Hello there XXXX!
Have you noticed how the good things in life — such as FiddleBop newsletters 😎 — are like waiting for a bus? (If you've never waited for a bus, you'll have to take this on trust.) Nothing for ages, then several arrive. Pretty much all at once. (One of the Rolling Stones expressed a related sentiment, when asked what it was like to be on tour with the band: "Mostly waiting.")
But make sure you are awake. Or you might miss that bus.
Philosophising aside, tho'... just why are you getting another FiddleBop newsletter so soon after the last engrossing masterpiece? Well, read on.First, to remedy a mistake that I made. Maybe I wasn't awake. Duh!
In Newsletter 29, I said that Adderbury's "Party in the Park" festival (PiP) on Saturday 11 June 2022 is free admission. Organizer Linda Leslie swiftly corrected me on this: "Sadly PiP isn't a free event this year. For years we've publicised it 'as entry by donation' — we just relied on people's goodwill to fill our buckets as full as possible. This is how (along with fundraisers, a raffle, fees from concessions and the odd grant!) we've been able to continue putting the event on for so many years. But in 2019, under pressure from Cherwell District Council [...] we somewhat reluctantly agreed to fence and ticket the event. This is very costly! [...] So here we are in 2022, and this is the first time PiP will have the new arrangements in place."
Thanks Linda! Tickets for "Party in the Park" in Adderbury, Oxfordshire, are £15 for adults (£20 on the day), £8 for ages 5-16 (must be accompanied by an adult), and free for under 5s. Tickets are available from Ticket Source, and also from the Bell inn, the Coach and Horses, the library (all in Adderbury).
The party starts at 1.30 pm on 11 June on the Lucy Plackett playing field. And there will be loadsa music, stalls, a bar, a fairground... and FiddleBop will be playing "Gypsy jazz re-imagined" on the Acoustic Stage from 7.30-8.00pm. Yaaaay! See you there?
And so moving swiftly on, here is the next reason for this close-on-the-heels newsletter. To let you know about other soon-to-happen FiddleBop gigs. Wouldn't want you missing any!
Some of which (gigs, I mean) have only just popped up. Or are still in the process of popping up. Like mushrooms.
You'll already know — if you were paying attention, remember that bus! — about this one: the "HowTheLightGetsIn" festival at Hay-on-Wye in Herefordshire. This runs from from 2-5 June, and is a BIG event, "the world's largest Music and Philosophy Festival on the idyllic bank of the River Wye". There are talks galore; lots of live music, performance, and comedy; and many other attractions. FiddleBop will be playing "Gypsy jazz re-imagined" at the Stage venue (it's by the bookshop) from 5 - 5.30pm on Thursday 2 June 2022. Not long now. We're looking forward to this, yaaaay! You can get your "How
But you may not already know about the next FiddleBop gig after HowTheLightGetsIn. On Saturday 4 June, we will be playing at Great Rollright in Oxfordshire, as part of the Great Rollright Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. Weather permitting, FiddleBop will be making Gypsy jazz zing, sweet and hot, on the verandah of the Village Hall from 4 - 6 pm. And it's free!
We aim to get everyone warmed up ready for the inimitable Pete Watkins who will be entertaining in the Village Hall from 7 pm (adult tickets £15 including food and Jubilee cocktail, £5 for ages 5-15). There are lots of other events going on in beautiful Rollright during the Jubilee weekend: open gardens, Jubilee-themed art from Rollright School, face painting, best dressed dog, team games, fireworks and more. So come to Great Rollright, enjoy yourself, and hopefully we'll see you by the Village Hall verandah. Yaaaaay!
Next, a well-earned rest for Paul the keyboard and Graeme the bass. But not for the other two FiddleBoppers... Back home in Wales, on the day after the Rollright verandah, Dave and Jo will be unleashing all that pent-up energy (we hope) with some Gypsy jazz zing, at Erwood Market Hall, Powys, from c. 5 pm on Sunday 5 June. That's with afternoon tea, bring-your-own-food-to-share, presentation of Jubilee mugs, and folk music from the well-known Cardboard Box Thieves. All of which will be fun!
A week to catch our breath, then comes Adderbury's "Party at the Park" for the FiddleBop Four on Saturday 11 June.
After Adderbury, FiddleBop's next festival is Hook Norton's "Music at the Crossroads" on Sunday 3 July. Me and Jo have made music at this Oxfordshire event many times over the years, with FiddleBop v1. And we love playing at MAC! This time we have Paul the keyboard and Graeme the bass with us, sampling this friendly festival's delights for the first time!
MAC is now a three-day event. Tickets for Friday and Saturday at MAC are available here, but for the first time, Pete Watkins has organized an "acoustic day" on the Sunday, which is free entry. And which is when (at 2 pm) FiddleBop will be on stage — "all the way from their new home in Wales", as Pete puts it. Yaaaaay! We'd love to see you at MAC 2022!
There are more FiddleBop gigs in the pipeline. One — after me and Jo have had our summer break, enjoying the wonderful music at Fairport Convention's Cropredy Festival — will be on 21 August 2022 at a woolen mill in west Wales. Another will be at the Muse venue in Brecon (date TBA).
Finally, and hot off the press... the latest FiddleBop recording is almost ready! More later 😎.
But now, some sad news. The iconic "Le Quecumbar" — London's world premier Gypsy swing - jazz manouche restaurant/jazz venue — has closed.
Fiddlebop v1 played at Le Quecumbar several times, and it was always really enjoyable. Great audiences, great atmosphere, friendly staff, and very good food.
I well remember how excited I was the first time we played there. Jo and I had been to see some top Gypsy jazz musicians at Le Quecumbar not long before, and I wasn't sure how I felt about following in such eminent footsteps. Anyway, FiddleBop squeezed — just about — onto the well-worn and tiny stage (actually, there was only room for three of us), having hidden our amplifiers and cables behind the copious decorative plants and ornaments. Then we and the audience had fun!
Thanks to Sylvia Rushbrooke and all at Le Quecumbar for creating and running this unforgettable venue. FiddleBop will miss "Le Que".
OK, as usual I need to check that you wish to continue to receive FiddleBop newsletters. If no, then click here to unsubscribe. Or send an unsubscribe-request email to info@fiddlebop.org. If you don’t do either of these things then I’ll assume that you are happy to receive future FiddleBop newsletters.
Thank you! Stay well. See you at a FiddleBop gig?
Be of good cheer; after sad and evil days hurries the happier hour of gentle joy. (Sextus Propertius)
Dave
This list of gigs is correct at the time of writing, but the list on our website is always up to date.
The gig! | When is FiddleBop playing? | Venue, occasion, whatever... | Where is it? |
|
5- |
"HowTheLightGetsIn" Festival Hay-on-Wye |
The Stage venue |
Free entry! |
4- |
Great Rollright Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebration |
The Village Hall |
Party in the Park tickets £15 (£20 on the day), age 5-16 £8, under 5 free |
7.30- |
Adderbury's "Party in the Park" Festival |
Acoustic Tent |
Tickets here |
From 2pm |
Hook Norton's "Music at the Crossroads" Festival |
Festival Site |
Time TBA |
Details TBA |
Melin Tregwynt |