Jake Walton
Emain
The Unknown Land
"The faery woman with the apple bough appeared and sang to King Bran in Irish legend, calling him and his company to Emain,
the land of healing. Their voyage across the water could be seen to symbalise as inner journey".
With
Eric Liorzou
Guest Musicians.
Norman Haskell: Cittern
Mike O'Connor: Fiddle
Erwan Volant: Bass
Jez Lowe: Harmony vocals
Copperplate is delighted to add Jake's masterpiece to our roster. Ireland would not be Ireland if it did not have a big heart for other Celtic lands and their extraordinary musicians. And so it happens from time to time that these artists are welcomed to join the locomotive of The Irish Folk Festival to perform in front of a big audience that they deserve.
This year it is Jake Walton, the-godfather of the Cornish singer/songwriters, masterly accompanied by one of the wizards of the Breton Fest Noz music. This duo unites pan-celtic elements to form a musical entity, which is tailored to the tour motto.
Jake Walton is an artist who creates a deep impression without great gestures. The reason for this is simple. His lyrics and music spring from the depths of Celtic mythology and mysticism. He is a storyteller, who hijacks us to the land of Emain, which is according to the Celtic mythology the land of healing. In the folk revival of the seventies Jake was one of the musical forefathers who discovered Celtic mythology as a source of inspiration and has adapted it to a meaningful artistic statement. And this was long before the New-Age wave!
And at the New-Age end stage this quiet mystical artist has remained faithful to his subtle and evocative style.
The hurdy gurdy is a medieval drone instrument, which is a rarity in the
kaleidoscope of Celtic instruments. And Jake is one of the leading hurdy gurdy players. It's not just an acoustic but also an optical spectacle to watch the artists furiously turning with his right hand the wheel and with the left delicately tinkling the keys.
Eric Liorzou is one of the Breton folk pioneers. For more than three decades he has been a member of the legendary Breton Fest Noz band, Bleizi Ruz and with his mandola and guitar has been in charge of the compulsive rhythm. The hurdy gurdy melodies of his long term friend, Jake, he is driving with the mandola in a syncopated way or he is picking them in unison virtuosly.
Like a swarm of bees they let the melodies buzz around our ears. With their sweetly plucked guitars and subtle deep voices they encourage the listener to dream.
Available from Copperplate:
Jake Walton: Silver Muse
Audio Samples.
The Plains of Silver
Seven Gurdies
Emain (The Unknown Land)
The Peat Fire
Track Listing
- The West Wind
- The Plains of Silver
- Into The Twiilight
- Seven Gurdies
- Beyond The Veil
- Emain ( The Unknown Land)
- Lyric
- Where My Caravan has Rested
- Ceth's Return
- Peat Fire
- The Roads to Rock
- All That's Past
The West Wind
Ceth's Return
Press Reviews
MOJO:
"A Celtic music pioneer before the term was invented, returns with a mystical album, but Jake Walton's spiritualism is firmly rooted in the values of the folk singer-songwriter, and when he cranks his hurdy gurdy into action you have to sit up and pay attention". Colin Irwin.
FOLKING.COM
"Celtic myth and legend oozes from his latest CD 'EMAIN' - The unknown land' Add the very brilliant Eric Liorzou on guitar and cittern, and you have all the ingredients
to make the finest 'Celtic pudding' you've ever tasted.".....'The Plain Of Silver' was voted best mp3 of the month.
Folk on Tap Review
An interesting and melodic set of songs, whose lyrics derive from the likes of W.B.Yeats and Walter De La Mare, as well as Jake himself and Jez Lowe.
Breton guitarist Eric Liorzou joins in the fun, and gets second billing. Walton lives in Cornwall, but has been largely inactive musically for the last decade.
This is a welcome return, a gentle and tuneful delight, and the songs celebrate the mystic west, given that extra mysterious edge by Jake’s facility on the hurdy gurdy.
Spooky stuff, and well worth a listen. Brian Hinton
Time Out
Walton’s vocal influence remains Donovon in Celtic dreaminess mode but his stunning guitar and hurdy gurdy playing are in a class all of their own. His song writing is of a very high standard and originals like “The Plains of Silver”, with its own intoxicating drone between voices and instrumentation, and the adapted, John Masefield poem “The West Wind” are not exceptions but the rule. John Crosby
Rock’n’Reel Review.
Jake's probably best known as former musical partner to Jez Lowe (please reissue Two A Roue', somebody!).
It's (in all but name) a duo album with guitar/mandola player Eric Liorzou. It contains nine original songs ostensibly by Jake (six his settings of others' words, and two to Eric's music) and three instrumental pieces.
Now here's a curious thing: I'd been listening for a while before I bothered reading Ralph McTell's box note, where he reminiscences about his own first hearing of Jake as "plainly influenced by Donovan". Well, Jake's voice does - even now - possess some of the expressive and timbral features of Donovan's; it's a piquantly expressive style, with admirably precise diction. However, Jake has an earthier robustness that, combined with the solid mythic imagery of the songs, sidesteps the twee, tenuous feyness that often beset Donovan to his detriment.
Jake has a healthy perception and appreciation of the lineage of Celtic tradition that replaces the merely faery with a believable mystic import. Though the musical ambit is predominantly gentle, the depth of content more than compensates, and the impact is greatly satisfying.
Jake has an obvious deep and unpretentious sensitivity to his chosen material, with a totally genuine, unforced, inspired response. Eric's finely detailed playing dovetails well with Jake's, and his mandola provides a fetching foil to Jake's elfin hurdy-gurdy on the bright, lively instrumentals.
I also liked Mike O'Connor's lyrical fiddle playing on the opening and closing tracks. This is a beautiful, intricately woven tapestry of an album. David Kidman
World Music Website
The welcome return of one of Cornwall's leading musicians. His songs are still rich in Celtic imagery, legend and spirituality punctuated by images of nature and the wild beauty of his homeland. As with much Cornish music the Breton influences are apparent both in the instrumentation and the arrangements. This will re-establish Walton as songwriter and folk club favourite and help to put Cornwall back on the map of Celtia. Rating: Excellent