NEW  ALBUM  A  FEAST  OF  ACOUSTIC  MUSIC
Following a decade of song-writing, performing, touring & recording together, acoustic duo MUNDY-TURNER are celebrating the release of their new album, HAPENNY TWEEDLE.

Thirteen tracks deliver an hour of gorgeous vocal & instrumental performances from Cath Mundy & Jay Turner.  Their trademark soaring vocal harmonies are a powerful force, while Cath's fine fiddle & Jay's individual open-tuned guitar work have never before been so beautifully showcased.

Special guest musicians delicately enhance the texture of the duo sound; the groove of double bass, sublime wooden flute & spicy small pipes from Vicki Swan, subtle snare-n-brushes percussion (Hugh Whitaker, ex-The Housemartins), sweet mandolin (Phil Snell) and tasty accordion, piano & acoustic guitar from Jonny Dyer.

Recording took place at Limbo Creatives in Otley, West Yorkshire, UK, in August 2006, with excellent engineering & mixing by Phil Snell.

The ebullient title track breathes life into the family story of Jay's Great-Grandfather, a late-19th century Derbyshire colliery worker who turned travelling showman with his homebuilt fairground ride, the HaPenny Tweedle.  The pair also cleverly re-interpret a range of bush ballads from Cathís native Australia, bringing new depth to classic works by Banjo Paterson & Henry Lawson.

There is a definite old-timey lilt to the album. Yet the collection still manages to pack a contemporary punch with songs like Stealing My Democracy, Unfinished Business, We Can Fly To Heaven, and bonus track Naked (which treats one of the duo's most popular live tracks to a sensitive band arrangement).

The cover-art design is a classy affair with a 12-page booklet including full set of lyrics on a backdrop of vibrant fairground colours.

Presenting a delectable combination of original & traditional songs, glorious instrumentals, stunning acappella & Australian bush ballads, HAPENNY TWEEDLE finds MUNDY-TURNER at the height of their song-writing & performing powers.

Featuring:
Cath  Mundy: vocals, fiddle, piano, keyboards, percussion
Jay  Turner: vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin on Track 2

and  Special  Guest  Musicians
Phil  Snell: mandolin
Vicki  Swan: double bass, wooden flute & small pipes on Track 7,
backing vocals on Track 3
Jonny  Dyer: piano accordion, acoustic guitar on Track 2,
additional acoustic guitar on Tracks 6 & 11, piano on Track 1, backing vocals on Track 3
Hugh  Whitaker: drum-kit, congas, bongos, percussion

***
Engineered & Mixed by Phil Snell, Limbo Creatives, Otley, Yorkshire, UK
Co-produced by Mundy-Turner with Phil Snell
Mastered by Gareth Williams at Sound Recording Technology, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK
Photography of Cath & Jay by Bryan Ledgard
Cover Artwork & disc design by Mundy-Turner

***

Tweedling: To play a series of shrill notes. Said of a musical instrument or its player. To play carelessly or casually upon a musical instrument. To whistle or pipe with modulations of tone.  Influenced by wheedle - to cajole or wheedle as by music.

 ***
OUR HUGE THANKS TO:
Phil Snell (for everything & making an album come true); Vicki, Jonny, Hugh (you rock); Shirley Snell (for having the patience to put up with a houseful of musos & making us feel so welcome); Reg Turner for telling us the story of the HaPenny Tweedle & Brian Turner for the photo; Mike Bennett & Val Illingworth (youíre magic); Anna & Fynn Gillions; Vicky & Jack Seale; Chloe & Jason Hall; Our fabulous friends, parents & families, Karen Dove & so many dear souls around the globe (you know who you are);
Our fans & all those on the folk/acoustic music scene who support us.

Featuring:
Catherine Mundy (vocals, violin, piano, synths, percussion)
Jay Turner (vocals, acoustic guitars, harmonicas, percussion)
Gerry Conway (drum-kit, percussion)
Fred Baker (fretted & fretless basses)
Felicia Dale (hurdy-gurdy on "We Wish You A Merry Christmas")
Backing harmonies on "Aussie Twelve Days" & "Peace Is All We Need":
unityvoices, Jacey Bedford

Tracks 1, 5, 6, 9 music & lyrics by Catherine Mundy & Jay Turner. Track 8 by Jay Turner.  Tracks 2, 7, 10 Traditional arr. Mundy-Turner. Track 3 by C. Buchanan/J. Pierpont (Published by Rondor Music Australia) & arranged by Mundy-Turner. Track 4 Traditional arr. Buchanan/Champion with acappella arrangement and additional lyrics by Mundy-Turner.
Engineering, mixing & mastering: Brian Bedford
Parkhead Studios, Birdsedge, Huddersfield, UK, June-September 2004.
Front & Back Cover Photography: Suzon Fuks
Cover design, additional photography: Mundy-Turner & Barbara Mundy
Thanks to Brian & Jacey Bedford, the musicians who gave their time and talent, Suzon Fuks for suggesting we stand up to our bums in the warm waters of Moreton Bay in Brisbane for the cover photo-shoot, & to all of you who have supported our music-making!
* * * * * *

