Recorder31 — Day 27

Pool’s Hole is the first single from contemporary folk musician Finn Collinson’s forthcoming second album. The track, a groovy, mid-tempo instrumental, features Finn’s trademark recorder style weaving around virtuosic oboe, guitar and percussion from his multi-talented band.

The first tune, Pool’s Hole, is taken from the 11th edition of Playford’s Dancing Master. Published in 1690, this seminal collection of dance tunes has long provided inspiration for Finn and his contemporaries on the English folk circuit.

Meanwhile, the second tune, Gavotta, originates from a similar time period, but a very different musical idiom. Composed by Italian Baroque musician Martino Bitti, and published by John Walsh in London in 1711, the tune is in fact adapted from a classical violin sonata. However, Finn and his band masterfully rework the tune, so that you’d never believe it didn’t originate in the folk tradition.

“I love how easy it is to combine tunes from such different backgrounds,” Finn explains, “and the fact they were originally published so close together in time means there are similarities in phrasing and melodic direction. As a recorder player, I’m fascinated by music of the Baroque era and often wonder what musicians of the time would make of my modern folk reinterpretations.”

Forged in his native East Anglia but heavily inspired by his four years living and studying in London, Finn’s new album The Threshold (released 7th October) is a meeting point of old and new, rural and urban, traditional and contemporary. His first release in three years, this music pushes boundaries, challenging listeners to consider repertoire and instruments in new and exciting settings. Demonstrating a diverse subject matter across ten tracks, Finn’s distinctive tune style ties together the material, with a respectful eye on the past but a strong grounding in the present.

Widely regarded as one of the foremost recorder players on the English folk circuit, Finn Collinson has been steadily gaining a strong reputation for his energetic and creative performances. Building on the success of his 2019 debut album Call To Mind, described as ‘a work of true quality’ (FATEA) and ‘a deeply rewarding display of musical storytelling’ (EDS), the new album sees Finn deepen his flourishing relationship with the contemporary folk genre.