Singer, arranger, composer and bass player extraordinaire Ben Nicholls is the bassist of choice for much of the folk scene. He has appeared in numerous collaborations and bands over the years – Sea Song Sessions, Kings of the South Seas, The Full English, Fay Hield, Martin Simpson, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings, Seth Lakeman, Sam Sweeney, John Smith, The Servant’s Ball, and so many more.
For his new album, Duets, Ben celebrates those many collaborations in a series of duets featuring many of the artists he has been accompanying over his 35-year career. The first of which is with Kris Drever. Watch the accompanying video for his lead single, The Greenland Whale Fisheries, below.
As Ben says below, he has a deep love for maritime music (and let’s face it – he does look the part), something he also explored in his 2014 collaborative album Kings of the South Seas, inspired by the epic whaling expeditions of the early 19th Century from Britain to the South Pacific, around the South Sea Islands. Joined by Evan Jenkins and Richard Warren, the album was Produced by John Parish. They delved into the lives of the ‘whale men’ and their culture, expressed through a contemporary take on traditional song, broadsides and hymns. The album was launched at Cecil Sharp House and was opened by acclaimed author Philip Hoare, whose books include Leviathan or, The Whale, which won the Samuel Johnson Prize (2009).
Ben shared this on the new single:
I’ve played with Kris a few times over the years, and he’s always brilliant. We were both playing at different concerts in Cardiff a while ago and ran into each other afterwards at a bar. I mentioned the idea I had for an album of bass duets, and he said he’d love to come and record something for the record. He suggested trying a version of Greenland Whale Fishery. I’ve been immersed in maritime music for a few years, so it was great to get together with Kris and play this traditional old song of the Arctic whaling trade.
We’ll have more on Duets soon. You can also hear the single in our Regular Folk Playlist and our latest Folk Show – Episode 142.