A Session Diary

When is a session not a session?

This is something I’ve been thinking about for some time. I may have been slow to get here but there’s more to a session than just a group of individuals getting together with a common cause. I suppose the fact that there are now some sessions that achieve that mythical life makes me wonder about the others that are at worst, a group of individuals wondering what to play next. The act of forcing a reluctant tune out is palpable.

So what are the key ingredients for a session?

1.Musicians. Obvious I know but I use the term to distinguish players from worriers. 6 bodhran players do not a session make.

2.Musicians with leadership ability. Starting tunes, keeping things going. More than one is useful. If a session isn’t led, it is easier for it to be hijacked*.

3.Enthusiasm. Not much fun if nobody wants to be there.

4. Venue. It is important for space, comfort, amenities and acoustics. A friendly welcome is nice too.

5. Audience. Some say it doesn’t matter, but there is something about an audience that gives more life to a session.

6. Balance. A variety of instruments, styles, tunes, personalities.

7. Common repertoire. The inverse is prima donnas

8.Listening. Good sessioneers listen to each other and try to blend harmoniously.

9.Strength. Not only strength in performance but the strength to refuse requests for Duelling Banjos and the strength to maintain the integrity of the session.

10. Generosity. To other musicians especially. Allowing others to start and following them without taking the tune away. Can be a drawback if tolerance allows *hijacking.

I think that’s everything. Of course there are many things that can go wrong even when these elements conspire to produce a worthy session. *Hijacking is the most common. Usually it is singers that hijack sessions but I have known completely talentless tuneless tootlers do the same thing. Without leadership, (and a sense of identity) it is easy for a session to drift from one genre to another. We aren’t talking ‘guest Appalachian set’  we’re talking about all the musicians who can, changing sides and playing a completely different style of music. That’s a little bit selfish to all those who only play the style they turned up for. Another form of hijacking I suppose.

Anyway, Wednesdays continue as always but sometimes aren’t very sessiony – see the above reasons (2,3,5,6 mainly I suspect). Thursdays (Faversham) are much as before but at a different venue. In a way, the venue is better (not as hot, more space, car park). Pretty much ticks all the boxes but prone to song hijacking. Thursdays (Canterbury) and very lively and the closest to being a true session. A little bit of a problem with 1 & 7 sometimes but nothing that detracts from the overall sense of session.

Sundays at Bekesbourne have a sense of session, Sundays at Faversham less so. Part of this is 4 & 5. It’s amazing the lift that a small audience gives and it’s nice to be welcomed at the venue as well.

Well, here we are at the end of March. Looking forward to April and that massive St George’s Day celebration and Bank Holiday. Wait… no that bit is still fantasy. Somebody got upset that we adopted a Turkish knight. No matter that the others are a tad bogus too. St Patrick was actually Welsh (Maewin). St Andrew was THE St Andrew of Galilee. St David seems authentic though. Does it matter who we adopt then? I thought not. Should we have another Bank Holiday and a day of English celebration? I think so.

What about the sessions? Still going although there is a story to be told. Firstly the Startled Stoat on a Wednesday. Going strong with the regulars and recently, some audience of the old George have rediscovered us. The Sunday spin-offs are still going and the Mythical Beast (Bekesbourne) is the more enjoyable of the two for some reason although the Mythical Beast (Faversham) is a fair do. At the last one, there was much hilarity at the mishearing of the tune name ‘William Durette’s Clog’ leading to the postulation of a Tourette’s Jig – with words, an Alzheimer’s Reel (no one remembers how it all goes) and an OCD Waltz – which never ends. Ho hum. The things the sessioneers dream up.

Meanwhile at the Melodeon Worriers Arms, a sudden change of venue was announced. Despite the pub staying open until July before a refurb. closure and the previous tenants not returning, the session has moved to the same place as the Folk Club except in the front bar. Now I’ve never set foot in there – just heard lots of scary stories. Is this a wise move? I must summon courage and don the bright armour of Sessiondom and sally forth this week. I hear it went well with some luminaries including somebody I now know is known affectionately as ‘Mad Edith’. Never knew that before. Before the move, there was a hiatus so the session nearly didn’t happen. However some enterprising rounding up by one of the regulars produced a stunningly good session all the better for being unexpected.

