Cambridgana
"Cambridgana" when I made up that word in 2012 - a portmanteau of "Cambridge" and "Americana" - I had hopes that it might have caught on by now. It is true that it does sound similar to the Old English Ballad "Cambridge Anna"; a murder ballad with the requisite number of sticks, knives and water features which may have caused some confusion but even the dumbed down "Camericana" is yet to enter the lexicon.
"Americana" is now defined in Merriam-Webster as "a genre of American music having roots in early folk and country music" (still no top level category on itunes though). The Cambridge Folk Festival cares little for dictionary definitions and on-line categories. For fifty festivals now it has put on a strong, diverse bill with great programming - who, for example, would have thought that The Full English would have successfully followed North Mississipppi Allstars? Not me, and even though they did this is all about the Americana tradition rather than the English one.
Thursday started with the first clash of the weekend. Hat Fitz and Cara in the Club Tent or Pokey LaFarge on Stage 2? As Pokey was on the next day it was not a difficult decision to make but, even so, if I had to make a choice it would have been the Australian/Irish husband and wife combination rather than the man from St Louis. I repeatedly heard good things about them at Maverick Festival last month and am now a fully signed up fan. Hat Fitz with a big beard thongs and guitar; Cara Robinson in a gingham dress, red lace and feather hat playing drums made a huge bluesy noise. When Robinson switches to washboard she dons a pair of black gloves with metal tips looking like a de-clawed Freddie Kruger. The bar for the 50th was set high.
Americana on Friday started with the MOJO interview at midday. RT may well be God (as a facebook friend proclaimed) but I've always struggled with Richard Thompson as an Americana artist but a couple of years back he won a lifetime achievement award for song writing at the Americana Music Honors and Awards show so who am I to question? The interview was a little disappointing; Thompson, along with Martin Cathy and Eliza Carthy were asked very general questions about festivals and they spoke as much about Vancouver and Lisdoonvarna as Cambridge - I'm not sure that's what the organisers were wanting.
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My Darling Clementine had to wait a good few hours before they graced Stage 2, a juggling workshop, kids show and kids ceilidh all had to be put to bed before Martin Weston King and Lou Dalgleish could commence their on stage bickering. Original songs that pay homage to the Nashville duetting of Johnny and June and George and Tammy they are backed by a tight band (although the assertion that guitarist Martin Belmont was the best to be heard all weekend made me think that the programme had not been fully read) and a theatrical stage show.
It took me a few years to 'get' Pokey LaFarge. It was only when I finally got myself into gear and got out to see him play that the penny dropped. As good as his studio albums are it is only when you see him on stage that you get the full effect and realise that of all the bands who are channelling that depression era American sound Pokey stands above them all. Having a virtuoso harmonica player in Ryan Koening obliviously does no harm at all. It is testament to the festival that acts like Pokey LaFarge are able to play on more than one stage, on more than one day.
With and album callled Acoustic Classics just released you might expect to know Richard Thompson's set list just by looking on the back of the CD and whilst the likes of 1952 Vincent Black Lightening, Beeswing and I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight made appearances there was also space for Fergus Lang and Johnny's Far Away. What really impressed though was the way the set hung together. Thompson was able to put together an hour of exactly the right up tempo, down tempo, mid tempo and sing-a-long to the chorus songs held together with just the right amount of chat to please both die hard fans and casual observers.
David Bromberg and Larry Campbell were up there on my list of people to see but, as sometimes happens, it was not to be. It wasn't a clash so much just that the timings were slightly against me so I really only got to hear a couple of tracks. That one was Mr Bojangles made me happy as I could take a few minutes to remember previous festivals (Jerry Jeff Walker played in the early nineties) and friends no longer here.