Album review: Roly Veitch - Geordie Odyssey

Roly Veitch (vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele); James Birkett (guitar); Stewart Hardy (fiddle)

For many years Roly Veitch has been at the helm of Blaydon Jazz Club, occasionally leading or co-leading a band, sometimes sitting in at the behest of the musicians on stage. More often than not, Roly is content to sit back and listen to his many musician friends, invariably performing a Great American Songbook set. However, there is another string to his guitar... 

An interest in local history, dialect and the area's rich musical heritage has led Roly to record several albums focusing on the songwriters, performers and their often world famous compositions. Occasional concert performances, notably in the company of fellow jazz guitarist James Birkett* - the Blaydon Aces - have met with geat acclaim by capacity audiences throughout the region.

Geordie Odyssey is Roly's latest volume of Geordie songs. Twenty tracks spanning some forty minutes playing time, Dr Birkett is heard on three tracks and folk fiddler Stewart Hardy contributes to two selections. Time and place, and the characters inhabiting them, the material is afforded a gentle treatment, simplicity the order of the day, allowing the songs, the stories, to speak for themselves. Listening to the opening Billy Boy to the closing Blaydon Races will bring a smile to your face and, if you know the songs, you won't be able to resist singing along. 

Roly double-tracks guitar on some of the songs and the use of banjo and ukulele is highly effective. Written two centuries ago, John Leonard's Winlaton Hopping is all about Roly's home patch, and Stewart Hardy contributes fine fiddle on this track. The Lambton Worm is likely to be known to the non-Geordie, similarly Bobby Shaftoe, and if you don't tap your feet to Keep Your Feet Still Geordie Hinny ask someone to take your pulse! 

Neil Harland mixed and mastered the album, Dave Kerr is the man responsible for the artwork and the photography is by Mr. R. Veitch. 

It isn't jazz, but if you want to hear some Geordie songs sung as they should be sung, take a look at Roly's website and place your order. -.

* In concert, Yorkshireman (and Honourary Geordie) James Birkett often looks amused/bemused as Roly sings the songs. Wye, howay man!  

Russell