Jaywalkers
Album: Weave
Label: Rootbeat
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.jaywalkers.co.uk

Where does Bluegrass music come from? It comes, of course, from Appalachia, which stretches from the south of New York state all the way down to Georgia and Alabama. However, Bluegrass evolved from the traditional music of the British Isles which was taken to this part of America by settlers from Britain, including tens of thousands of cotton workers from the mill towns of Lancashire who went to work in the burgeoning US cotton industry. In other words, there is a clear link between the cotton workers of Lancashire and Bluegrass music. These two themes are brought together on the cracking new album from Jaywalkers, which is called "Weave".

Jaywalkers are a trio based in Cheshire consisting of Mike Giverin [originally from Rochdale and master mandolin player, guitarist, backing vocalist as well as being the principal songwriter of the band], Jay Bradberry [fantastic fiddle player and lead vocalist ] and Lucille Williams [double bass and backing vocals].

"Weave" is Jaywalkers' third album, the previous two being "16 Miles" and "Early For A Thursday". The difference with this album is that the band received budgetary assistance from Help Musicians UK, who offered them an "Emerging Excellence Award" for young artists. Judging by the quality of this album, it was money very well spent.

I was fortunate to have a live preview of the album when Jaywalkers played a house concert [or more accurately, a garden concert] at a friend's house on the last day of February. Not the best time for an outdoor concert you may think, but we were actually quite comfortable and warm in the marquee. Outside the tent it may have been chilly with the wind blowing but inside we had chilli with the wine flowing! Whilst it was stormy outside the canvas, Jaywalkers took the audience by storm with two stunning sets. We were treated to vitually the whole of the new album, together with some classic bluegrass numbers including "Shady Grove", "Wayfaring Stranger" and "Sitting On Top Of The World".

What about the new album ? Well, of the eleven tracks, all but two are written by Mike Giverin [one of which is a co-write with Jay]. The remaining two are traditional.

Taking the traditional tracks first, "Big Sciota" is named after a river in Ohio and its name is, apparently, the Wyandot Indian word for "deer". Jaywalkers opened their live set with this lively tune/song which rolls along like the river it is named after.

The other traditional song is "The Moonshiner", which shares some of its lyrics with "The Wild Rover", which confused the live audience no end! There is a dispute as to whether this is an American song which became popular in Ireland or an Irish song which became popular in America [courtesy of The Clancy Brothers]. Whatever its origin, it is a song about drinking strong alcohol and that's all we need to know!

As mentioned above, several of Mike Giverin's songs on this album concern the industrial heritage of his home county of Lancashire and in particular, the lives of the mill workers.

The lovely title song "Weave" tells of a girl who was brought up in a house of hand-weavers and how it seems that she is destined to follow the same career. Jay sings this beautifully as well as playing some gorgeous octave fiddle.

"Millstone" is about a girl from Lancashire who is a millworker who inherits her family manor in Staffordshire. She moves there with her husband but misses her old life at the mill. Mike wrote the lyrics and Jay the fiddle parts, the first song that she has written [or co-written].

"Jack's Lament/Jack"is based on a Lancashire dialect poem about a fiddler whose wife pleads with him to sell his fiddle so that she can buy new clothes!

"Age Of Steam" is also based on a Lancashire dialect poem and describes how the Industrial Revolution changed the lives of hand-weavers who had to give up their way of life and go to work machines in factories.

"Slave For The People" is based on a letter from a trade unionist to the management telling them that they must treat their workers fairly. On a similar theme, "Bow Down", the opening track, contrasts the lives of the poor with those of the privileged rich.

Mike contributes two instrumentals, the first of which is "The Mountain Chicken", which is actually half-frog. An illustration of this curious creature [by Deborah Ballinger] can be seen on the album cover. Listen out for some superbly nifty fiddle and mandolin solos from Jay and Mike respectively, not forgetting the nimble double bass playing of Lucille.

The second instrumental is the incredibly fast Bluegrass tune "Chased" which was inspired by Mike being chased by sheep in the Lake District! Again, there is some incredibly dexterous playing here, which gives a flavour of the trio's live shows.

Thanks to the funding from Help Musicians UK, Jaywalkers were able to enlist top producer Andy Bell [The Full English, Sam Sweeney, Spiers and Boden, Seasick Steve etc. etc. ] to engineer, mix and produce the album and what a typically great job he has done. Andy's sparkling production brings out the subtlety and musicality of these fine players. Dare I say that it sounds as clear as a Bell!

In conclusion, Jaywalkers have made an exceptionally fine album which takes their music to a new level. It would be easy for them to gain favour by recycling old Bluegrass favourites but they have done something fresh and exciting by combining stories of the Lancashire working class with modern Bluegrass music. Full marks.

Peter Cowley