). Martin Jenkins (vocals, flute, mandolin,fiddle, guitar), Ted Kay (tabla,percussion), Roger Bullen (bass), and Dave Cooper (guitar,vocals).

Formed from the diversity of musical influences of the sixties and the folk revival. They took acoustic instrumentation and the folk roots tradition and created a unique sound of their own, high on musical dexterity and compositional ability.

Preferring to play ‘unplugged’ with none of the instruments electrically amplified, Dando Shaft initiated a unique mixture of acoustic folk with driving rhythms and impeccable inventive musicianship. Using acoustic instrumentation, clear vocals and delectable harmonies allied to complex and unusual yet melodic and lilting song structures.

The first album was released in 1970 on the Youngblood label, and gained a release in the US through the major MCA corporation. In October 1970, Dando Shaft acquired the services of a female singer, Polly Bolton from Leamington Spa, who had a pure and very expressive voice. Polly had previously sung with June Tabor.

A change of label to RCA’s short-lived Progressive imprint Neon in 1971 for the second album, Dando Shaft, followed by a release on RCA proper for the third, Lantaloon in 1972.

After the band split in the mid 1970′s Martin and Kevin had great success in the band Whippersnapper which also numbered Dave Swarbrick in its ranks. Polly Bolton in turn followed a spell out of the business by launching a successful solo career.

A reunion Dando album the critically acclaimed folk/jazz “Kingdom”1977 featured contributions from Danny Thompson Double Bass, John Stevens  drums, Tommy Kearton keyboards, Paul Dunmall  sax and Rod Clements Electric Bass.