We are thrilled to announce the release of our first seasonally-themed collection, MUNDY-TURNER'S BONZER AUSSIE CHRISTMAS.  The success of 2003's Bonzer Aussie Christmas pilot tour of the UK prompted us to record the new material weíd developed for the show.  So we returned to the scene of our last album ëCrooked Houseí to work with engineer Brian Bedford at his Parkhead Studio near Huddersfield and the results are...well...bonzer!

The core Mundy-Turner sound of guitar, piano, violin, harmonica, percussion & vocals has been enhanced by excellent guest musicians on a number of tracks: superb drumming from Gerry Conway (Fairport Convention), fab fretless bass guitar from Fred Baker (ex of his trio with Ric Sanders and Vicki Clayton), backing harmonies (& crocodile screams!) from vocal group unityvoices, and zesty hurdy-gurdy from Felicia Dale (of Seattle-based duo Pint & Dale) on final track ìWe Wish You a Merry Christmasî.

The Antipodean approach to the Christmas theme is guaranteed to surprise and delight.  The ten tracks cover everything from unaccompanied vocal duets to  boogie-woogie to samba & slip-jiggy jazz waltz feels.   We veer from the comedy and mayhem of Australian versions of well-known traditional carols (eg "Aussie Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Sheds") to potent original songs such as the atmospheric "Gunumeleng", the anthemic "Peace Is All We Need", and the ebullient rite-of-passage tale "Wayne Wants a Surfboard for Christmas".  Plus there's a full-colour 12-page booklet with all the lyrics and vibrant photographic imagery.

The album is most original pressie or stocking filler, so mail-order your copy now or get along to a live show and grab it from us personally!

TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF MUNDY-TURNER'S BONZER AUSSIE CHRISTMAS, CLICK ONTO OUR CONTACT/ORDER PAGE.

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Jay Turner's long-awaited retrospective 4-cd package includes all his solo albums from 1989-93 (Passion Roulette, Movements In Architecture, Atmavictu & Sketchbook), plus 5 bonus tracks previously unreleased on Gypsy Records. The albums have been unavailable since 1996, although fan-interest in them has been constant since.

Finally, having received so many enquiries during Mundy-Turner's support slots on Fairport Convention's UK Winter Tour 2004, Gypsy Records has remastered all the songs from the original sessions, added some great previously unreleased bonus tracks & now presents them in what must be the definitive collection of Jay's solo material.

The package also features all-new artwork, culled from the originals & enhanced, along with anecdotes & reflections by Jay about the albums & his solo career. It's a bumper product, including nearly 50 songs & weighing in at over 200 minutes of original acoustic music featuring Jay, his writing & many of the finest folk musicians around, including Ric Sanders, Chris Leslie, Bernard O'Neill, annA rydeR, Kevin Dempsey & many others.

The Garway Years was officially released at Cropredy Festival in August 2004.  To mail-order your copy visit the Orders page on this website.

WHAT THE REVIEWERS SAY: "Four albums, full of great songs .... and they can be yours for just £18...  Jay and Cath are great live performers and are currently unearthing some real gems from this collection on their tour. If you enjoy singer-songwriter, folk, acoustic or just good music, this set has to be the bargain of the year. If you canít get to see them to buy this, then visit www.mundy-turner.com for more details on this and their albums. Put it this way, Sara normally dislikes most of my music with a passion, but we have been playing their songs instead of putting on the TV....BUY THIS! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THIS IS THE BARGAIN OF THE YEAR!"
(FEEDBACK FANZINE, UK)

"A re-issue of Jay Turner's output from the early 90's is overdue and this beautifully packaged and sensibly priced boxed set combines all four albums from that period... Turner's songwriting has often been strong on social conscience and songs such as 'Burning Brazil' serve as a timely reminder of how little things change.  Originally released as a cassette for Amnesty International, 'Writing for Freedom' is another example of the artist's commitment to important causes but there is plenty of other material that listeners will find less earnest but equally well-written.

'First Day of Spring', featuring Chris Leslie, has not seen the light of day since Hokey Pokey's charity compilation 'All through the Year' and is included as one of the extra tracks.  'My Grandfather's Eyes', still regularly requested at Jay's gigs, is also featured on disc two.  For those who remember Jay's support slot on the Fairport Tour in 1991 and his subsequent solo work before his move to Australia, but missed the albums first time around, this set is a must.  Even if you still have the originals, the bonus tracks and the photographs of the beautiful Herefordshire countryside are almost worth the price.  Either way you won't be dissappointed."
(FOLK ON TAP, UK)
 

TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF THE GARWAY YEARS, CLICK ONTO OUR CONTACT/ORDER PAGE.

