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press
reviews :
Twmpath :
"Now
this is the real thing. Brittany based Twm Twp take Welsh
dance-tune sets, mix in lots of brass and drums, and come out
sounding like a highly danceable English ceilidh band. ... And
while this solid, stomping dance music might, at any given moment,
be interrupted by a blast of Dixieland or a Klezmer chorus, Welsh
and Breton cultures harmonise on the occasional vocal interludes,
such as Dau Rosyn Coch and Dacw'n nghariad, where
the accordion and Rachel Goodwin's vocals evoke the Breton kan
ha diskan tradition. Such quieter moments contrast with a
hornpipe set that practically swings itself off the hi-fi. I can't
wait to dance to these wonderful people. Won't someone invite
them to bring their Welsh music home? Mike
Greenwood, Taplas, October 2002
"...the
jolly way they play their jigs, hornpipes,
polkas waltzes and reels makes them sound as though they would
go down a storm at English folk festival dances. Vic
Smith, Folk Roots, November 2003
Naid Tros Afon
The album's title is translated as "A
Jump Over The River", which gets across admirably the lithe,
athletic, spacious outdoor feel of the playing of this new-wave
dance band. Twm Twp hail from Wales yet are based in Brittany;
their repertoire is rooted in Welsh dance tunes, yet with plenty
of juicy Breton inflections built in. Their instrumental complement
is unusual - Mike James' accordion takes the lead, pumped along
by a brass-heavy bass and occasional ancillary melody line from
trombone/euphonium and two saxes (courtesy of Trefor Bennett,
Hervé Dréan and Richard Goodwin), all of which is
vamped along nicely by Rachel Goodwin's piano and (sometimes)
Martin Goodwin Dréan's drumkit or darabuka. Intermittent
use of a whistle or bouzouki (Hervé again) adds some textural
variety on tracks like the set of polkas. And a couple of sets
(notably the wonderfully bouncy trio of ice-breaking hornpipes
that make up track 8) invite a scrumptious carefree mardi-gras
vibe. Given the above-mentioned "heavy brigade", though,
the whole sound turns out to be distinctly light and airy, thoroughly
tempting the listener to pace it out on the floor for him/herself
(the dance instructions are appended as pdf files!). It's dances
all the way, except for two vocal tracks, where Mike delivers
a characterful, if (compared to what we're used to!) restrained
rendition of A Miner's Life aka. Union Miners (further augmented
by a Breton brass band!) and, to close the album, Ambell I Gân,
a fetching little waltz-time song from Bala (sung here by Rachel)
which was found in the Peter Kennedy collection. All things considered,
Naid Tros Afon is an intriguingly different dance-band release
that bears closer listening alongside the more expectedly energetic,
determinedly foot-friendly responses.
David Kidman, Net Rhythms www.netrhythms.co.uk
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in
french and in welsh:
"
Voici enfin de la vraie musique ! Basé en Bretagne, Twm
Twp prend des suites d'airs à danser gallois, y ajoute
plein de cuivres et de batterie, et il en ressort un son hyper-danceable
de Ceilidh Band anglais. ... Et alors que cette musique de danse
solide et rythmée peut être interrompue par une salve
de Dixieland ou un chorus Klezmer, les cultures galloises et bretonnes
harmonisent dans les interludes vocales, comme Dau Rosyn Coch
ou Dacw 'nghariad, où l'accordéon et les vocaux
de Rachel Goodwin évoquent la tradition bretonne de kan
ha diskan. Ces moments plus calme contrastent avec une suite de
hornpipes qui " swingue " tellement qu'elle menace de
faire exploser la chaine ! J'ai vraiment hâte de danser
avec ces gens merveilleux. Il n'y a personne qui voudraient les
inviter à ramener leur musique galloise chez eux ? "Mike
Greenwood, Taplas, octobre 2002
"...
leur façon conviviale de jouer les jigs, hornpipes, polkas,
valses et reels nous donne l'impression qu'ils feraient un tabac
dans les bals des Festivals Folk anglais. Vic
Smith, Folk Roots, November 2003
Twm
Twp - Clywyd am y band yma am y tro cyntaf pan welwyd adolygiad
o un o’r cryno- ddisgiau yn y cylchgrawn ‘fROOTS’.
Roedd yr adolygwr yn amlwg wedi mwynhau ac yn canmol y band i’r
cymylau, ond pwy oedd Twm Twp? Wedi holi, deall fod aelodau’r
band yn Gymry alltud ac yn byw yn Llydaw. Derbyn copi o’r
CD a clywed swn gwahanol iawn. Cerddoriaeth dawns draddodiadol
ond wedi ei drefnu mewn modd unigryw. Cyfuniad o jazz ac ychydig
o ‘oompha’! Gwnewch yn siwr eich bod yn gweld Twm Twp
yn y Sesiwn eleni. Sesiwn
Fawr, Dolgellau, Gorffennaf 2004
We
first came across Twm Twp in a review of their first CD in the
magazine fROOTS. The reviewer was singing the praises of this
Welsh band. But who were Twm Twp? No-one had seen or heard anything
of them on the Welsh scene. A little more investigation found
that they are based in Brittany and that one of their members
was none other than Mike James who was one of the founders of
the Pontardawe Festival many years ago. After hearing the CD there
was no doubt that we had to try to bring this band over to Wales
for the Sesiwn. Brass, jazz, trad it’s all here in an exciting
mix of memorable music. Sesiwn
Fawr, Dolgellau, July 2004
"
Twm Twp are foremost in the new movement of bands playing traditional
music for dance. They bring a terrific energy with an interesting
and original mix of influences. Good time music."
Maddy
Prior (Steeleye
Span...), mars 2005
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