Garry Blakeley

SIMON NICOL (Fairport Convention) "Garry's work shows a happy meld of youthful bounce and spirit with a mature sense of the inner value of the driving melodies seemingly tossed off without apparent effort.: at the same time this man is no mean tunesmith and he can make his fiddle sing with real depths of emotion"

BARRY DRANSFIELD "Listening to Garry Blakeley for the first time was for me one of those rare happenings where the reality far exceeded the well deserved rumours which inevitably grow around a fine player. Whilst his elegant playing of English music reflects "laid back" Sussex perfectly, his grip of Irish music is something very special which surely comes from the echoes of his Irish and Gypsy roots now further exposed in his song writing. Self-effacing and honest in his approach, Garry is a pleasure to listen to. Sit back and enjoy - I know I will"

PETER KNIGHT (Steeleye Span) "Garry is a good friend, a wonderful fiddle player and a lovely singer - he has always been recognised and admired as one of the few English fiddlers who has captured the lilt and spirit of traditional Irish dance music "'

BRIAN McNEILL (Feast of Fiddles) " One of the best fiddlers and fiddle composers in the country.

THE CEREMONY OF MAY REVIEWS:

RICHARD DIGANCE (BBC Radio Devonfolk) The Ceremony Of May is a 'concept' album in the tradition of Ashley Hutchings “The Complete Dancing Master” where the spoken word plays as integral a part as the music. Respected fiddle player Garry Blakeley (Feast Of Fiddles) utilising his wife Rose's poems joined by Jane Downes (the narrator) has created a CD featuring some excellent folk-rock and acoustic based songs as well as the outstanding bonus orchestral arrangement of “The Green Man” by Garry’s son Edd. A must buy purchase for anyone interested in the folk-rock genre!

ALAN TITCHMARSH (BBC Radio 2)  " This will set the blood coursing through your veins "

CHRIS LESLIE (Fairport Convention) ' The Ceremony Of May is a lovely celebration of English roots'

KATHY & BOB DRAGE  (Around Kent Folk)
This is the most outstanding celebration of the 1st of May and Jack-in-the-Green we have ever heard. Tunes, songs and narration all delicately weave into one another like the leaves and branches of the green man himself. The words are taken from Rose Blakeley’s book ‘A Pathway Through The Seasons’. Her ‘Green Man’ poem begins “Step into the forest, warm and bright. Drink from the cup of golden light”. The music is highly mystical and uses keyboards to good effect – Garry is a multi-instrumentalist and a superb fiddle player. The arrangements range from folk-rock to subtle acoustic moments and provide an evocative atmosphere for the narration by Jane Downes. Garry’s son Edd provides a wonderful orchestral arrangement of the Green Man. We’ve noticed that the green man is featured in many cultures, not just English – in the writings of Rumi he’s called Khidr. It’s interesting to see how many young folk, especially in the morris, who follow the old ways. This CD, the show and the book will entertain and be of interest to everyone. 

DAVID KIDMAN (Folk Roundabout)
"Garry’s musical settings are impeccably executed"

COLIN ANDREWS ( Editor of Devon Folk Magazine)
Magic - the word describes both the atmosphere of the Hastings Jack in the Green Festival and this CD of music, song and spoken verse that celebrates this May Day tradition. The Ceremony of May is based on poems from Rose Blakeley’s book, A Pathway Through The Seasons, with music composed by Garry. Rarely have I heard a stand-alone album which so successfully captures the essence of a live performance, let alone the spirit of a whole weekend spectacle. Dawn Awakening, the opening instrumental track, is aptly named, for who could resist the temptation to leap out of bed and dance to the captivating rhythm and melody of drum and lead fiddle? It’s followed by the haunting song, The Beltane Bud, which is interspersed with narration by Jane Downes, who presents the main Ceremony poem at interludes between the songs and tunes. The album is a very skilful mix of genres - spoken word, traditional sounding songs & tunes, but also full electronic and folk rock treatment used with great effect on some tracks to create, well, an ‘electric’ atmosphere! There is even a full orchestral arrangement in a reprise of The Green Man. From the Morris-like whistle & drum on Jack’s Release, the fiddle lament for Jack, and the lively Summer Polka, the music always seems absolutely right for the context of the story. Garry and Edd Blakeley provide most of the imaginative instrumentation, with extra fiddle from Tom Leary on Jack’s Lament, and melodeon contribution from Hugh Crabtree.As I said at the beginning - pure magic !

BRIAN McNEILL (Feast of Fiddles)
' Riveting. As potent a mixture of music and words as I've heard in a long time - a beautifully modulated voice added to the artistry of one of the best fiddlers and fiddle composers in the country. On the first hearing I felt as though I'd tapped into something ageless, by the third I felt I'd known the tunes and the poems all my days.'

OZ HARDWICK  (R2 Magazine)
The roots of this cycle of songs, tunes and spoken word lie within Rose Blakeley’s book, A Pathway Through The Seasons, a collection of narrative verse which, in turn, drew its inspiration from English seasonal lore and custom. Who better to set this material to music, then, than Garry, a singer and multi-instrumentalist probably best known for his work with Feast Of Fiddles? As such a pedigree may suggest, the playing and arrangements are firmly in the best tradition of English folk-rock, with echoes of Fairport (‘Sunrise/A New Day Begins’) and early Steeleye Span (‘The Green Man’ and ‘The Summer Polkas’ in particular). Garry’s no mean singer, either, with the delivery of the plaintive ‘Farewell To Winter’ reminding me a little of Jon Boden. Narrative links are read expressively by Jane Downes.  This is certainly a well-constructed, evocative whole, with a number of particularly strong individual tracks that can stand alone outside the confines of the album.