THE ASHLEY HUTCHINGS BIG BEAT COMBO – Twangin’ ‘n’ a-Traddin’
aaamusic | On 08, May 2015
Iconic musician Ashley Hutchings has had a long list of achievements including bassist, writer, vocalist, songwriter, band leader, arranger and record producer. He’s helped create three of the most famous English folk-rock bands: Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band.
His Big Beat Combo’s instrumental album Twangin’ ‘n’ a-Traddin’ was originally released in 1994 and included instrumental hits of The Ventures, The Shadows, Bill Black and The Tornadoes. The Top Twenty of his teenage years always did have at least some instrumental hits.
Ashley’s album was released as Revisited by Talking Elephant Records on 27th April, 2015, following his 70th birthday celebrations. Three songs have been added that go back to the late 50s era, prior to The Beatles, when he was a teenager eager to discover rock ‘n’ roll and girls.
‘The Boy With The Red Guitar’ and ‘(As I) Walked Out One Morning’ are two recently written songs which feature the cute and innocent sounding female Yorkshire trio The Velveteens. Once out of school they sang, dressed, performed and recorded just like groups of the late 50s and early 60s. Ashley’s moving and retrospective ‘Welcome To The World’ is a song about “first attractions, first fumblings and first love”. It depicts “images that anyone who spent time in the coffee bars of the 60s would recognise”.
After a lifetime of inspiration, innovation and creativity, Ashley fuses rock ‘n’ pop instrumentals with traditional arrangements, folk tunes and some of his original songs. Richard Thompson, Clem Cattini and Colin Green help with a variety of styles for an album that fans will probably find curious and intriguing.
