Pauline Scanlon and Eilis Kennedy, 10 March, 11.15pm

[Charlie]

Eilis Kennedy & Pauline Scanlon


Pauline Scanlon

session with Pauline Scanlon and Eilis Kennedy, singers from Dingle in the far south west of Ireland, with Donogh Hennessey, guitar, and Seamus Begley, accordion and vocals

[Charlie]

Playlist: Monday 10 March

Seq - Artist - Song Title - Album - Country - Label - Cat no

1 - The Diamonds - The Stroll - The Best of the Mercury Years - USA - Mercury -

2 - The Harbours Band - Koma Mosi (Easy Motion Tourist) - Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds and Nigerian Blues, 1970-76 - Nigeria - Sound Way - SNDWCD009

3 - Mayra Andrade - Poc Li Dente é Tcheu - Navega - Cape Verde/ France - RCA Victor - 82876 817802

4 - DJ Dolores - Proletariado - 1 Real - Brazil - Ziriguiboom - Zir31

9 - Ersatzmusika - And Why - Voice Letter - Russia - Asphalt Tango - CD-STR 1407

6 - DeVotchKa - Undone - A Mad and Faithful Telling - USA - USA - 6940

7 - Pauline Scanlon & Eilis Kennedy - Fair and Tender Ladies - Live in session - Ireland

8 - Pauline Scanlon & Eilis Kennedy - Oró Mo Bháidín (ohroh mo vawdeen) - Live in session - Ireland

9 - Percy Mayfiled - Hit The Road Jack (demo) - Vol 2: Memory Pain - USA - Ace - CDCHD 438

10 - Conjunto Casino - Moliendo Café - Cuban Pearls Vol 2 - Cuba - Syllart - 6133122

11 - Ray Charles - Hit The Road Jack - Genius & Soul - USA - Rhino - R2 72859

12 - Leonardo Paniagua - Mi Secreto - Bachata Roja - Dominican Republic - Iaso - iASCD3

13 - DJ Rupture - Musquito (club foot mix) - Special Gunpowder - USA - Very Friendly - VF013CD

14 - Kobo Town - Higher Than Mercy - Independence - Canada/Trinidad - Kobotown - KOBO 001

15 - Violeta Parra - Que Dira El Santos Padre - Che Guevara - lucha por la vida - Chile - Milan - 399 160-2

16 - Buika - A Mi Manera - Mi Miña Loca - Spain - East west -

17 - Pauline Scanlon & Eilis Kennedy - The West's Awake - Live in session - Ireland

18 - Pauline Scanlon & Eilis Kennedy - Fíll Fíll A Rún ó (feel feel aroon oh - Live in session - Ireland

19 - Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban - Drume Negrita - Mambo Sinuedo - USA/Cuba - Nonesuch - 7559-79691-2

20 - Chibite ft Hukwe Zawose - Ibarikwe Mungo Yupo Buniani - Zanzibar Festival Classics - Tanzania - Fourth World - FW0001

21 - Son of Dave - Lover not a Fighter - O3 - Canada - Kartel - KCDL013

22 - Zulya - Beyond the Horizon - Elusive - Russia - -

23 - Papa Noel - Bon Samaritain (feat Carlito Lassa) - Rough Guide to Congo Gold - DR Congo - World Music Network - RGNET1200CD

[howard male]

Great show last night, Charlie, but...

I couldn't help thinking that you must have had your arm twisted just a teeny weeny bit to include Pauline Scanlon and Eilis Kennedy. Sure, they do what they do very well, but wasn't it all a bit too twee, precious, and, well, folky for your tastes - at least as far as I understand them?

[Charlie]

I couldn't help thinking that you must have had your arm twisted just a teeny weeny bit to include Pauline Scanlon and Eilis Kennedy.

Not even slightly, Howard. I think you can safely assume that the day somebody starts twisting my arm, I will say 'ow, that hurts', and look at my CD shelves with a different pair of eyes, thinking, OK you lot, time to go.

No, the session followed a chance encounter with John Reynolds, drummer with Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart on 'Visions of You', a near-hit back in 1992. John played me songs by a duo he was working with, which I liked so much, I thought, they would sound great on my Radio 3 slot. And I was very happy with how it went, thought the two women sounded full of verve and mischief.

