Despite Ray’s absence in America, the Euro-plus session is going ahead at the White House (upstairs or downstairs depending on the space). In practice, the Euro-plus session can be a Scandi, Shetland and French orientated session… but usually the tunes played simply depend on who shows up and what tunes we know. So if you fancy a session, come and suggest a tune or two!

4.30pm Sunday 23 April in the White House Pub

Also, James’s Bastard English session is happening a week early (5th May) so as not to clash with Sam Sweeney playing at the Holywell Music room on Friday 12th May.

5th May Bastard English session at the Isis River Farmhouse from 8pm

7th May Oxford Slow Session at the White House from 4.30pm

12th May Sam Sweeney on his solo tour at the Holywell Music Rooms
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sam-sweeney-solo-at-the-holywell-music-room-tickets-601545387447 

I recommend buying tickets in advance as Sam Sweeney is an amazing musician and it will be a great gig.

Happy sessionisting!

For the future, Moonrakers have asked me to let you know about their workshop:

Moonrakers Folk Orchestra 

Saturday 15th July   Folk Orchestra day event at The Corn Exchange,  FARINGDON,  Oxfordshire, SN7 7JA.  From 10:30 to 16:30 with a lunch break. A course/workshop for intermediate/advanced players of all acoustic instruments. Music and videos sent in advance.  Book early!  £70 for the day (25% off for under-27s)  www.benslowmusic.org  01462 459446.

There will be two professional tutors – Jon Bennett (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, whistles) and Jacqui Johnson (cello, accordion, fiddle). The number of participants will not exceed 20. All the music is provided in advance but for those who learn by ear, a ‘slow jam’ video for each tune is also available. 

Moonrakers (www.moonrakers.net) have been running these courses for many years and have a lot of material on YouTube, our own site and on www.ukuleleoxford.com. For any enquiries about this course, please contact us on 01865 769206.

Sunday 26th March, 5.30pm

Ray says: “this Sunday’s EuroPlus session at the White House Pub (Abingdon Road) will take place as usual, but the White House inadvertently double-booked the upstairs room, so we will be playing downstairs this Sunday.  Since it’s crowded downstairs, it’s best to figure on showing up at 5:30 PM to give the diners more time to clear out, rather than 4:30 as I originally suggested last Sunday.  After this, we can try going back to 4:30. 

We have been playing a lot of Scandi and French stuff, but I’m eager to get more Scottish and Shetland music in there, and SlowSessionistas can certainly help with that!”

Sunday 2nd April, 4.30pm

April Slow Session as usual at 4.30pm.
There are two Tunes of the month:
The Millhouse (easier than it looks as both parts have inner repeats)
and
The Lancashire (or Old Lancashire)

Also Zoom for those who can’t make it to Oxford: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85012504012?pwd=T1A5MFowL1VXS1BlcHVVWTdrdEJNZz09

Sunday 16th April, 4pm

An extra session as part of the Oxford Folk Weekend
The full session list is not yet available… but will be posted on this page when they are arranged.

Hope to see you soon!

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Dear Slow Sessionistas,

Happy March!

I’m afraid we are still at 4.30pm at present… but the lovely tune, Eade Road is our tune of the month.

I do hope you can join us upstairs at the White House (Abingdon Road) on Sunday 5th March at 4.30pm (tomorrow)

And

If not, you can use zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86916805396?pwd=cFdGUVBkcjZGWVplQkJ6TmN2Zk0wZz09

Please do remember to say the tunes you want played (or write them in the chat in zoom).

I’ve made brownies for 5.30pm, and I expect we will finish sometime between 6.30 and 7pm.

The schedule for Oxford Folk Weekend is largely available now: https://www.folkweekendoxford.co.uk/

Although the timetable for sessions has not been published yet…

Hopefully we will have one on the Sunday afternoon – but time and place has yet to be confirmed (Sunday 16th April) but you might like to pencil one in… however, it will only be in person, not on zoom.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Best wishes,

Suke

I’ve learned Kitty’s own tune and added The Sails of Kittiwake to the website with a recording of Kitty playing it. I think we will have fun playing this one!

Louis’s session at the White House is on at 4.30pm TODAY (Sunday) according to Facebook…

And the Euro-session (also a pretty much anything goes session) is happening at 5.30pm on Sunday 26th February at the White House pub.

Our next session will be at 4.30pm on the 5th March with the lovely Eade Road, by our local musician, Jo Hamilton (Xogera), as the tune of the month. Hope to see you there!

The Slow Session has had to move to 4.30pm.

I know that 3.30pm is generally preferred but the pub’s Sunday lunch business has expanded so we have to accommodate to that too.
If this is a real problem, please do let me know (oxfordslowsession2014@gmail.com) and we could move to 2pm at the Old Fire Station or I could investigate whether we should return to The Jericho Tavern.

Hopefully in the summer we can have some extra sessions in the bandstand earlier in the afternoon!

