RANT! is a portrait of Jess Gillam - her energy, her sound and her presence, painted in music from her own part of England.

 

A ‘rant’ in the tradition of English Folk music is an energetic dance, and means ‘to make merry’ - which is exactly what Jess does, both in her fearless live performance and in the exuberance she has brought to the recording studio for this album.

 

For RANT! I have drawn on some Cumbrian folk tunes, including The Ulverston Volunteers, which is trumpet 'call to arms' from her own home town.

 

The piece opens with a quote from Cumberland Nelly, and this is the tune that I have fed through RANT! to eventually re-appear in the final climactic section. 

 

Thanks are due to Ed Heslam for his unique folk music resource Music of Cumberland and Westmorland.

 

February 2019.