However, all this is in the context of my feeling that I was sitting in Andy Kershaw's seat, keeping it warm for his return and meantime doing my best to provide for his audience. Andy had regularly played a lot of UK folk music, and I have played hardly any. I always try to tailor my shows to fit my perception of the audience that is likely to be listening. If you asked me, would I have invited Pauline and Eilis to sing on my Radio London show?, the answer is, probably not. But I am glad that the combination of circumstances led to this session - I thought 'The West's Awake' was marvellous, and some of the stories about the songs were priceless too.

Curiously, this exchange comes at the very moment that the circumstances have changed. From now on, starting next Monday, the slot will be called World on 3 and the three presenters will no longer have the feeling that we are temporary stand-ins for Andy Kershaw. We are here in our own right, each of us being encouraged to choose whatever we feel fits into the 'world' remit of the slot.

[howard male]

CG wrote -

Not even slightly, Howard. I think you can safely assume that the day somebody starts twisting my arm, I will say 'ow, that hurts', and look at my CD shelves with a different pair of eyes, thinking, OK you lot, time to go.

Well, that's the answer I wanted to hear, Charlie, but thanks also for confessing that they may not have found a place on your BBC London show.

As I said, there was no doubt that they had their own sound - their vocal harmonies and chord progressions were certainly more ear-catching than your run-of-the-mill folk outfit, but it was certainly a surprise hearing them in the context of all the other music that seemed to press in on their cosy little world from all sides, on last night's show.

[Rob Hall]

Curiously, this exchange comes at the very moment that the circumstances have changed. From now on, starting next Monday, the slot will be called World on 3 and the three presenters will no longer have the feeling that we are temporary stand-ins for Andy Kershaw. We are here in our own right, each of us being encouraged to choose whatever we feel fits into the 'world' remit of the slot.

This sounds like cause for celebration Charlie! Congratulations on gaining a regular slot on UK national radio!

[Charlie]

Congratulations on gaining a regular slot on UK national radio!

Yes, Rob, I suppose this is some sort of culmination of an ambition that began with letters written to producer Jimmy Grant on the old Light Programme in 1966, just before it changed to become Radio One.

But somehow, slipping in through the side door, and being on for two weeks in every six, it doesn't quite feel how I expected it to feel.

[judith]

Monday night (late afternoon for me) was the first time I've ever heard Charlie live on the radio. It shouldn't make that much difference, not really, but it certainly did and I am quite pleased with myself (and the show too, of course. It was a great show with its unexpected turns and sounds). There is an edge to listening in the moment and that moment happened quite by accident. I was looking for the program's listing on 'listen again' because I thought I'd missed it (we started daylight savings time the day before and I don't know if I'm an hour earlier or later than the rest of the world) and I had turned on the radio player to have music going while I was trying to find my around just as "The Stroll" began and I thought, "I love this song, I wonder who's playing it and what kind of show it is?". What do you know, it was live.

I also found a homepage for Charlie on Radio 3 for the first time. I had lost my link to the Monday night shows and had to find the show from scratch again so I don't know if the homepage has always been there or if it is because Charlie is now on 'World On 3' - the homepage does only list the radio 3 stuff and not the World Service programs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/charliegillet/

As well as 'The West's Awake", I liked the first part of 'Fill Fill A Run o' by the Dingle White Females very much. I will listen again on 'listen again' to hear the rest. I was interrupted - so much more frustrating than when listening to an archived show even when one knows the show will be archived.

[Roger Bradley]

One of the stand-out records on the show was, for me, Buika singing 'A Mi Manera'. At first I thought, is this going to be some over-the-top flamenco wailing? And then it settled into a wonderful groove, magically combining instruments and vocals. More please!

[Charlie]

emails from

1. Peter Sampson (who in the past sent more than one evangelical letter to the management at BBC Radio, asking if I could be given a regular national show that he could listen to at home in Manchester)

Hi Charlie,

writing to you from a very snowy Colorado - where I am currently nursing the early stages of a broken left collarbone sustained in a skiing accident yesterday.

This left me with some time on my hands while my wife is out skiing - so through the wonders of modern wireless/internet technology I have just been able to listen to your show broadcast last Monday. And what a show it was - the live set with Pauline Scanlon and Eilis Kennedy was simply breathtaking - you must have been stunned sitting there in the studio with them.

