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It was just over two years ago now that Janice Burns and Jon Doran delivered their debut album ‘No More the Green Hills’ that exceeded all expectations. In the words of KLOF Mag’s Johnny Whalley who reviewed the album (as well as Jon’s recent solo album): “few will have the voices, musicianship or imagination to pull it off at this level.”
The good news is that they are back with a winter album, Great Joy to the New will be released on 22nd November 2024 and features a number of special guests (more below). The album has been in the making for the last 7 years. Since the duo first met, they’ve come together each December to find and share festive songs. This annual tradition has been a cornerstone in their lives and careers, even as the world has shifted around them. Great Joy to the New is an album that draws deeply from tradition, celebrating the customs and rituals that draw us together through the winter months.
Tomorrow, 15th November, sees the release of their lead single Derby Ram on which Janice and Jon waste no time in introducing their collaborators on this album. This joyful, upbeat rendition of the Derby Ram features Ben Nicholls on double bass, a five-piece brass ensemble, and a small choir of carefully selected singers. The track comes from the old tup tradition (one of the characters depicted on their album cover art -see below), mainly prevalent throughout Derbyshire around Christmas time. It tells the age-old, rather gory story of an unbelievably large ram and what happens after it’s been butchered. According to the story, a river of its blood drowns the butcher boys, and its eyes are used as footballs by the local children – cheery stuff! As far as Janice and Jon know, this is the only recorded version of this melody. It’s sourced from the memories of John Roberts and T ony Barrand in the book, Nowell Sing We Clear, Songs & Carols for Midwinter & Christmastide.
The single is accompanied by a joyous and celebratory music video which we have the pleasure of premiering ahead of the single’s release. They shared the following on the making of the video:
“The whole day felt like a celebration of the Newcastle folk scene, and the community surrounding it. It was pretty special seeing how many people showed up for us, including local morris sides, community choirs, our local pub and a few well known folkies from this neck of the woods. The idea was that we’d walk through the Ouseburn, coming across groups of unusual characters, who would then join us on a parade towards The Cumberland Arms.
“The Cumberland is a pub that champions the local community and folk arts. They have sessions almost every night of the week, and allow local dance groups and choirs to use the venue as a practice space. It was important for us to highlight this space, as it’s so integral to the folk scene here in Newcastle. The video itself is so colourful and joyful, it’s exactly what we hoped to capture.”
About the album
Many of the songs on the album were first chosen and arranged while Janice and Jon were living in Norway, studying Norwegian traditional music. In more recent years, Janice and Jon’s festive gigs have become something of a tradition. The duo first performed their winter songs to an audience during the second 2020 lockdown when they decided that some festive cheer was needed (along with lots of mulled wine!). They hosted a ‘pay as you feel’ livestream which was so well attended that it became their best paid gig of the year. Since then, the demand for a Christmas album has grown annually, as their winter gigs have grown in popularity each year.
The album is rooted in tradition, in all senses of the word. It draws strongly on traditional material, as well as the customs and rituals that draw people together through the winter to bring light to dark nights. These beautiful, colourful, musical traditions – born of necessity, and linked by the need to sustain us through harsh winters – are the themes that Janice and Jon have explored in Great Joy to the New. It’s a collection of folk songs, not just about Christmas, but about looking forward with optimism for the new year ahead.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without gathering friends around, and Janice and Jon are joined on this album by an array of collaborators, including Ben Nicholls (Seth Lakeman, Sam Sweeney Band) on double bass, Mari Bjørkøy leading a traditional Norwegian winter song, and a brass band playing on 4 of the tracks (The Derby Ram, Carol of the Beasts, Dunstan Lullaby, and Sans Day Carol) with arrangements by Jon Boden of Bellowhead. The duo also enlisted the help of a few friends to form a mini choir for backing vocals, including folk legend Sandra Kerr; fellow musicians Amy Leach, Alasdair Paul, Suze Terwisscha (aka Catch the Sparrow) and Sam Baxter; plus Keith Hudson (a member of Janice’s choir) and the duo’s agent, Lucy Shields. The record was produced, recorded and mixed by Andy Bell, and mastered by Sam Proctor.
Great Joy to the New will be released on 22nd November 2024.
It is available to pre-order now at https://janandjon.bandcamp.com/
Tracklisting
- Derby Ram
- Carol of the Beasts
- Month of January
- Green Grows the Holly
- The Wexford Carol
- Down in yon Forest
- On Christmas Day
- Dunstan Lullaby
- The Trees Are All Bare
- The Wren
- Sans Day Carol
- Haugebonden
- While Shepherds
Pre-order: https://janandjon.bandcamp.com/
Winter Tour
The perfect winter-warmer, Janice & Jon’s Winter Tour begins on the 28th of November and runs until the 21st of December. It consists of 15 dates in some of their favourite venues across the UK, plus some new venues.
Full details and tickets here: https://www.janandjon.com/live
