Simon Emmerson, the founder of Afro Celt Sound System, core founder of The Imagined Village, record producer, guitarist, bird watcher and Honorary Bard, passed away on Monday, 13th March.
Afro Celt Sound System issued the following announcement:
It’s with a heavy heart that we announce on Monday, 13th March, the peaceful passing of our dear Simon Emmerson, after a prolonged illness.
Simon touched the hearts of millions of people through his music and infinite wisdom. His legacy remains with the amazing people he bought together and they will continue to create the magic of his music with his guidance from above.
We would like to request that our fans, friends and fellow artists to respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time.
There will be plans of a tribute memorial concert later in the year and the details will be released on all platforms.
Thank you and Love and Light to you all.
Alongside his love for music, Simon was also a very keen birder. Some of you may recall that he put together some inspiring guest mixes for Folk Radio in which he shared his deep love of nature. He came up with the title ‘Weirdy Birdy Mix’ for the first, on which we heard the twilight call of Great Northern Divers or the dry song of a Yellowhammer before being gently led away from the maddening crowd to join Swifts, Swallows and Cranes returning home along coastal paths, past childhood oaks and dream time Sky Larks.
Last year, he followed that with ‘Weirdy Birdy’ II, to promote the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch on which he transported us across meadows filled with the rare sounds of turtle doves, quails and corncrakes to the Portuguese border with Spain under a starry on the River Tagus to hear red deer bellowing.
As a tribute to Simon, you can listen to those mixes below in which his passion for nature and music is clear, he was one of a kind.
Our love and condolences to his family.
Weirdy Birdy i (2010)
Featuring musicians in the Imagined Village, Walking With Ghosts, The Nightjar Orchestra, The Petrels and the Sound Approach –
Ali Friend (guitar, double bass, thumb piano, glockenspiel, vocals and toys), Ted Emmerson (Guitar), Ted Barnes (Guitar), Simon Emmerson (Guitars and Cittern), Simon Richmond (Piano, Keyboards, programming, sound design), Belinda O’Hooley (Piano), Jackie Oates (Vocals, Fiddle, Viola), Eliza Carthy (Vocals, Fiddle), Martin Carthy (Guitar), Sheema Mukherjee (Vocals, Sitar), Andy G (Drums), Ged Lynch (Drums), Barney Morse Brown (Vocals, Cello), Ben Murray (Vocals, Piano, Accordion), Richard Evans (guitar, bass, mandolin, whistle, flute, keyboards, vocals), Kate Garrett (Vocals, Harmonium), Paul Sartin (Violin), Rebecca Willson (Violin), spoken word Anthony McGeehan and a variety of song birds recorded by Mark Constantine, Magnus Rob, Arnoud van den Berg. Special Guests on Track 18 Show of Hands and John Jones.
- Tales From The River Bank – J Morris
- Great Northern Divers – The Sound Approach
- The Spell- Ali Friend
- Blue Tit, Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting and a Partridge – The Sound Approach
- Coastal Road – J Oates with the The Imagined Village/Music From ‘The Spell’
- Swallows and Swifts – The Sound Approach
- House In Keremma – Barney Morse Brown
- The Sailboat Malarkey – A L Lloyd/Walking With Ghosts
- Mr Stormalong – Ewan McColl/Sam Larner/Walking With Ghosts
- A Ton Of Petals – The Nightjar Orchestra
- The Smuggler – The Petrels
- Gallocanta – Anthony McGeehan/ Birding From The Hip
- The Iron Way – Spiro
- A Trip To Iceland – Anthony McGeehan/Birding From The Hip
- Peace, Love & Harmonium – The Nightjar Orchestra
- Walkback – J Oates with the Imagined Village/Music From ‘The Spell’
- Away Haul Away – Stan Kelly/Walking With Ghosts
- Australia/Bankrobber Medley – Walking With Ghosts
Weirdy Birdy ii (2022)
Thematically linked to the first one Simon did all those years ago, Weirdy Birdy ii opens to the Afro Celt Sound System with a new track titled Hawk Owl.
There are some beautiful field recordings from The Sound Approach, the first featuring pro-wildlife campaigner/podcaster Charlie Moores talking about the loss of wild meadows. In the accompanying soundscape, you can hear endangered bird species you now rarely hear, such as the turtle dove, quails and corncrakes. Simon says, “these were the types of birds I would have heard as a kid when I went out camping but have now disappeared”. Charlie makes several appearances in the mix, and there are some incredible field recordings by Magnus Robb (The Sound Approach, Northern Flyway).
Alongside Mother Natures Son, a core song on the mix is The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood, a beautiful track by The Imagined Village that played a key part in shaping the mix. It is the first track from The Imagined Village since their Bending the Dark album, and it appeared on The Electric Muse Revisited album, a Robin Denslow compilation that we reviewed here. Simon tells us that it looks hopeful that The Imagined Village will be reuniting for a few gigs this year – you heard it here first.
Along this sonic journey, we also hear Marry Waterson, Martha Tilston, a duet with a Mistle Thrush, red deer bellowing on a starry night on the Portuguese side of the River Tagus, and so much more. It’s a magical journey to lose yourself in for 50 minutes and highlights the fragile nature of the world we live in.
- Afro Celt Sound System – Hawk Owl (unreleased pre mix)
- Charlie Moores and Simon Emmerson – Wild Meadows (podcast extract)
- The Imagined Village – The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood
- Marry Waterson – Blackbird
- Simon Emmerson and Richard Evans – Mistle Thrush
- Charlie Moores and Simon Emmerson – Wild Meadows (podcast extract)
- Martha Tilston – Here Comes The Sun
- Kristian Leontiou, Simon Emmerson, Simon ‘Palmskin’ Richmond – Mother Natures Son
- Rob Gallagher, Simon Emmerson, Simon ‘Palmskin’ Richmond – Would the Warbler
- Charlie Moores and Magnus Robb – Red Deer Rutting (podcast extract – music Polar Drift, Simon Emmerson and Simon ‘Palmskin Richmond)
- Martha Tilston – Stags Bellow
- Afro Celt Sound System – Flight
Rest in peace Simon x