Jim Moray is one of the most consistently inventive musicians working in English traditional music today. Winner of five BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, after five ground-breaking albums he now finds himself at the forefront of a new folk revival in the UK, and hailed as a pivotal influence by a new generation of folk musicians. In 2013 he celebrated both 10 years since his landmark debut album Sweet England and the success of his 2012 career best Skulk

In recent years Jim has collaborated with such folk music luminaries as Andy Cutting, Patsy Reid, Martin Simpson and Nancy Kerr on the hugely successful Cecil Sharp Project and similarly acclaimed Elizabethan Project. He’s also been making a name for himself as a producer working with Maz O’Connor on her last album This Willowed Light and her most recent release The Longing Kind, as well as mixing the latest record by Jamie Smith’s Mabon. And this year he presented a documentary on BBC Radio 3 about the traditional song Brigg Fair, which saw Jim use cutting-edge sound technology to recreate the apocryphal moment when farm bailiff Joseph Taylor spontaneously added his voice to the premiere of Delius’ An English Rhapsody, which was inspired by a wax cylinder recording of Taylor’s singing. A more appropriate subject for Moray to tackle is hard to imagine.

At a time when the bright new lights of traditional music include Stick In The Wheel and Lynched, who come from the distinctly un-folk worlds of drum ‘n’ bass and punk respectively, Jim Moray’s dream that more people would discover and play these songs on their own terms in their own voice is steadily becoming a reality.

As for the future, Jim believes it’s time for him to start a new chapter. He’s described the making of his forthcoming album Upcetera as being like “learning to do it all again from scratch”. Drawing influence from the systems music of composers like Nyman and Reich (another of his formative passions) Upcetera features dramatically orchestrated Child ballads reimagined as torch songs or a kind of English Fado. It’s an album that places the narrative element of these songs centre stage, with Jim Moray’s supple soaring vocal leading the listener by the hand through strange old stories.

Making them new.

Details:
Jim Moray  appears at Kingskerswell Parish Church (St Marys) Kingskerswell TQ12 5LD on May 20th Tickets £12 adv from 01803 875527or  www.seetickets.com or www.wegottickets.com Doors 3pm. Further info 01803 875527 or www.worldunlimited.co.uk     graham.worldunlimited@gmail.com