Ancestors by Allister Thompson

This is my second album of traditional British and Irish songs (the other is "Larkrise Revisited").

My first love as a musician was the music of the British folk revival, and also the music of the late 60s and early 70s singer-songwriters (Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, John Martyn, Christy Moore, etc.), as well as folk-rock bands like Fairport Convention, The Albion Band, and Steeleye Span.

While I have gone on to make music in various very disparate genres, I have frequently returned to this first love for inspiration. This album is very much a stylistic tribute to the influence of those old LPs on me and my songwriting, as well as the timeless appeal of traditional folk songs and the pull of my own roots as the child of a British emigrant family.

I am joined on this recording by several talented musicians (see credits below).

"...there is something refreshing about hearing those songs interpreted by a man who could be singing with a Canterbury Scene prog-rock outfit ... These songs ... come together to make a very coherent and satisfying whole that gets better at each listen. For sure, it’s a selection of songs which most folk enthusiasts will have heard many times before, but what sets this album apart is that they don’t sound like they did on those versions you’ve already heard."
— Nigel Spencer, KLOF Magazine.
https://klofmag.com/2024/05/allister-thompson-ancestors/

Tracklist

1.	The Dark-Eyed Sailor	4:58

2.	Polly on the Shore	4:07

3.	The Ash Grove	4:10

4.	The Lark in the Morning	3:47

5.	Cliffs of Dooneen	4:38

6.	The New York Trader	5:57

7.	The Unfortunate Mother	6:25

8.	The Factory Girl	4:18

9.	The Whitsun Dance	4:05

10.	Matty Groves	5:32

Credits

released March 5, 2024

Zoe Thiessen: fiddle on tracks 1, 2, 5, and 6
Samantha Thompson: harp on tracks 3, 5, 7, singing on tracks 7 and 9, recorder on track 9
Teri-Lynn Janveau: singing on tracks 1, 7, 8

Lyrics of "Whitsun Dance" were written by Austin John Marshall
Lyrics of "The Ash Grove" were written by John Oxenford
"Cliffs of Dooneen" is attributed to Jack McAuliffe

"The Unfortunate Mother" is traditionally titled "The Cruel Mother." I composed the music and melody for this rendition myself.

Thanks to the site Mainly Norfolk for providing musicians with many versions of the lyrics of these songs to choose from.

License