I was promised elsewhere (where the Wife of Bath would have gone possibly) so I had to miss the inaugural session at the new venue anyway. That is a nice session with some good musicians although there are distractions. One week a rather drunken person took over a guitar and ruined the entire session but luckily quite late on in the proceedings. Still with musicians of high calibre nearly always in attendance, it is an enjoyable evening. You just have to help fill the coffers of Canterbury City Council with parking geld. At least some varied and interesting tunes come up, the landlord likes us and gives us drinks and the pub usually fills up with appreciative listeners. A little cramped at times and a little warm (if wedged between the real fire and the radiator) but a good atmosphere.

Roll on this weeks sessions!

Recent events on the session scene have been interesting. In the Chinese sense. The biggest news has to be the much heralded closure of one of the haunts of traditional musicians. Some would say the spiritual home of traditional music in all of Christendom. Or at least Faversham.

The closure of the Bear has been looming on the horizon for some months, fueling speculation that one of the longest running sessions in this part of the known world would be no more. The speculation about the future purpose of the ancient building has been inventive – ranging from Indian Restaurant to yet another pound shop. Just what we need. Slightly more rational has been the rumour that it would only close for refurbishment and then be back to normal (see below). Whatever normal is.

So when the news came in that the pub would actually close on the 14th February, the last ever Thursday Session was pegged as Thursday 10th and messages of intent and support flew around like a racehorse on chocolate. (theobromine in chocolate being akin to amphetamines for humans)

Considering the number of people who have played in the hallowed halls (cramped bar) and shared amazing (and it must be said not-so-amazing) music with the tolerant locals, the sense of anticipation of gathering as many of them as possible in one place seemed to suggest a last-ditch mega session to celebrate the past. Not to mention the Hops Festival.

Notwithstanding the personalities, politics and other session related dynamics, the scene was set for a coming together of many musos and sessioneers in a glorious indulgence of fusion music – blues, folk, country, old-time, popular beat combo numbers – you name it.

It seemed like a good idea to arrive earlier than normal to secure enough room to accommodate an instrument with a neck and indeed the back bar of the Bear was already pretty full by 8:30.

The first thing to greet the eager players (and audience who had similarly high expectations) was – “Have you seen the notice outside?”

Have you ever had that ‘Oh O’ feeling? Well, the hand written notice, high up in the window told the following story.

Is the Bear Closing? – No
Is the Bear Closing for Refurbishment? – No
When will the Bear Close? – Don’t Know

(again, dear reader – see below)

Yes, I read it several times, as did many others in a kind of stunned disbelief. On re-entering the pub, there were distinct mutterings along the lines (kindly) of ‘so the Bear ISN’T closing then’ to (unkindly) ‘This megasession is under false pretences’. To be fair, I think we were all under the impression that the close date was firm (it was even in the local paper) and that the last session was called legitimately. The barman said that the brewery had asked that the pub stay open ‘for a while longer’ at the 11th hour.

This did not put the assembled multitudes in the best humour and added to the sense of ill ease created by overcrowding and intense heat generated by the aforesaid multitudes. Nevertheless, lots of music was played and some songs sung. The brilliant guests were brilliant as you’d expect except that it was far too noisy.

It thinned out early and I spotted some latecomers who turned round and left as they couldn’t get near the main arena. Others left when they realised that it wasn’t the last session.

A disappointing anticlimax, but nobody’s fault except possibly the brewery. It was still a fairly joyous if bewildered session and everyone was in the same bewildered state. So that was good then.

I actually contacted the brewery to get a definitive answer on the future of the pub and here is their reply dated today:

Thank you for your email concerning the future of the Bear, and I am
aware that there have been many rumours circulating regarding the pubs
future.

