WINTER WONDERBAND
Joy Illimited

For the record, the Winter WonderBand are:
MacLaine Colston: hammered dulcimer, djembe, finger cymbals and jingle bells
Jennifer Crook: lever harp, acoustic guitar, string of bells
Beth Porter: cello, treble recorders, ukelele, kalimba
Saul Rose: diatonic button accorions, floor tom, jingle bells
All 4 provide vocals and are joined by
Stuart Bruce: having been released from studio mixing duties to add calabass, bass drum, drum kit, tambourine

Having received this sumptuous package we were tempted into breaking our Christmas rule of avoiding festive related material until the start of December. We were very swiftly glad that we did. From the warm blend of voices that makes the initial greeting of The Darkling Thrush, through an eclectic selection we are treated to a music masterclass from a mini multitude of multi-instrumentalists, each of the players contributing their voices and a minimum of four other instruments, along with added percussion. This is as far removed from the predictable shopping mall permanent repeat playlist that has been reminding us that ‘It’s Christmaaaaaasssss’ since mid-October, as you are likely to get – with apologies to Sir Noddy of Holder, as he is not responsible for how his magnum opus has been misused.

Despite having toured almost an annually since 2011, remarkably this is the Winter WonderBand’s debut album, in keeping with the bounty alluded to earlier, they have not held back, offering us a 2CD set (apparently also available on vinyl).

Mixing a selection of traditional and self-penned tunes with which to celebrate the season, along with some further interesting choices, of which more later, the tone is set, not just musically but also creatively, by an opening track that combines the words of Thomas Hardy with music composed by member Jennifer Crook. The Hardy lyrics also provide the title for the album – one wonders what he will do with the royalties! We are then taken on a journey that incorporates the familiar, in the shape of the Coventry Carol, the traditional, such as The Gower Wassail, instrumental jigs, dances and reflections, to the novel, Slow Down In December, another band offering, a jaunty, jazzy number, which calls to mind Fairground Attraction at their finest. The interesting choices continue with the finishing tracks, the curiosity of a rather interesting take on Last Christmas (yes the Wham Christmas perennial), given an slower and somewhat sparse, emotional treatment and a reminder as to how musicians can recognise and reinterpret the work of others in a way that is beyond the imagination, but not the appreciation, of mere consumers. The album concludes with a reasonably faithful version of Fairytale of New York, given some additional instrumental sparkle to take it beyond it being a simple tribute to Shane, Kirsty and the gang.

Apparently recorded live in the studio over a two-day period, necessitated by the geographical diversity of the core members, it is a testament to both the virtuosity of the members and skill of Stuart Bruce, whose past achievements extend to involvement with another, larger multitude of talent, the original Band Aid recording. That’s not to say that the members of the WonderBand do not have their own histories, having performed between them with the likes of Snow Patrol, The Who’s Pete Townsend, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eliza Carthy and Show Of Hands, with Saul also having appeared on the West End stage in the production of War Horse.

The second CD is literally a live recording from a gig at Chapel Arts, Bath in 2023, offering audience present versions of several of the studio recordings, plus For Love Lane, a collaboration between Maclaine and Saul, all of which demonstrates most effectively that the previous disc’s offerings owe their excellence to the musicians and not the technology.

It’s to be hoped that they don’t leave it another 14 years before repeating the exercise but a speedy review was necessitated by the fact that the band are currently on the 2025 tour and our suggestion is that you join them if you can.

Thanks are also given for an informative booklet, giving the background and origin of the songs and tunes included.

Visit the Winter WonderBand website