(Buying the albums sampled on “Picnic”.)
Continuing the anonymous notes on the back cover of the gatefold sleeve:
“The search for a “natural orchestra” to work with Shirley’s traditional song-style has gone on for about eight years on and off, since she tried some of Dolly’s settings for three French horns. The last two years of working with a little pipe-organ have established Shirley and Dolly in a very special niche where musical values count above categories.
“It was obvious that the sounds Dolly needed could not be found in either conventional orchestral or pop music voicings; it was the new young breed of professional players of pre-classical instruments who seemed to offer the most rewarding possibilities. To help us find the most sympathetic musicians we had the good fortune to meet David Munrow who co-opted Oliver Brookes and Chris Hopgood from his own very successful group, The Early Music Consort, and the other players heard here. The sounds fit the songs as naturally as the leaves on the trees, but will be unfamiliar to many.”
How true, how true. The details follow next time, deo volente et ceteris paribus, but I am not sure how soon that will be, as the Christmas break will distort things more than usual this year.
So, a very Happy Christmas to anyone who sees this in time.
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