I also particularly liked the track from DeVotchKa - it was kind of weird listing to a track from a Denver, Colorado, band - broadcast from the BBC in London as I sit here in the mountains of Colorado.

It is really good to hear you more regularly on national Radio - perhaps the powers that be at the beeb have finally come to their senses ...

I certainly hope that is the case and I look forward to hearing much more from you on the radio.

Looking forward to hearing you on next Monday's show - when I should be back safely in the UK.

Very best wishes,
Peter.

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2. John Chadwick

Like you I was entranced by Pauline, Eilis and Co. But what was Begley playing? I don’t think you said – or maybe I missed it.

JPC

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CG reply: I made a joke at the beginning, that I didn't know what Seamus would be playing. But he did eventually play accordion, as well as singing.

[Charlie]

1. Matthew Good:

It may interest you to know that Leontina Vaduva is indeed Romanian and she is an opera singer. She has been in a number of notable productions including a glorious performance of Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette" and the Royal Opera House with Roberto Alagna which is available on video / DVD. I highly recommend it. It was very interesting hearing her in this non operatic context which I thought worked brilliantly.

Matthew

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2. Phil Hermes

Thanks for playing the track by Ashkhabad on your latest programme. I wasn't aware they had recorded an album for Real World.

More vital research required...Normally I avoid fusion albums but sometimes you can get the best of two worlds. Ten years ago Ashkhabad recorded an album for Lyra in Greece with Melina Kana. Two of the tracks are purely Greek but the other tracks feature fantastic playing by Ashkhabad's members. The album is called "Lafira" and is on the Lyra label (LYRA CD4919).

Keep the quality music coming.

Yours,

Phil Hermes

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3. Roberto Battista

Nice selection in yesterday's programme, and a very rare instance of a playlist that is published on time, complete and detailed!

Thank you.

And by the way, DeVotchKa's track has a part sung in Spanish (with a Mexican accent) but no Italian, while the sample from Leontina Vaduva is indeed in Romanian.

Roberto

[Martin_Edney]

April 28: Son-of-Dave - in session and playing Radio Ping Pong

Wonderful choice Charlie, I'm really looking forward to this. I was lucky enough to catch Son of Dave performing live recently at Newcastle's "The Cluny" (I write "performing" rather than "playing" with reason!).

Will Charlie be ready to respond if Son of Dave asks "Who's my dad?", or invites Charlie to join in on kazoo, tambourine and drinks-tray? Here's hoping.

[Charlie]

some time after this show, I received a message requesting contributions to a fund-raising trip in Tanzania

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email from Pauline and Donogh

Hi Charlie

Thanks a million for your contribution to "Playing For Life's" trip to Tanzania. While we were there we achieved what we aimed for and more. There is now a Community Centre, which encompasses classrooms, an I.T room, a meeting room and a playschool. All of these facilities are very much grounded in the principal that education is the best way of improving the lives of people in Esso parish, where we were based. Esso parish has about 60,000 people living in 2 square Kilometres of slums in Arusha, Northern Tanzania. It's extremely poor but amazingly vibrant and welcoming. 78% of the population can't read or write according to The World Health Organisation so people are desperate to be educated, as it really does mean a better life for them and their families. Playing For Life has also built a huge gym for the Parish, which is being used day in day out for all manner of things positive and healthy. We brought out a crate of donations, everything from bikes to generators and clothes. Everything is used, I even saw flip-flops made out of old tyres!

Our recording project went really well there too. We recorded some of the most beautiful choirs and even got Maasai singing down too. There will be a record released with all proceeds going to Esso Parish.

The co-ordinator on the African side is a Kerryman called Fr. Mike O' Sullivan from Milltown. He's an inspirational man and is amazed by the generosity of people from home. His work could not be as effective out there were it not for "Playing For Life" it's volunteers and contributors.

So thanks again, I can't tell you how much this trip has affected me personally, I'll never be the same. The Tanzanian people are such bright, funny, kind, warm and friendly people and made us so welcome. I'd urge anybody to make the trip out there, you won't regret it.

I've made a wee slideshow of some pictures we took while we were there, just click on the link below.

http://www.slide.com/r/MAthrnKGpj-noIpPwvNb3QxvvisdYh3t

grá ó

Pauline and Donogh xx