Sometimes, a humble solo fiddler is all you need. One of The Demon Barbers, Bryony Griffith’s “traditional tunes for an English fiddle player”, is sublime. From the opening Morris tune, Constant Billy, through a broad gamut of hornpipes and jigs, her touch and tone is almost an affirmation of time-honoured Read More
Bryony Griffith’s new album is that rare beast, a quintessentially English solo fiddle album. Hover is her second solo CD, but her first wholly instrumental outing. Consisting entirely of “traditional tunes for an English fiddle player”, it’s very much a what-it-says- on-the-tin job – but a thoroughly excellent one at Read More
“It is such an outstanding and major contribution to English fiddle playing that it should be heard throughout the land and considered the high water mark of England’s music.” In recent times English fiddling has started to revive after so long being submerged underneath concertinas and melodeons. Though Northumberland and Read More
Bryony and her fiddle give the tunes she has chosen for this album beautiful expression. This is sometimes light and quick like on The Recovery & The Red House, learnt from ‘ the much missed and bounciest fiddler player and caller Mick Brooks’; sometimes a morris tune played as a Read More
It’s not often you’ll find a focused study of tunes just for one instrument to be varied and approachable, but Bryony Griffith’s violin-centric second recording, Hover, is both these things and more. If you know Bryony’s playing from The Demon Barbers, you’ll find this is quite a different pace. Here, Read More
The humble fiddle seems to be experiencing a big rise in popularity of late. While it’s never been away, we do appear to be seeing it come to the front of the stage more often. Bryony Griffith is leading the way with her second solo album, following on from the Read More
Hover is Bryony Griffith’s second solo album, but this one differs significantly from its predecessor Nightshade in that if features purely traditional fiddle tunes. Around half of the tunes are literally solos, with the rest accompanied by Ian Stephenson on guitar or double bass. It is a measure of Bryony’s Read More
Bryony Griffith is from Huddersfield and is well known as a fiddler, teacher and vocalist of some 25 years experience. She is now a Senior Lecturer on the new folk Degree at Leeds College of Music Apparently she was taught to ‘hover’ with her bow and her light touch does Read More
This is a purely instrumental album of a wonderful variety of tunes from the (mainly) English tradition. Bryony is joined in a beautifully unobtrusive fashion by Ian Stephenson on guitar and double bass on some tracks. Ian is also responsible for recording, mixing and mastering of the album. Multi-tasking of Read More
It’s funny how things go but there seems to something of a resurgence in English fiddle music at the moment. Hover is Bryony’s second solo album although these are in addition to her work with The Witches Of Elswick, partner Will Hampson and The Demon Barbers. Although mostly solo, Ian Read More