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I play traditonal fiddle music from North America, Scandinavia, the British Isles and further afield, as well as some more contemporary work and the occasional recording session.
Ben Paley & Tab Hunter’s acclaimed 1999 CD dolor ipse is now available for download in mp3 format from www.efolkmusic.org!
about the clips
- A Fable from Aigge © 2004 Hag Records, Burbridge arr. Mcdermott’s 2 Hours / Levellers
From one of McDermott’s 2 Hours’ collaborations with the Levellers, this features lots of interesting sound effects by the wonderful engineer Jake Rowsham at the Metway studio in Brighton.
- Áines Brudpolska © 1999 Ben Paley
From the album Svenska Låtar which I made in 1999 with my father Tom. I wrote this tune in the Swedish tradition to celebrate the wedding of my friends Áine and Anthony.
- Polly Put The Kettle On Trad, arr © 2007 Ben Paley
In my kitchen.
- The Blackbird © 2005 Day Job Records, trad. arr Baker / Boyle / Paley
This is a well-known Irish set-dance tune. We add a Scandinavian-inspired fiddle harmony half way through. Duck Baker on guitar, Maggie Boyle on flute.
- Glory in the Meeting House © 1999 Paley/Hunter, trad. arr Paley/Hunter
This is me and Tab Hunter from our album dolor ipse, now available for download in mp3 format from www.efolkmusic.org.
- I Worry For This World © 2005 Kieron Means, composed Kieron Means, arr. Means / Paley
Kieron singing and playing guitar. The song is from Kieron’s album Far As My Eyes Can See, which also features Sara Grey.
Get in touch if there’s something in particular you’d like me to post - I may be able to oblige! Send me an email from the contact page of my website.
some quotes
ƒRoots magazine:...just about the best folk fiddler of his generation
Neil Dalton:…fabulously gifted, naturally talented… He looks like he doesn’t care about anything but when he rocks gently back and forth, his lips half smiling, his eyes closed, lost in some personal, musical reverie, he plays like the only thing worth caring about is a violin. He moves his right arm… like some oriental dancer folding and unfolding their hands… His playing is warm, rich, sometimes dry, sometimes dusty, never intrusive, always inventive; he’s a Zen fly fisherman, only with a bow not a rod… Ben [has] the ability to… ignite your emotions or break your heart slowly.
Jim Younger:Lovely intonation, supple wrist and fluid bowing, pulsing, lilting rhythm and a superb ear for melody and counter-melody
Alan Rose,The Living Tradition...shows himself to be Mr. Appropriate, providing flair and empathy in equal parts
some websites
My own website is at www.benpaley.com for more quotes and reviews, a biography, a gig list, a fairly comprehensive discography, mailing list and so on.
I play a lot with the excellent Tab Hunter: although our domain name was whipped out from under us, we are back on-line with www.blazingstrings.co.uk. Hoorah!
some video clips
some people i’ve worked with
Damon Albarn, Duck Baker, Philippe Barnes, Maggie Boyle, Nick Burbridge, Mark Carroll, Sam Carroll, Dil Davies, Diz Disley, Herbie Flowers, Matt Goorney, Claudia Gould, Ron Gould, Sara Grey, Laura Hockenhull, Tab Hunter, Ian Kearey, the Levellers, Dave Levett, Joe Locker, Bing Lyle, Mandragora, McDermott’s 2 Hours, Kieron Means, Andy Metcalfe, Moksha, Mandy Murray, Red Nerk, Michael Nyman, Tom Paley, Dan Quinn, Naomi Russell, The Saw Doctors, Tina Smith, Vic Smith, The Sussex Pistols, The Volo Bogtrotters, Tony Wickham, the Wild Turkey Brothers, Chris Wood, Murray Lachlan Young, Zoe
some recommendations
- Shostakovich’s String Quartet No 7 in F-sharp minor
- John Kennedy Toole’s posthumous novel A Confederacy Of Dunces
- Sergei Parajanov’s magical Ashik Kerib
- The Conversation, with Gene Hackman
- Olsen & Johnson’s 1941 comedy Helzapoppin’
- The utterly wonderful Marimba Queens (oddly, a mirror image of the original)
some people
I am married to Sam, and my sons are Max and Izzy; my daughter is still too young for her own myspace!
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