JAKE WALTON
SILVER MUSE

"This is a beautifully wrought album from a man of Cornwall. Proud of the inspiration this Celtic corner of England has brought him and confident in its contribution to the music of the other Celtic nations". Ralph McTell

"A Celtic music pioneer before the term was invented" Colin Irwin, Mojo Magazine

"These songs have spanned four decades. I have re-recorded some old favourites along with more recent compositions.
My inspiration has come from the Celtic lands with their myths and legends, the cycles of nature and our place in it". Jake Walton

The return of the legendary folk singer/songwriter Cornish-based singer / songwriter was born in Nottingham. In the 1960’s, he started out as a drummer but, inspired by the early albums of Bert Jansch and Donovan, he switched to guitar. Jake won acclaim on the Cornish folk scene, along side Ralph McTell, Wizz Jones, & The Incredible String Band among others, he went of the cement a large following on the folk scene in UK and Europe.

With a long interest in the music of the 13^th century troubadours, Jake became intrigued by the sound o f the Hurdy-Gurdy. He found a Gurdy maker in France and soon became the pioneer of the Hurdy-Gurdy revival in UK. The instrument and its heritage inspired many of Jake’s songs.

He teamed up with dulcimer player, Roger Nicholson on the 70’s at The Peeler’s Club. Their partnership saw them tour UK, USA and Europe. Jake collaborated on 6 albums over the 8 years period featuring dulcimer, Hurdy-Gurdy, guitar and vocals.

In 73 Jake, was invited to join legendary Wizz Jones in his band, Lazy Farmer. The music was based mainly on Old Timey Americana. Lazy Farmer recorded one LP produced by the renowned producer, Connie Plank. Jake retains many happy memories of the European tour which followed the albums release.

During the 80’s Jake released two solo albums: The Gloaming Grey and Sunlight & Shade, the later featuring Irish piper Joe McKenna and his wife Antionette on harp.
In a 10 years creative partnership with Northumbrian master Jez Lowe, they recorded Two A Roue, which was deemed Folk Roots #4 album of the years of 86. Jake and Jez toured extensively throughout the decade to UK, USA &Europe.
Jake continued to play across Europe, often with Breton musician, Eric Liorzou, notably on two Irish Festival” tours across Germany (91) and Switzerland (02), alongside Altan and several top Irish outfits.

2018 saw the release of Silver Muse, a compilation of songs spanning 4 decades of Jake’s career. Jake has re-recorded some of his crowd pleasers along with some more recent compositions.

The Songs encompass Celtic myths, legends and our place within the cycles of nature. His inspiration also comes from the mystic poems of writers like W.B. Yeats, & George A E Russell as well as others long forgotten. Silver Muse feature many of Jake’s old musical colleagues as well as many new friends.

Also available from Copperplate.
Jake Walton. Emain

Audio Samples.

Track 1:The Music Makers

Track 2: The West Wind

Track 3: The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Track Listing

1. The Music Makers
2. The West wind
3. By The Margin of the Great Deep
4. Emain
5. Tom O' Bedlam's Dream
6. Silver Muse
7. Beyond The Veil
8. Sunlight & Shade
9. Tristan's Song
10. Trees
11. After The Plough
12. The Lake Isle of Innisfree
13. September Morning
14. All That's Past
15. White Wave Sea

Watch Jake and Eric Liorzou in concert on You Tube

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/...]

Press Reviews

R’n’R Mag * * * Sept/Oct 18

Back in the day, Jake was known as a master of the Hurdy Gurdy and a musical partner of Jez Lowe. His career wasn’t very linear as he frequently retreated to Cornwall to fuel his muse, and Silver Muse was recorded five years ago but is only now getting a full release. The Hurdy Gurdy is back although you’d hardly notice, so is Jez but blink and you’ll miss him too.

These songs are drawn from Jake’s back catalogue and have been re-recorded with new arrangements alongside new songs featuring Eric Liorzou, Athene Roberts, Eric Holden, Kathryn Wheeler, and Alex West. Predominantly they are drawn from Cornish myth and legend and the words of such Celtic poets as Arthur O’Shaughnessy, George Russell, and W.B. Yeats. If you don’t know Jake’s work think of Johnny Coppin or early Magna Carta for style and a sense of Place.

The new recordings are rich and full even when only two instruments are present. “After The Plough” with twin dulcimers is striking though frequently we have two guitars and mandola with Eric Liorzou in support. Silver Muse is very enjoyable in it’s bucolic way and it will turn your musical clock back a few decades. Dai Jeffries

THE LIVING TRADITION
"I’d been wondering why I’d not heard much of Jake of late. Readers will most likely know him as a hurdy gurdy player par excellence, who collaborated with Jez Lowe on the 1986 album, Two A Roue. I recall interviewing him around the turn of the millennium and was enchanted to discover his other work, original songs and tunes composed over a career which even by then had already chalked up over two decades of music-making.

Given that virtually all of Jake’s previous albums are long ‘discontinued’, the arrival of this CD will be judged very good news. Silver Muse is a representative collection of Jake’s songwriting spanning four decades. By my reckoning (and I stand to be corrected here), of the disc’s 15 tracks, two-thirds are re-recordings of old favourites. Interspersed among these we find five compositions of more recent provenance, which fit snugly here and prove the consistency of Jake’s vision and his writing over the years, the latter heavily inspired by the Celtic lands – their myths and legends – and informed by the cycles of nature and man’s place within the scheme of things. Several of the songs take their cue from literature, including a setting of Yeats’ Lake Isle Of Innisfree and creative adaptations of O’Shaughnessy’s Ode (The Music Makers), Elizabeth J. Coatsworth’s St. Eval (After The Plough) and an old Irish prayer (White Wave Sea).

Jake’s is a style that doesn’t date, although it might be considered ‘old school’ in that his music is both mellifluous and melodic, flowing and genial and commendably easy on the ear even when tackling less than comfortable topics (Trees, Tom O’Bedlam’s Dream). Jake also benefits greatly from the contributions of long-time collaborator Eric Liorzou and other musical friends including Jez Lowe, Bryony Holden, Alex West, Kathryn Wheeler, Athene Roberts and David De La Haye. You can take it as a recommendation that within a short time of placing this disc in the player, you’re bound to fall under Jake’s spell. The accompanying booklet and contents are most attractively presented too".....David Kidman