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The mini-album, Tom Winter, Tom Spring, a limited edition 10” lathe press vinyl, is certainly one to snap up, especially considering they’ve only pressed 57 copies (perhaps prepare to resign yourself to the digital version). The record features the talents of two quiet stalwarts on the US and UK instrumental music scenes, American fiddle player Mike Gangloff and British fingerstyle guitar ace C Joynes, two players who have given a huge amount to the genre over the years.
Mike is best known for his work with Pelt and the Black Twig Pickers, where he played with Jack Rose and Nathan Bowles, among others (Mike used to play banjo, but one day told Nathan to learn it because he was switching to fiddle), whereas Joynes is a frequent collaborator, having put out albums with Nick Jonah Davis and The Furlong Bray, although he’s best known for his solo work.
Tom Winter, Tom Spring was recorded on an afternoon in May 2023, midway through the pair’s UK tour, by Sheffield-based guitarist Bobby Lee, and it is ace. Six tracks span just shy of half an hour, and it’s an all-killer release with plenty of fun, upbeat music alongside a healthy dose of weird. Opener Rapid City sits firmly in the former camp, even if Mike’s jaw harp brings a slightly eerie bent to the sound. Joynes hits the ground at a decent lick on this one, with his signature thumbed notes playing carrying a fun tune. West Cavaliers is similar in tempo but friendlier in character, with Mike’s Hardanger fiddle working very nicely with Joynes’ cheery melody.
The weirdness starts setting in with Two Bishops, with Mike’s jaw harp played slowly and eerie wisps of tape sound just there behind Joynes’ more fragmented guitar part. Flipping this completely is Sail Away Ladies, a super fun and warm old-time number, with guitar and fiddle rocking along beautifully.
And then comes Witch Marks, a side long (fourteen minutes in this case) chunk of improvisation (I presume) that is pretty mind-blowing. Nervous Hardanger notes chime with sharp and fractured electric guitar chords and part-chords to create a restless atmosphere appropriate to the title (named after occult markings found on the timber of the Tudor building where the album was recorded). The drama heightens as the piece develops, with both players getting heavy around the five-minute mark. It’s a remarkable, intense piece of music that must have been exhilarating to play.
Seek Tom Winter, Tom Spring out; with two of the most adept artists on the scene mid-way through a tour when this was cut, the music is fluid and confident, and they manage to balance dense intensity with lighter foot-tappers and spacious abstracts. It’s quite a thing.
Tom Winter, Tom Spring (23 September 2024) Sonido Polifonico SP044
Bandcamp: https://cjoynes.bandcamp.com/album/tom-winter-tom-spring-2
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