There is sometimes a temptation to deconstruct music for Christmas but that is something Jackie Oates and John Spiers have no truck with. A Midwinter’s Night is a predominantly traditional collection of festive songs and tunes with the emphasis firmly on celebration.
They begin with the advent hymn, ‘Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending’ with Jackie taking the lead vocal and John on melodeon, vocals and stomp box. You might think that a Charles Wesley hymn might be a bit downbeat but John’s percussion drives the track along and he adds Headington Quarry’s ‘La Mourisque’ to round it out. Jackie sings ‘The Gloucestershire Wassail’, an old favourite, paired with a Swedish Christmas hymn.
One or two tracks are a little more restrained, the mediæval ‘As I Lay On Youlis Night’ being one such but even that is paired with a Breton mazurka. Christmas and mummers are inseparable and two tunes associated with mummers, ‘Twelve Joys Of Mary’ and ‘The Sussex Carol’, come next. Jackie and John omit the words and romp through the tunes with the stomp box keeping the beat. ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ is another example of restraint but the key word is “rejoice” and it remains a gorgeous tune.
‘Welcome Noble Winter’ and ‘Harvey Darvey’ are two nursery rhymes, the former with words adapted by Jackie and the latter coming from Cyril Tawney. Still in western regions, ‘The Halsway Carol’ is a schottische by Nigel Eaton with seasonal words by Iain Frisk and is a little gem. ‘The Broomsquire’s Bird Song’ is another west country song from the Quantocks. John takes over for ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman’ and ‘The Somerset Wassail’ with the legendary “girt dog of Langport”. John points out that the latter tune is a variant of the former.
The selection gets a little more esoteric at the point. A Breton carol is paired with a bourée by Steve Turner and that’s followed by two Icelandic tunes. Then a Welsh tune is coupled with ‘To Drive The Cold Winter Away’. I was hoping for I Fari Lwyd but maybe next time. Finally, ‘The Trees Are All Bare’, best known from the singing of The Copper Family, ends the set on a slightly more reflective tone but, even then, the final verse is optimistic for the coming spring.
A Midwinter’s Night is an absolutely perfect Christmas album with quiet moments mixed with joyful songs and tunes. You can go to mass and come home to party all without leaving the house.
Dai Jeffries
Artists’ website: www.jackieoates.co.uk
‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ – live:
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