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Jackie’s newest album The Spyglass & The Herringbone has been called “an exqui site piece of chamber folk” by the Observer and “absolutely brilliant” by a bloke on Amazon. Perhaps surprisingly, given that this is her sixth LP, several critics referred to her as being part of the “new generation”.
“W ful ways?
“I really, really like it. I’m continually blown away by new things; just the skill and the vocal control and creativity. It’s really exciting.”
You’ve been making music long enough for people to expect you to always be around. But will you?
“Of course I will… in some capacity. In order to feel like me and be happy I have to have an outlet for my singing. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll be gigging and on a stage. You might just find me singing in the backroom of a pub somewhere in Oxford- shire. It’s one of those things you can’t ever escape from, if you’re that way inclined.”
Whenever I’ve spent time with Jackie at Sidmouth Folk Week it takes at least three times as long as it should to walk through the town. Everyone knows her. Everyone stops to chat. If she ever did try to escape they’d probably form a posse and bring her back.
Is there a downside to being so entwined in the folk scene?
“My understanding of what fun is and what makes me happy is very centred around being a folkie. I sometimes think, ‘I wonder how other people have fun? And would I actually enjoy it?’ And I just can’t imagine leaving the house without my fiddle. I’d love to see what it’s like to find joy in other things. But the festivals make you feel alive; it’s your kind that are there.”
You don’t have bigger ambitions or a career plan?
“I don’t. I’ve never been an ambitious person in that respect. I’m just happy to sing and play. My dream would be to sing on a film soundtrack or a TV series. But I just don’t have the kind of drive to actually achieve that. So I just like seeing what happens and what sit- uations I find myself in.”
Was your work on the recent folk festival themed episode of Midsomer Murders not the realisation of that dream?
“Ha ha. My dream job so far has been the Michael Wood songs. As part of The Cecil Sharp Project a few years ago we did some con- certs, and the producer of Michael Wood’s The Great British Story: A People’s History came along – to hear Steve Knightley sing. But as a result I was asked to sing some songs that the composer Howard Davidson had written. And now they’re on this History programme that will be on the BBC late at night for all time. It’s a good feeling.”
You ducked the Midsomer Murders question. Was working in telly not all it’s cracked up to be?
“They treat you very well. You have to get up at the crack of dawn and find this remote location. And then you’re vetted for your clothing and shipped off to the filming location. And then you’re just left there for hours and hours. At one point you’re ferried off to have a huge meal on a bus. Then you’re paid very well. So I had a great time!”
One of Jackie’s tasks on the popular detective drama was to teach actor Clarke Peters (best known as Lester Freamon in HBO’s The Wire) to look as if he was playing her fiddle part.
“We’d worked out this piece of music, and I had to teach him enough so that he would look like he was playing in time and doing what my bow would do. He was on a stunt fiddle so he could drop it
Given the longevity of many performers on the scene, do you still feel like a young singer?
“I don’t feel like a young singer, not at all. I was learning my craft in a very different time to now, when the folk scene was differ- ent. At the time it was the dawn of Seth Lakeman and Bellowhead and there hadn’t been quite so much experimentation before. I don’t think there were quite so many of us doing English songs in my gen- eration. The scene has developed in all manner of weird and won- derful ways since then and I do feel like I’m in a different group to the young crop of singers now. Ten years on the road makes you a bit cynical and haggard!”
Do you like what you’re hearing from these weird and wonder-
hen I was in Devon I was going to sin- garounds every week and literally learning songs from people. I don’t do so much of that now. I’m finding the inspiration is coming more from books and records.”
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