Have a wonderful summer everyone. Rest and recuperate. Re-envision and recover. Life is short and you all have lots to contribute and offer to this crazy world.                                                                                                            On our home page this month we are featuring three of the excellent electronica and dance music albums by Mr. Don. Dance away those summer nights with some of the best electronica you’ll find anywhere.                            And in other news for you…

• Katie Targett Adams is writing and recording in Japan.
• Charlotte Parmiter’s folk album is almost completed…just a few more overdubs… violin and percussion, and then mixing and mastering. You will love it!
• David Clifton plays the WDVX Blue Plate Special on 1st July at 12.00 p.m. … (listen online around the world…http://www.wdvx.com/audiovideo/listen-live/) and The Square Room, Knoxville, with Joey English on July 5th at 8.00 p.m.
• The Open Road (Phil Baggaley and his band) played the historic Isle Of Wight festival on June 15th
• And finally……

  Twenty years ago this summer, on July 1st 1993, in the far off days of cassettes (which now seem to have come back into fashion, along with vinyl…) Andy Piercy and David Clifton released their first recording: ‘Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow’. It was received with great enthusiasm, and received critical acclaim from reviewers and listeners around the world. Several reviewers championed it as a ground-breaking album of its time in the genre of Sacred and Spiritual music; the CD version was released a few months later in early 1994. The title track, ‘Praise God…’ has just been re-recorded in Nashville by singer/songwriter Martin Chalk, who hails from the Seacoast Church, Charlston SC, ready for release on the new Modern Hymnal project. It will be launched later this year, and is promoted by EMI Music. Read more about how ‘Praise God…” was recorded and produced in Covent Garden, London all those years ago, by visiting Andy and David’s page here on the Little Room site.

May…….

May You Never, by John Martyn.

Vintage footage of John Martyn playing and singing “May You Never” from The Old Grey Whistle Test, many moons ago…….

May You Never (YouTube link)

John Martyn.  11th September 1948 – 29th January 2009

….though if you are in England you would be forgiven for thinking it was still January….

April is here, with the delight of Spring blossoms, renewal, and cheerful sunny days. In theory. Spring is currently buried under rain, cold and snow in England, with the coldest Easter on record. The temperature in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, dropped to a chilly -11C (…@12F). More of the usual delightful weather that keeps everyone in Britain guessing, as it always has since the Romans were present – and complaining about the weather too, all those years ago. Across the Atlantic, there are cold, wet grey skies in Knoxville Tennessee, though we are assured it will soon change for the better.

Little Room April News…..

Katie’s concerts and her new EP are going down a storm in Hong Kong and China. See her website for the forthcoming concert dates. www.kt-a.com

Charlotte Parmiter’s traditional folk songs album is in final stages of overdubs and nearly ready to mix….mandolins, mandola, guitars, (vintage Martin, Telecaster & Rickenbacker). If you like Sandy Denny, Kate Rusby, June Tabor, Fotheringay, Fairport Convention, you’ll love this.

Phil Baggalley and Open Road play concerts in the Midlands and headline in their hometown of Derby…see their website for details. www.openroadmusic.bigcartel.com

David Clifton plays the Rhythm And Blooms Festival in Knoxville. www.rhythmnbloomsfest.com

Work begins this month on the video for Ellice’s new single, No Passenger, currently being mixed in Hereford, and due for release this Spring.

And Gabriel is back in town, hot-foot from a trip down the Mississippi. If you are awaiting replies to music publishing enquiries, they will soon be winging their way to you.

Holy Week, beginning today, Palm Sunday (also known as the Sunday of the Passion) commemorates the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, the Passion of Christ, and looks forward to the joy of Easter morning. “There Is A Green Hill” tells of the Spiritual message encapsulated in the world changing events of this special week, over 2,000 years ago. The song was written in 2001 by Phil Baggaley, David Clifton & Ian Blythe, and the lyrics are adapted from the traditional hymn by C.F.Alexander. It has been recorded by several artists over the years, including Geraldine Latty, Julie Costello and Holly Mumford. The version here is from David Clifton’s Seeds Of Hope And Love album.

March brings breezes loud and shrill, stirs the dancing daffodil.  (…continuing our seasonal theme from the Sara Coleridge poem!)

A WORLD OF MUSIC, the new EP from Katie Targett-Adams is released Monday March 4th. We are featuring three tracks for download from her Little Room page, and you can buy the CD/EP from her website. We will add the iTunes link when it becomes available. There are some great new arrangements of favourite songs from her concerts and shows around the world – in three languages –  Chinese, Mexican and French, as well as a beautiful version of the traditional folk song Marble Halls, and a new instrumental piece specially composed for the EP. For more details, please go to her home page or link to her website.

ENGLISH FOLK SONGS…..

Charlotte Parmiter’s recording of English folk songs is continuing well, with bass overdubs and further audio restoration taking place on the original music files. Due to the producer’s laptop with all the music content being stolen in the early stages of the project, we are taking a little longer than usual to get this release to you. We are having to revert to back-ups and early versions of the songs, and in some cases transferring them from the original working demo’s. It will be worth the wait!