Two Score

Now entering their fifth decade, albeit with a lengthy 1990s hiatus included, and having undergone numerous line-up changes, the current seven-piece Blowzabella comprises accordionist Andy Cutting, saxophonist and singer Jo Freya, fellow sax player Paul James, Gregory Jolivet at the hurdy-gurdy, fiddler Dave Shepherd, bassist Barnaby Stradling and bagpiper Jon Swayne. Between them they spread an instrumental joie de vivre across Two Score, an eclectic set of tunes and songs that are a mixture of the self-penned and traditional.

They set off with a fine dance piece, ‘Cé’, from hurdy-gurdy player Gregory Jolivet, followed by a wassail sourced by Andy Cutting and a set of polkas from Jo Freya. They’re a band renowned for their use of drones and, on the tunes especially, the music rests on a foundation of drone instruments moving in and out, as rhythms interlock and solos ride the surf. On the standout ‘Camdance’, another Jolivet tune, the lead sax mellifluously flows into jazz territory, while the closing ‘The Lark Descending’ is a tribute to Vaughan Williams paired with an account of ‘Bushes and Briars’, the very song said to have sparked the composer's interest in folk song. Two Score continues to mine the rich seam of tunes and songs that Blowzabella began digging into back in 1978. Long may they continue.