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.

 

RANT! draws on Cumbrian folk tunes sourced from Ed Heslam’s unique collection folk music resource Music of Cumberland and Westmoreland, as well as several tunes composed by Ed himself.

 

These folk tunes include The Ulverstone Volunteers, which is trumpet 'call to arms' from her own home town, and 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. 

 

 

February 2019