Fooch! - Favourite Cornish session and dance tunes Vol 1

Chosen and played by Neil Davey

In 2002 multi-instrumentalist Neil Davey, key proponent of Cornish music from Bucca in the 70s through to current band Dalla, via many of the world's top festival stages, compiled 68 of his favourite Cornish tunes and published them together with 2 CDs. Each tune is played once slowly and then a few times more quickly with embellishments and improvisation so it's not only essential for the tune-learner but very pleasant to listen to as well. Neil's advice to users of the book is based on the idea that "if you love the music you play, it shows and others will enjoy it too. To get to love your music I think you need to make it your own, by finding your own way of playing it which brings it alive for you on your particular instrument. This results from experimenting with the tunes, improvising with the raw materials until their secrets are revealed to you. I call this process unlocking a tune."

The book was long-awaited as musicians throughout Cornwall and beyond had been anxious for the opportunity to learn the tunes. The Cornish music revival of the last 30 years has seen very few resource materials actually published and the eagerly-anticipated Fooch! has been variously described as "A revolution", "Bordering on genius!" and "Great value!"

Available for £13.50 (inc. P&P) from Frances Bennett
24 Valley Close, Newbridge, Truro, TR1 3UN, Cornwall

Hooch - Cornish Dance Tunes arranged for Brass and Reeds

Edited by Hilary Coleman 2004

The vision for Hooch is very much that it can be used as a companion to the original Fooch 68 favourite Cornish Celtic session and dance tunes, compiled by mandolin/ bouzouki/accordion and fiddle player Neil Davey, which contained music written in concert pitch only.

Hooch for Brass and Reeds solves the problem faced by transposing instrumentalists when faced with a lack of written music in their own clefs. 12 tunes with riffs and harmonies are included, written out in an accessible form with all parts on CD to learn individually. E flat, B flat and bass clef instruments are catered for.

The current Cornish music scene is seeing the development of the repertoire on Brass and Reed instruments, tapping into the brass band tradition as well as the Celtic music scene. Hooch is therefore answering an emerging need for the repertoire to be written down in a more accessible form for brass and reed players.

Available for £13.50 (inc. P&P) from Frances Bennett
24 Valley Close, Newbridge, Truro, TR1 3UN, Cornwall