Seasons of Change: Busking England - Softcover

Kitching, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1999333934 ISBN 13: 9781999333935

Publisher: Scratching Shed Publishing Ltd, 2020

Synopsis

Tom Kitching is one of England's leading traditional fiddle players. He has worked as a solo performer, band member, dance caller, violin teacher, and street busker. That last element - the busking - was an afterthought, something to be phased out as he built a career in music. But the busking bug wouldn't go away. Beyond the music and the collecting hat, perhaps fiddling through the streets of England could be a key to finding out who the English really are, how they view themselves and how they deal with change. Is there anything that ties together people across England's many cultural divides, from neat Cotswold villages hugging village greens to former mining villages huddled beside abandoned pits, from multicultural city to Anglo-Saxon market town? Armed with a violin, a Northern sensibility and a love of life in all its troubling richness, Tom took an 18-month journey through England to find out. This isn't really a book about busking, though. It's about people, place, and that elusive beast - Englishness. On Tom's street-level odyssey, the lines between friend and stranger blur, informality reigns, and chance encounters make a mockery of careful planning. As the seasons change and the tally of busking towns grows, the complex mosaic called England confronts its fly-on-the-wall observer with the challenge - define me if you dare.

About this title

About the Author

Tom has worked with numerous singers and bands, including Pilgrims' Way, Gavin Davenport, Jon Loomes, Gren Bartley, Zoe Mulford, and Albireo. He has tutored at several Summer Schools, and has lead numerous workshops around the country. Heavily involved in the dance scene, and veteran of over 1500 gigs, he stands at the leading edge of the English folk scene. His style is English at heart, whilst encompassing elements of many other traditions. It is a unique, vibrant style full of exuberance, energy and wit, yet capable of expressing extraordinary emotional depth. In March 2015, he released his solo album, 'Interloper', a deeply personal project to capture the state of the English instrumental tradition and define the role of the fiddle within it. His latest album coincides with his book of the same name, Seasons of Change. Tom is also a much in demand fiddle teacher in the North West of England.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scratching Shed Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1999333934
• ISBN 13: 9781999333935
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352