Meanders

Described by The Guardian as a ‘concertina wizard’, English virtuoso Rob Harbron is known for his concertina work with Leveret, The Full English, Jon Boden, Fay Hield and many others.

Now he is delighted to release his long-awaited solo cd on his own micro-label. Recorded by Andy Bell over two January days, it’s an entirely solo showcase of Rob’s distinctive playing of a 1930s Wheatstone Aeola concertina. Featuring an assortment of new compositions alongside settings of several traditional tunes - hornpipes from his native Cumberland and a rediscovered song tune collected in his adopted home of Gloucestershire - it’s a compelling glimpse into the world of a truly individual musician at the height of his powers.

He is known to current listeners as one third of top-notch instrumental trio Leveret, with whom he has recorded four albums including last year’s critically acclaimed Diversions, and he was a key member of The Full English with whom he won Best Group and Best Album at the 2014 BBC Radio Folk Awards. He has collaborated with Emma Reid, Emily Portman and Fay Hield and is a long-standing member of Jon Boden’s Remnant Kings and he was a key member of groundbreaking trio The English Acoustic Collective and English folk quartet Dr Faustus.

With Meanders, Harbron is not so much leaping into the limelight as inviting the listener to join him in the world of ambling journeys and less-travelled paths that has inspired much of the music on the album.