In FREY, her debut solo offering out now on Penny Fiddle Records, Tamsin explores themes of limbo, pain, healing and acceptance, reflecting on the microcosm of her personal experience of chronic illness alongside wider themes of societal disconnection and environmental grief.
The album comprises compositions for accordion, harp, whistle and voice, creating a mesmerising conjunction of sonic textures. Written during a period of rest and uncertainty, she began to create music and sounds that reflected her need for sanctuary, and provided an outlet to process grief. FREY inhabits a soundworld true to her English folk roots, with modal and rhythmic echoes of time spent in Egypt, and moments of experimentalism using effects, drones and field recordings. With a magnetic sense of tension and release, the collection imbues a sense of spaciousness, and ultimately communicates a strong message of hope and healing through art and connection.
“Tamsin Elliott’s Frey rubber-stamps the arrival of a new British talent, full of beautiful, filmic compositions for accordion, harp, whistle and voice” - The Guardian
"Such music can offer clarity while the chaos of life threatens to engulf us... the musical equivalent of shinrin yoku" - Folk Radio UK
"Frey is a reflection of the ups and downs of Elliott's life that doesn't pull its punches, while providing plenty of opportunities to demonstrate her outstanding compositional and instrumental prowess." - RnR ****
"It's a very human record in which the many cross-cultural influences magnificently coalesce to transcend hardship and distress... highly personal yet universally resonant" - Songlines ****
"FREY may be her debut album but, if you’re asking us, it’s already one of the best albums so far this year. Hands down. No question. Tamsin Elliott just set the bar even higher.” - TradFolk
“FREY is probably one of the most beautiful, personal and ultimately uplifting albums that you are likely to listen to this year.” - Fatea Magazine
Tamsin is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and filmmaker based in Bristol, UK, collaborating with Egyptian educator and composer Tarek Elazhary, who seeks to preserve the musical heritage of the Middle East, while exploring its place within a contemporary context.
Exploring the parallels and celebrating the idiosyncrasies of both Egyptian and English folk traditions, Elliott and Elazhary aim to find commonality, foster cross-cultural connection and help to heal the scars of a colonial past through meaningful and conscious collaboration.
We are excited and honoured to receive the Alan James Creative Bursary from EFDSS to develop this work, as well as "Record and Release" support from Help Musicians UK.
A new composition for lever harp, oud and percussion
Tamsin Elliott - harp, composition
Tarek Elazhary - oud
Salma Amr - percussion
Hesham Al Qersh - dance
Recorded between El Warsha, Cairo by Ahmad Kubbara and Wales by Sid Goldsmith; mixed by Sid Goldsmith
Filmed and edited by Tamsin Elliott
Traditional Asturian Tonada, arranged for flute, oud and percussion. Egypt, January 2020
Tamsin Elliott - flute
Tarek Elazhary - oud
Salma Amr - riq
Recorded by Ahmad Kubbara at El Warsha, Cairo
Mixed by Sid Goldsmith
Solana formed in 2012 in Valencia, Spain, and has toured the UK and Europe extensively as well as releasing three albums. They play original compositions inspired by folk traditions from around the world, flamenco and contemporary jazz, with distinct musical threads brought by each band member.
"These festival favourites dazzlingly explore ideas of Arabic music, flamenco and Ethio-jazz..." - Songlines Magazine
"They make my spice shelf look boring… an accomplished and colourful album" — Folk Radio UK
"A multi-textured cornucopia of sound... a thrill to experience live" — Outline Magazine
Hedera is a new Bristol-based quintet of instrumentalists brought together by a desire to lean into the slower and more delicate side of European folk traditions.
Their growing repertoire draws on French, English, Eastern European and Scandinavian music, with playful and inventive arrangements that reflect the diverse array of experience brought by members of the band: violinists Maisie Brett and Lulu Ruby Rose, clarinettist Isis Wolf-Light, Bethany M. Roberts on double bass, and Tamsin Elliott on accordion and harp. Intrigued by the combination of strings and reeds that seems to lend itself to effortless arranging, they have also now begun to create original music together. Their debut release ‘Waterwheel’ was composed by Tamsin Elliott and filmed by Elly Lucas in a dramatic Perthshire arboretum; it premiered on Folk Radio on 24 October 2022.
'Waterwheel', composed by Tamsin Elliott and arranged by the band, was recorded and filmed live on location in a dramatic Perthshire arboretum.
Audio production by Bethany M. Roberts
Additional audio production by Tamsin Elliott
Mastered by Theo Passingham
Filmed by Elly Lucas
Video production by Tamsin Elliott
Hedera perform 'Zaytuni Zar' by Armenian composer Arto Tunçboyacıyan, at Buchanty Schoolhouse, Scotland.
Audio production by Bethany M. Roberts
Additional audio production by Tamsin Elliott
Mastered by Theo Passingham
Filmed by Elly Lucas
Video production by Tamsin Elliott
Traditional Armenian melody, arranged by the eight musicians living at my house during lockdown on harp, oud, double bass, violin, viola, concertina, clarinet & percussion.
Audio production by Sid Goldsmith
Cameras by Henry Edmonds and Naomi Larh
Part of the lockdown music film [FROM THE COOP]
Dedicated to my dear and wonderful friend JP Wolfgang, in memory of his father Richard Collins.
Tamsin Elliott - accordion, composition, video
Rowan Elliott - viola
Audio production by Sid Goldsmith
Cameras by Sid Goldsmith and Liam O'Connell
Part of the lockdown music film [FROM THE COOP]
Composition for solo harp performed in Sinai, Egypt, December 2017
Recorded & produced by Ahmad Kubbara
at El Warsha, Cairo
Music video directed by Yassin Gabriel
Additional footage by Randa Said
Thanks to all at Dayra Camp, Sinai
'An Buachaillin Ban' played on a Howard Low D Whistle and 34 string lever harp.
Learn from the playing of Niall and Cillian Vallely , and recorded as a lullaby for a friend's newborn baby.
www.howardmusic.co.uk
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