Angharad Jenkins and Patrick Rimes – amrwd

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Welsh folk due Angharad Jenkins and Patrick Rimes collaborate on their debut album as a duo with amrwd (the Welsh for ‘raw’). As founding members of multi-award-winning band CALAN, they have a long-established reputation as two of the finest instrumentalists on the Welsh folk scene and their debut certainly doesn’t disappoint. With fifteen years of playing together, five studio albums under their belt, and several tours across three continents, Jenkins and Rimes have earned their status as two of the finest purveyors of the Welsh tradition alongside a name as innovators in rediscovering familiar old tunes and songs.

The multi-instrumentalists (Jenkins provides fiddle and voice, whilst Rimes provides viola, piano, and even foot percussion) prove their mettle through a considered selection of tunes and songs, all carefully curated to showcase the best of traditional and contemporary Welsh music.

The instrumental ‘Brandy Cove‘, originally recorded by Jenkins and her mother Delyth under the name DnA, provides a striking introduction to an album rich in traditional Welsh songs and tunes alongside some new compositions. Fiddles sweep and play through a tune which feels gracefully ageless – a measure of Jenkins and Rimes’ love of traditional sounds and melodies.

‘Rosehill‘ opens with Rimes’ piano accompaniment to Jenkins’ vocals. The self-penned song, written with members of Swansea’s Rosehill Quarry Group about the Rosehill Community Park, is a sweet little song celebrating the natural world, local community, and the coming together to make a forgotten area a more beautiful space. Despite a similar narrative, ‘Nant Y Mynydd’ almost takes things in a different direction with a pounding drum beat and fiddle rhythm underpinning lyrics from the 19th-century poet John Ceiriog Hughes. The Welsh nursery rhyme is given a thrusting, muscular makeover which works surprisingly well: a guaranteed foot-stomper at a Jenkins and Rimes gig.

The classic Welsh love song ‘Myfanywy‘ is melodiously handled in an instrumental between two fiddles. It’s a sensitive, timeless, and thoroughly evocative interpretation of the old favourite and a genuine highlight. It’s followed by a further classic, another love song, ‘Tra Bo Dau‘ (‘While There Are Two‘). Jenkins’ quiet, soft vocals over Rimes’ piano prove an effective collaboration. The Welsh hymn ‘Calon Lân‘ is also sensitively rendered – it’s an intimate, haunting song with a somewhat deep, resonant tone provided by Rimes’ viola. These three traditional tracks demonstrate Jenkins and Rimes’ effortless yet considered approach to tradition.

Throughout amrwd, Jenkins and Rimes flirt with tradition and modern interpretations but always with one foot in the historic camp. As the duo explain, “We’ve arranged old favourites with sensitivity and respect, playing them alongside our own celebratory joyous fiddle tunes – some imbued with influences from the music we’ve picked up on travels over the years.” It’s an attractive combination and ensures a fresh slant to some classic Welsh sounds and poetry: alongside the aforementioned Ceiriog Hughes are words from Welsh bards Gwyrosydd (Daniel James), notably on ‘Calon Lân‘, whilst Mynyddog Mwynfawr (Richard Davies) is referenced in the inclusion of ‘Mwfanwy‘.

There are less familiar traditional tunes on offer here too. One of the highlights is ‘Du Fel y Glo‘, which combines the slip jig with ‘Pibddawns y Mwnci‘ (also known as ‘The Monkey’s Hornpipe‘) and the reel ‘D’Issoudun‘ in a rousing set, with sweaty fiddles battling for supremacy over piano and foot stomp. Simply arranged and performed solely by fiddle and percussion, it cleverly captures the intimate sound of a traditional dance before it sharply brings it up to date with a piano accompaniment.

The work song ‘Gyrru’r Ychen‘ (‘Driving the Oxen‘) is also given a suitably earthy reading with vocals from Rimes in a stripped-back song which effectively evokes the end of the day and the gathering to share a song – one to sing round a fire and undoubtedly inspired by Rimes’ other work as founding member of Welsh Chamber Folk trio VRï. The penultimate track, ‘Tiwn Jo‘, once again takes us on a fiddle journey with a merging of the traditional tune with the lament ‘Beth yw’r Haf i Mi?‘ (‘What is the Summer to Me?‘).

The album finishes with the tender ‘The Seatons’, a sweet instrumental highlighting the close musicianship between Jenkins’ fiddle and Rimes’ piano. Starting softly, the pace picks up to a dance before the tune softly returns to a reflective finish. It’s a fitting and gently soothing conclusion to a rather beautiful album.

While amrwd may mean ‘raw’ in Welsh, conjuring images of something unfinished or even underdone, here it perfectly captures the life essence of Welsh song and music and the sheer vitality of Jenkins and Rimes duet. It’s a pure, uncluttered affair which allows the duo’s musicianship and vocals to shine. Harmonious fiddle, piano, and viola smoothly combine to create a rather charming soundscape. Still, it’s the Welsh fiddle tradition that shines here most palpably through ‘Brandy Cove’, ‘Myfanwy’, ‘Du Fel y Glo’, and ‘Tiwn Jo’. In these moments, the album flies, with Jenkins and Rimes’ strings providing an exciting, invigorating, and thoroughly riveting sound. There is a freshness here which manages to breathe new life into some very familiar tunes and songs. Rarely has the sound of duetting fiddles sounded so lively and so enthralling. It’s a sensitive, humble, yet skilled arrangement on show on amrwd, and one that works incredibly well. Jenkins and Rimes’ masterful playing thrills throughout, and the considered compositions constantly surprise and please. amrwd is a delightful recording and ensures that, as accomplished stewards of tradition, Welsh folk is in very safe hands.

Pre-Order amrwd via Tŷ Cerdd Records – https://tycerddshop.com/collections/audio/products/amrwd-cd

Watch Jenkins and Rimes performing Calon Lân live for Swansea’s Menter Iaith Abertawe, who promote the Welsh language by encouraging its use and enabling opportunities to enjoy it for all ages and backgrounds in Swansea. 

Live shows:

4 August Aberystwyth MusicFest

6 August National Eisteddfod of Wales

We will be featuring music from the album in our upcoming Folk Show.