The legendary Judy Collins has announced a new album, ‘Winter Stories‘, due November 15th 2019. And to go with this timely winter-themed album – happily just in time for Winter Holiday Gifting – Judy Collins will be undertaking a suitably shivery tour of the UK in January 2020.
‘Winter Stories‘ is a collaborative effort, with Norwegian folk musician Jonas Fjeld (best known internationally for his 1990s trio Danko / Fjeld / Andersen, featuring The Band’s Rick Danko and Eric Andersen) and the bluegrass stylings of Chatham Country Line. Speaking of her new bandmates Shirley Collins has said “I knew Jonas and Chatham County Line would be a great fit with me. The language of music overarches everything, including geography. When we came together in the studio, we found we could speak to each other in a way that was compatible and nuanced.”
The musicians got together in February 2019 in the former church which now hosts the Echo Mountain Studios in Ashville, North Carolina. After three days of rehearsal they’d picked out the songs: “I’m a winter guy — in my part of the world it’s winter seven months of the year,” Jonas Fjeld commented. The resulting album is a collection of classics and new tunes – including a re-recording of Collins’ ‘The Blizzard‘ – long heard at its full seven minutes in concert but previously available only in a truncated form on record. Other songs to appear include Jimmy Webb’s ‘The Highwaymen‘.
It was clearly a special occasion all round – with 2019 being Judy Collins’ double celebration – turning 80 and clocking up 60 years as a performing musician. Jonas Fjeld acknowledged the thrill of getting to play with a hero, saying “suddenly I’m playing with Judy Collins, who I’ve been a huge fan of since the 1970s! I keep having to pinch myself.”
As the careful headline reader will have noted there’s also an upcoming tour of the album – with Fjeld acting as opening support for Judy Collins, and likely also featuring onstage with her during her headline set. But no Chatham County Line. Well, all the more reason to grab ‘Winter Stories‘ when it appears.
Judy Collins Tour Dates
Another date has been added to the tour – St Mary’s In the Castle, Hastings on 23rd January