I would advise you that the Bear will be closing for refurbishment at
some point in the near future, but the timing is as yet unknown as the
plans have not been finalised.  I hope that the pub will be able to
advise you once the dates have been confirmed and I apologise for not
being able to give you a more definitive answer at this time.

I can confirm the Bear will re-open once the refurbishment has taken
place.

Regards

Greg Wallis
Tenanted Operations Manager

So, straight from the horse’s mouth. It will close for refurb in the near future and then re-open.

So apparently there will be another session at the Bear this week. I doubt that there will be another last session at the Bear though!

Happy New Year everyone. Not the real new year of course but that’s what we do anyway.

Interestingly, the two current favourite sessions are in pubs which are mythological beasts. How strange is that? So its the Chimera and the Griffin then for the odd Sunday bashes.

Sitting in the snug of the Startled Stoat last week, we were alarmed by the Tune Police who said ‘Hello, hello, hello. What have we ‘ere then? Call that a slip jig?’

Well of course we started to discuss the fineries of the rhythms and tempos and really just our whole existence and the meaning of life. Sorry. Back now. Well we did think about tunes and their rhythms and as you’d expect there are two ways of looking at it (Thank you Adrian).

One view says that the influence of popular country dance throughout the ages by virtue of being eclectic and gathering tunes from classical, Music Hall, Court, ‘Folk’ and of course shamelessly stealing foreign tunes and then playing them purely as melodies for a dance with whatever timing was needed (sometimes regardless of the clue in the name of the tune) has resulted in players who to put it politely, play outside the boundaries. So it’s OK to play slow reels, fast airs, horn-reels etc. and to mix occasionally Scottish, Shetland and Irish reels and maybe even further exotica.

The other view is a puritan view which as you’d expect is a much stricter regime. Reels must be reels and single, double and slip jigs must be clearly differentiated (and all tunes must come from Ireland of course).

As usual, most folk are in the middle and don’t get too uncomfortable with either camp as long as they don’t get too serious about the purity.

Please note that no sessioneers were knowingly disrespected in this posting. :-)

I don’t really understand the other session – the one at the Shackled Yak. I have been there as the only tune leader and while there is an element of pleasure (the teacher in me) of getting a session through to completion, it is not wholly a satisfactory affair as far as enjoying the playing is concerned. It can be brilliant when guests come and play something to follow out of the rut or when a particular set just gels anyway. I know everyone is keen and enthusiastic but I need to encourage more life in the tunes and that lovely lumpy quality.

Ah well, ’tis the Mythological Beast in Faversham tomorrow for an Irish Session. And so begins another week. Wonder if they’ll ask for the Heathery Hurricane again?

I hope everyone has survived the Northern Hemisphere’s syncretic winter festival. I don’t know what the Southern Hemisphere does but as so much of our tradition relies on the days getting shorter up to the Solstice and then longer again afterwards, many of them won’t make sense if you live near the equator.

The fortunate timing of the Christmas holidays means that the regular Wednesday and Thursday sessions aren’t affected so there is relief for all the sessioneers from the forced proximity of family for extended periods of time.

It is good to see the traditions being upheld, particularly in Faversham where Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the Nativity scene above the shoe shop which includes a polar bear. This year brought a new tradition to the town centre. Above the bank, the lit up message has a few problems with its lights and position, so that when viewed from some angles, it wishes everyone ‘Season’s Cretins’. I wish I weren’t cynical.

I hope everybody got to see ‘Strictly Clog Dancing’ culminating in a flash clog dance in Newcastle at the Grey’s Monument (yes, Earl Grey, for it is he. The monument is for the Reform Act, not the tea). The Newcastle Kingsmen featured a Rapper Dance and the sharp eyed might have spotted Pip and Jo.

Now, will the new year bring us new sessions? Will it invigorate those that exist? We shall have to wait and see but there is definitely a ground swell for a really good pure English Session (yes, we can debate pure and English for a long time).

Hope to see some or all of you at the Startled Stoat and Well Intent for some tunes.