Meanwhile, hoping to see you on Sunday 5th February at 4.30pm.
The tune of the month is the Swaggering Jig (also known as Give Us a Drink of Water)

I really recommend listening to the Spotify Playlist as a great way to remind yourself of some of the tunes. (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5q2fcIro5AkXa8tctJ9mIm?si=b7a3808cbbaf4080). Spotify is free to listen to, you only have to pay to choose the order in which you listen to the tunes.

If you can’t make it, there is zoom,  but it is more fun to come along!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83886380335?pwd=eUU3MWgyQ3VocEwxSWQwRnZid1Budz09

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Best wishes,

suke

The January EuroPlus session will take place on Sunday, 29 January, starting 5:30pm, at the White House Pub.  SlowSessionistas will find plenty of familiar music being played there.  Subsequent months will revert to the usual Fourth Sunday.

Unfortunately I still haven’t confirmation of the timing of the Slow Session for February (Sunday 5th)… I’m hoping for 4pm start… but it may well have to move to 4.30pm. Look out for emails or check the website.

Meanwhile keep warm and play lots of tunes!

Dear Sessionistas,

May you play and enjoy lots of music in 2023!

And I hope that includes joining us for tunes in the White House pub at 4pm on Sunday 8th January.

However, if you’re unwell or too far away, you can join us on zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88313481316?pwd=UzRUdHMxL1N2UVN1YlBTTkRWRWQyQT09

Also:

There is a “bastard session” at the Isis Farmhouse as usual on the Second Friday of the month from 8pm (13th Jan)

And

 7pm (doors), Sunday 29 January, The Jericho Tavern, Oxford

The Owl Light Trio is supporting the glorious Jaz Delorean, frontman of the wonderful ‘Tankus the Henge’, in this celebrated Oxford music venue. For those of you who’ve not heard Jaz before, he’s an extraordinary singer and pianist. He’s rooted in jazz, but stretches his music out in all directions, and is an utterly compelling performer. The evening is curated by host Sam Taplin.

Tickets and further details here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jaz-delorean-owl-light-trio-tickets-484356592607

May 2023 be merrier and more music-filled than 2022!

Best wishes,

Suke

Happy December too!

The combination of Christmas parties and England’s World Cup progress means that we have been squeezed out of our usual location at the last minute… I did a really thorough search of other places yesterday when I heard and either places were booked, too small or wanted to charge us for sad spaces. And outdoors isn’t an option! Fortunately the Old Fire Station is both a nice place, happy to host us, even prepared to sell alcohol (as well as teas and coffees) as it is a special event and in central Oxford (George St). The only drawback is that they need us gone and the place clear to lock up at 5pm, so we need to start early.

December Slow Session: 2pm start at Old Fire Station Café (entrance only from George St)

On the other hand, why not come along early and join us for lunch? Damascas Rose is providing food and we know they are delicious from our experience of Flo’s Cafe in Florence Park. I’ll be there from 1pm, so feel free to join me. And if you are busy, because of the changed time, I’m so so sorry and I hope we will see you in January (Second Sunday) 8th at 4pm.

Tomorrow, the Friday 2nd December is also Bandcamp Friday… an opportunity to purchase music and all the proceeds go directly to the musician…

For example: 

Jon Fletcher has a new album out with Magpie Lane: https://magpielane.bandcamp.com/album/the-25th?from=search&search_item_id=1584508555&search_item_type=a&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=2298719522&search_page_no=0&search_rank=1&logged_out_menubar=true

And his page: https://jonfletcher.bandcamp.com/?from=search&search_item_id=3572519226&search_item_type=b&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=2301408212&search_page_no=1&search_rank=1&search_sig=2254e4e546914c6adeffbef9498b437b

And Magpie Lane is doing a Christmas Concert at the Holywell Music Rooms on 3.30pm and 7pm on Saturday 3rd Dec and several other gigs too: http://www.magpielane.co.uk/ml_news.htm#2022

Tickets for Holywell: Tickets Oxford

Spiro: https://spiromusic.bandcamp.com/?from=search&search_item_id=2425092052&search_item_type=b&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=2301401965&search_page_no=1&search_rank=2&search_sig=a7ebf58e7194217eab2a20779520477d

Rant: https://rantfiddles.bandcamp.com/?from=search&search_item_id=3260661670&search_item_type=b&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=2301405293&search_page_no=1&search_rank=1&search_sig=944b3e74d65138fa449af582577ec01f

Spiers and Boden: https://spiersboden.bandcamp.com/?from=search&search_item_id=2434278694&search_item_type=b&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=2301406655&search_page_no=0&search_rank=1&logged_out_menubar=true

Owl Light Trio: https://owllighttrio.bandcamp.com/releases

We have grown and more people are recommending tunes… It takes a while to get everything sorted so I end up doing a few at a time… and gives us a few more tunes to start learning over the winter break.

An Rogaire Dubh
The Lancashire
Motorway Mazurka
The Old Favourite
Portsmouth

And if you don’t already have tickets to Blowzabella this afternoon in Kennington, Ray is holding the fort at the White House pub, so do go and join him for some Euro-session tunes (basically most tunes).

Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you there or at the next Slow Session, Sunday 4th December at 5pm
(NOTE extra late because the pub is hosting a Christmas lunch beforehand)