Joe Danks – Seaspeak – Songs and Stories From The National Maritime Musem
Supported by EFDSS, National Maritime Museum and Help Musicians UK – 9 July 2021
In these difficult times for musicians and other creatives, it is maybe too easy to forget some of the tremendously positive opportunities and projects that have been enabled and financially backed by many wonderful supporters of the arts. The Musicians in Museums is one such. The scheme, which was run by the English Folk Dance and Song Society, as part of their Artists’ Development Programme, with funding from Help Musicians, involved six artists, including Aimee Leonard, Pete Flood, Jackie Oates, Bryony Griffith and Andy Seward, working as musicians in residence, over a 12 month period, at museums in Greenwich, Reading and Wakefield.
The sixth musician involved was Joe Danks, who was awarded his year-long residency at the National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Greenwich. One tangible result of his project is Seaspeak, a sumptuous and adroitly crafted collection of both beautiful original compositions together with deft arrangements of traditional songs and tunes and the adaptation of words from a poet laureate.
Born in Nottingham, into a musical family (his parents’ band was Wholesome Fish), Joe is a multi-talented musician with many credits to his name, including being awarded ‘International Bodhran Soloist Of The Year’ in 2016, and was, until very recently, a member of the excellent Ranagri. While the East Midlands might not be renowned for its links with the sea, the current Wirksworth resident does have some history regarding nautical references, his Bear On Ice E.P. including tracks entitled Hook, Line and Sinker and Buoyancy Aid. It should not, perhaps, then be a surprise that he has used the opportunity afforded by the collection of artefacts and stories within NMM, the world’s largest, together with its Caird Collection, as a rich stimulus and inspiration to source, write and arrange the material on the CD, and to fulfil a remit of the award in that “Each musician will explore creative links between the tangible culture and history of the museum’s collections and artefacts and the intangible culture and history of folk songs and tunes.”
Most appropriately, the album was recorded at The Queen’s House, Greenwich. In addition to his vocals, multi-talented Joe also plays guitar, Bodhran and melodeon, whilst a stellar line-up of guest musicians sees Danny Pedler (Pedler/Russell, Tarren) on accordion and hurdy-gurdy, Sarah Matthews (Sweet Visitor Band, Cupola, Intarsia) on fiddle, viola and vocals and harpist Jean Kelly (Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments, and also, previously, Ranagri) adding more than a touch of musical excellence.
The tone of the album is immediately set from the opening track, Sea Fever. The song is actually two poems from the Salt-water Poems and Ballads collection by John Masefield, himself no stranger to the sea, having trained as a sailor on HMS Conway. The chorus is taken from Sea-Fever, whilst the verses come from Roadways, and, given the context and background of the release, there can surely be no better lyrical introduction than
‘I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by’
For the tune, Joe has arranged a 1921 musical hall setting of Roadways by composer Herman Löhr, delivering it in a different time signature. The song also features delightful harmonies from Sarah with additional vocals from Ben Davies. The accompanying video to this memorable track was exclusively premiered in April by Folk Radio here.
The role of the sea through history is clearly referenced in several tracks on the album. The First World War Battle of Jutland, commemorated in a wonderful gallery within the NMM, produced many heroes, none more famous than John Travers Cornwell V.C. (Jack Cornwell), the 16-year-old gunner who courageously refused to leave his post. Rather than follow this line, however, in his enigmatic Jutland 1916, Joe instead chooses to sing about one of the lesser-known casualties of this battle, one John Blackwell, an unassuming laundry boy from Wimbledon. In the notes accompanying the CD, Joe says, “I was taken with the anonymity of many of the serviceman who lost their lives, particularly in the Great War, and wanted to connect with one individual’s story.” This approach has reaped dividends on a tremendous offering in which gentle guitar and evocative harp-playing from Jean are bolstered by Joe’s fine vocals.
The inspiration for 308, anotherDanks’ composition, is a model of HMS Rawalpindi, which stands on the ground floor of The NMM. The song’s title poignantly reflects the number of crew on board the converted warship which sank, following a German attack, in 1939. Honing-in specifically on the story of Royston Alfred Leadbetter, the high quality of Joe’s narrative songwriting skills is clearly evident as he relates the tale of the merchant seaman who, having managed to find his younger brother, as the ship went down, returned with a lifejacket only to find him gone and never to be seen again. The story, which was told as part of the BBC’s ‘People’s War’ project in 2005 here, is respectfully and intelligently delivered in 308, with the driving rhythms of the reel featured, The Trip To Pakistan, being highly appropriate on many levels.
