FiddleBop: live audio

The Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, a rousing traditional tune used in one of England's oldest surviving medieval folk rituals, from Abbots Bromley (duh!) in Staffordshire. Yes, those are reindeer horns.

Dinah has rather silly words but a very catchy tune. Written in 1925 by Harry Akst, Sam M. Lewis, and Joe Young, it was recorded by the Hot Club de France in December 1934.

Bei Mir Bistu Shein is a song that was originally in Yiddish, by Jacob Jacobs and Sholom Secunda. It was written for a 1932 musical which closed after one season. But with English words by Sammy Cahn, it later became a big hit for the then-unknown Andrews Sisters. The title means “To me, you're beautiful”.

This Scottish traditional song, The Parting Glass, is often sung at the end of a gathering of friends. The "parting glass", or "stirrup cup", was the final hospitality offered to a departing guest. Once the guest had mounted their horse (or entered their carriage), they were presented one final drink to fortify them for their travels. The earliest known printed version of the song was as a broadside sheet in the 1770s.

Thirteen-and-a-half Days in the Desert was written by FiddleBop's guitarist/singer, Joanna Davies.

O'Carolan's Concerto is the most famous composition by the blind Irish harper, Turlough O'Carolan (1670–1738).

Cheek to Cheek is by Irving Berlin, who also wrote “White Christmas” and c. 1500 other songs. It was composed in 1935 for the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film "Top Hat". Fred sings it to Ginger as they dance together.

Limehouse Blues was written in the 1920s by the London-based duo of Douglas Furber and Philip Braham. Limehouse was London’s Chinatown. The song is not a blues, despite the title.

Morrison's Jig is a well-known traditional Irish jig. It is named after the renowned Sligo-born Irish-American fiddler James "The Professor" Morrison (1891–1947).

Still With Me is a beautiful song by FiddleBop's guitarist/singer, Joanna Davies. Jo wrote it for her mother Sonia.

Sweet Georgia Brown is a hit tune from 1925, by Ben Birnie, Maceo Pinkard, and Kenneth Casey. The words (which FiddleBop doesn't sing) were supposedly about the baby daughter of Dr George Thaddeus Brown, member of the State House of Representatives for Georgia, USA. The 1925 recording was the first recorded song to have a saxophone solo in it.

Give Me Your Hand is a slow air from about 1603, composed by the blind harpist Ruairdi Dáll Ó Catháin (“blind Roger O'Keane”) from Derry. The tune is called “Da Mihi Manum” in Latin, and “Tabhair dom do Lámh” in Irish. Supposedly written following a disagreement with a Lady Eglinton in Scotland, it was played at the Scottish court of King James the sixth.

Sheebeg Sheemore is a tune by blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan. In Irish, the title is "Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór". The word sí is the Irish for "fairy mound", and the title refers to two small hills in County Leitrim, which are said to be ancient burial sites.

The song Here, There, and Everywhere is by Paul McCartney, and is on the 1966 Beatles album "Revolver". Composed by the swimming pool at John Lennon's house in Weybridge, McCartney includes it among his personal favourites of all the songs he has written. In 2000, Mojo magazine ranked it 4th in their list of the greatest songs of all time.

Black Bottom is the tune for the Black Bottom dance, which became hugely popular during the Flapper Era, the 1920s. However the dance itself dates from the early 1900s in New Orleans, being derived from a low-life dance called the "Jacksonville Rounders' Dance".

The Devil Among the Tailors is a traditional Scottish reel. The "devil among the tailors" is also a form of table skittles which can still sometimes be found as a pub game in England. The "devil" refers to the ball and the "tailors" are the skittles.

Minor Swing is Django Reinhardt's version of a traditional Gypsy tune, composed in 1937. It is probably the most-played tune in the Gypsy swing repertoire. You can hear it in the movie "Chocolat", from 2000, which starred Johnny Depp.

Crazy Rhythm was written in 1928 by Irving Caesar, Joseph Meyer, and Roger Wolfe Kahn, for a Broadway musical. It was often used as the closing music for the BBC radio comedy series "The Goon Show" in the 1950s.

From 1931, It Don't Mean a Thing is a firm favourite in the Gypsy repertoire. It was written by Duke Ellington with words by Irving Mills.

Dark Eyes is a Russian tune from the 19th century which has become a Gypsy jazz standard. It was recorded by the Hot Club de France as "Les Yeux Noir" in 1940. "The church is near but the road is icy; the bar is far away but I will walk carefully." (Russian Proverb).