Biography
Jennifer’s songwriting and captivating vocals are central to Merry-Go-Round on which she plays lever harps and her beloved Gibson LG1. Released in the summer of 2011, the album received excellent reviews and national airplay, and an invitation to BBC Radio 2 for a live session with the legendary Bob Harris.
“I’m really, really loving the new album Merry-Go-Round… it’s beautiful” Bob Harris BBC Radio 2
Recorded at Kyoti Studio in Glasgow by Mark Freegard (Del Amitri, Marillion), Merry-Go-Round features harmonies from Eddi Reader (Fairground Attraction) and a duet with Nashville’s Darrell Scott (Robert Plant’s Band of Joy), as well as the albums producer and hit British songwriter Boo Hewerdine. Other musical contributions come from Dorie Jackson (Chris Difford) on backing vocals, Kevin McQuire (Eddi Reader/Karine Polwart) on double bass, Andy May (Justin Currie/Marianne Faithful) on piano, and from The Eliza Carthy Band, Jennifer’s regular cellist Beth Porter.
Maclaine Colston, who plays hammered dulcimer on Merry-Go-Round, was the other half of Jennifer’s first duo Cythara, who caused a stir on the traditional folk scene in the early 90’s. They featured on the very first Evolving Tradition CD for Mrs Casey Music (alongside such notables as Seth Lakeman, Kate Rusby and Eliza Carthy), performed the music for the BBC David Attenborough series The Private Life of Plants, and appeared on national TV shows like BBC 1’s Pebble Mill. Jennifer went on to form celtic/pop/rock band Madigan, melding contemporary songwriting with Irish and American roots music, followed by a duo with fiddler Henry Sears before pursuing a solo career as a session musician and a songwriter.
“I see the depth in Jennifer’s songwriting, I see hope and experience – very strong in both” Darrell Scott
Jennifer’s first solo album ‘A Few Small Things’ was described by fRoots as ‘one of those records that repeatedly delights and captivates’. Guests included friends like Clive Gregson and Miranda Sykes from Show of Hands (who previously toured with Jennifer as a duo) and featured a collection of original songs that according to Musician “will touch a nerve with many a soul and certifies Jennifer’s status as a talent with a white light future”.
A former BBC Young Tradition Award Finalist, Jennifer is an acknowledged virtuoso of the lever harp and no stranger to Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios recording on “Gifted Women of the World” and for international stars like Susanna Baca, Joji Hirota and Mercury Award winner Susheela Raman. As well as playing on numerous CD’s, she has gained live work as varied as the English National Opera, to the dance/folk fusion of festival favourites Elephant Talk. In 2009 she was invited to join Eddi Reader on stage at the Cambridge Folk Festival and two weeks later her inventive harp playing caught the attention of Snow Patrol who asked her to join the band on electric harp and backing vocals throughout their “Reworked” tour.
“Boo Hewerdine has become one of the movers and shakers in song-writing and production; his name anywhere on an album being a mark of quality” R2
The following Spring Jennifer joined Boo Hewerdine (writer and producer for Eddi Reader, Heidi Talbot amongst others) on some of his UK dates and asked him if he would produce her next album. They had plenty of songs to choose from… “When Time Stood Still was one I had been trying to finish for years – and as soon as I explained to Boo the arrangement I heard in my head, it all clicked into place. Probably the Rain was an old song I never thought would see the light of day, which we re-worked… it’s so great when a song finally finds a home. It’s also very exciting to do something totally fresh too like Baltimore which was written and recorded the same day, and Butterflies – a song I played to Boo as a bit of an after thought which ended up being the first track on the album!
I had the idea for calling the album Merry-Go-Round fairly early on when I noticed that quite a few of the songs express the idea of movement and change… it also describes how my own life has felt for the last few years! We decided to make a solo record and invite guests in, rather than use a band, and that really shaped our approach to the songs. As well as counting myself extremely lucky to be able to work with such amazing talents, there have also been all these little connections and threads through the years with many of the wonderful musicians who contribute to this album, which make it very special to me.”
During 2011 alongside her own shows, Jennifer toured the UK with Boo Hewerdine, and opened for Declan O’Rourke, Chris Difford and Clive Gregson. She also began working with pop songwriter Andy Davis (The Korgis, Stackridge) and made her first appearance at the Belfast Nashville Songwriter’s Festival.
“This was a very special performance from a lady who will definitely make waves.” Maverick 2011