NORTHUMBRIAN MUSIC
NIGHTS
What we wrote
on
Cappy's Drift
in Scapoli
Cappy's Drift a Triumph in
Italy
Lovely and intimate as the King's Head stage is, in Allendale from whence the band was born, the enthusiastic send-off concert a few weeks ago could not quite prepare the impromptu band, Cappy's Drift, for the shock of tumultuous acclaim from thousands and thousands of bagpipe fans, after their featured performance in Scapoli, Italy.
It was the twenty-third International Festival of the Bagpipe, in the tiny town of Scapoli, about the size of Allendale, up in the mountains three hours from Rome. Featured pipers Ray Sloan and Andrew Lawrenson wowed the crowd assembled in Scapoli's market square with a dazzling display of Northumbrian smallpipe virtuosity, ably accompanied by Andrew Morgan on fiddle and Paul Bloomfield on guitar. For a full 45 minute set, a little bit of Northumberland was transplanted deep into the peninsula on the Mediterranean Sea.
It was no wonder, of course, that the crowd clasped the band to their hearts on the big concert night, as the lads had been travelling all over the town during the weekend, playing their hearts out in various venues, on street corners, in local taverna, wherever the request for 'Musica, grazie' was made. After a fulsome welcome from the mayor and town clerk of Scapoli, Ray Sloan provided an enthusiastic interview on Italian television, interspersed, by all accounts, with some creditable Italian, and come Sunday evening, the band's growing reputation meant that they were an eagerly anticipated star attraction of the festival.
Even when you're a familiar feature of the entertainment scene in Tynedale, you'd be a bit taken aback if a member of the audience next day embraced you with 'Complimento!' But so the band members' experience proved, and try as they might, it seemed they were unable to purchase their own refreshment for the remainder of their stay, thanks to the effusive hospitality of the Scapoli townsfolk.
A similar experience is anticipated for Scapoli's own band, il Tratturo, when it is hoped, if matching funding can be found, Allendale will return the compliment during the fortnight of traditional music sponsored by Northumberland County Council in October.
But it was not only entertainment that took the band down to the hot Italian climes, though good fun is always a top priority in this sort of enterprise. Serious business awaited, and accompanied by LEADER coordinator Paul Mitchell, Andy Morgan chair of the Northumbrian Music Nights group engaged in a day-long session on the joint EU proposal called 'Common Sounds of European Rural World' being prepared with the Circolo della Zampogna.
Both community groups, the one from Scapoli, the other from Allendale, are particularly interested in the impact of their local music traditions on artisans, makers, and tourism enterprises in their regions, and it is expected that this experience of 'transnational cooperation' will continue to prove beneficial in terms of attracting EU money to fund appropriate promotional activities.