In keeping with the above, not least in terms of pathos, but wildly different in subject matter, Jumbo/ The Matthew Scott Schottische is based on Leon Rosselson’s Jumbo the Elephant, first released on 1968’s A Laugh, a Song and a Hand-grenade, and inspired by a documentary watched by Joe early on in his residency. Part protest song and part celebration of all things shipped in and out of London, Joe recounts the sad tale of Jumbo the London Zoo African elephant shipped to Barnum’s Circus in New York in 1882, after waiting on Millwall Dock overnight, despite a demonstration involving thousands of people who came to protest at his leaving. Both music and lyrics are memorable and builds to a finale with The Matthew Scott Schottische, a tune Sarah wrote, dedicated to Jumbo’s long-suffering keeper. The tune is a cracker, a stompy toe-tapper of the highest order. As a complete entity, I can offer no higher praise than to say that this track is highly redolent of Stackridge at their very best; Syracuse the Elephant has a new soul-mate.
There’s certainly no lack of variety on Seaspeak, and, mindful of his own background as a dancer with both Harlequin and Makeney (Belper) Morris sides, Joe also enlists the support of English Step Dance enthusiast and acclaimed Sailors’ Hornpipe expert Simon Harmer, who contributes his step dancing on two tracks, the first of which is Quadrilles. These are social dances, and Joe has sourced that they were prevalent aboard ships in the late 18th and 19th century. Further research at Cecil Sharp House uncovered a collection of tunes by John Moore in 1837. Two of these, both entitled simply Quadrille, feature here. Lively, up-tempo offerings, these traditional tunes use Simon’s step dancing to great percussive effect, with added Bodhran also enhancing the enchanting contributions from Danny and Sara.
Simon’s second contribution is on the Dorsetshire Hornpipe/Uncle George’s/Tommy Roberts’ set. Three traditional hornpipes, set for dancing, the first tune was brought to the project by Sarah, whilst Joe found the latter two through the melodeon playing of the West Country’s late Bob Cann and the late Keith Summers, recorder and collector of traditional tunes and founder of Music Traditions. As might be expected from hornpipes, the set is an energetic collection showing off not only Simon’s skill but also the dexterity of the musicians.
Two tracks on the release have an association with Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Inspired by a banjo in the NMM, which once belonged to meteorologist Leonard Hussey, who took it along on numerous Shackleton expeditions, he is known to have played the traditional hunting song John Peel whilst on-board. In Hussey’s John Peel, whilst taking the traditional chorus, Joe has cleverly rewritten verses about crew members. With his distinctive vocals to the fore, we are also, once again, treated to delightful harmonies.
The second offering within the Shackleton theme, the song Southward, tells the story of the steam yacht SY Morning, a relief vessel to Scott’s British National Antarctic Expedition. Taken from The Songs of the Morning collection, songs written during its voyages between 1902-4, the words were penned by Chief Engineer John Donald Morrison and put to music by the ship’s captain Gerald Doorly. Acknowledged widely as the first music to be published from Antarctica, this collection also contains songs co-written by Shackleton. Recorded a capella on the 17th century Queen’s House stairwell (part of the Maritime Museum), the superb acoustics allow Joe’s voice to shine in an almost celestial, plainsong manner.
The beguiling drone of Danny’s hurdy-gurdy introduces the traditional Man Of War. The song is linked not to Turner’s work of the same name but rather his more famous painting, The Battle of Trafalgar, which hangs in the NMM. As the song builds from a lone voice, it develops as the other musicians weave their magic before the song ends, in a pleasing symmetry, with the hurdy-gurdy.
The choice of song chosen to close the album is an inspired one. Ewan MacColl’s Sweet Thames Flows Softly has been oft-recorded. Still, here the gentle, sparse version, featuring only Joe’s crystal clear vocal and Jean’s exquisite harp, breathes new life into an old favourite. In the context of celebrating the Maritime Museum’s close connection to the famous river, it also brings added relevance.
To be released on July 9, Seaspeak is an absorbing and refined debut album from a talented young musician. Equally comfortable and adept at creating original work and providing fascinating nuances and arrangements to traditional fare, the album is a very welcome addition to this year’s list of fine releases. The wind is set fair for the continued musical success and career of Joe Danks.
Seaspeak is released on July 9.