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Featuring:
Catherine Mundy (vocals, violin, piano/keyboard, percussion)
Jay Turner (vocals, acoustic guitars, harmonicas, percussion)

Choir on 'Refugee (Have Mercy)' comprises:
Unity Women's Choir, Jacey Bedford, Tanglefoot (Canada)

All tracks written & arranged by Catherine Mundy & Jay Turner, except Tracks 8, 11, 13 being traditionals arranged by MUNDY-TURNER.

What the Reviewers Say:
"Crooked House is a beautifully rounded collection boasting, to use a well-worn phrase, something for everyone. Listen to it, enjoy it and, if you can, get out to see Mundy-Turner live."(NET RHYTHMS, UK)

"What is particularly striking is the growing strength of both the songs and performance.  Jay Turner has always been capable of writing excellent songs but the narrative structure of such gems as 'The Transportation Of Sarah' and 'Markham Main' demonstrate a growing surety of touch with strong hints of the traditional ballad.  With Cath Mundy's powerful voice and instrumental technique, the pair are well matched.  The wonderful atmospheric opening to 'Rainmakers' is followed by Cath's fiddle weaving in and out and the instrumental element is continued with the beautiful 'Smiling at Shadows', a tune based on a book about parents with an autistic child.  The simple but effective lyrics of 'Refugee (Have Mercy)' are driven along by rock guitar and a fantastic choral arrangement.  Rounding the album off is a rhythmic interpretation of 'The Banks of the Nile', given edges of drive and despair that accentuate this classic song."
(FOLK ON TAP, UK)

"Both as a collection of songs and as a product, it's their finest yet... As for the songs, Jay's always been noted for his skill, craftsmanship and perceptiveness, but on Crooked House he's surpassed even himself; the epics 'The Transportation Of Sarah' and 'Markham Main' may together form the album's emotional core, but there's no let-up in the high standard, from 'Rainmakers' right through to 'Leaving Season' (both eminently memorable songs).  That's not to deny Cath's individual songwriting contributions here either - for instance, 'The Quivering' forms another of the album's high points...  The duo don't need to prove they have trad cred either, since they turn in an excellent version of 'Banks Of The Nile' and a short but intense rendition of the gospel 'Shine On Me'...  As always Cath's violin playing, with its echoes of classical styling, is exemplary.  As is the whole album." (FOLK ROUNDABOUT, UK)

***
Recorded & mixed in the UK at BRIAN BEDFORD's excellent PARK HEAD STUDIO in Birdsedge, Yorkshire, May-June 2002, CROOKED HOUSE features live studio performances, with either no or very little overdubbing. The aim for each track was to capture that live energy, keeping the quality of each performance high whilst maintaining the spontaneity and excitement of 'playing off' each other. No one was allowed to go back and do any nit-picky fixing of anything deemed a great live performance.

  To achieve this, we recorded simultaneously in the same room together, playing each song over until we got a take which felt right 'in the groove'. It was an exercise in letting go of performance-stifling perfectionism, which was a little scary at first, but ultimately very freeing & exhilerating. Engineer Brian Bedford understood our aims perfectly, inspiring confidence whilst giving gentle direction as to whether we were there yet or not!

  TRADITIONALS: CROOKED HOUSE is the first album where we've recorded our arrangements of traditional material: an ebullient Irish fiddle-guitar instrumental, the poignant anti-war song 'The Banks of the Nile', and a simple acappella version of gospel song 'Shine On Me'.

  ORIGINALS: The 10 new original songs range through our customary cornucopia of styles & content: the uptempo cajun-feel of 'Crooked House', the wistful instrumental 'Smiling at Shadows', masterful time-warp storytelling in 'The Transportation of Sarah', tongue-in-cheek soul and rockin' slide guitar in 'Holy Road', dreamy sea-side poetics in 'Azure & Turquoise', and political folk-rock balladry in 'Markham Main'.

  FOLK-CHOIR: Choral number 'Refugee (Have Mercy)' was written in 4-part harmony to be taught at our singing workshop at the National Folk Festival, in Canberra, Australia, during Easter 2002. A song with a highly topical humanitarian message, its simple power was immediately apparent when sung by the 70 enthusiastic workshop attendees!

  In the UK, we recorded 'Refugee' live in Birdsedge Church accompanied by UNITY women's choir and JACEY BEDFORD (of acappella trio Artisan). Brian did a brilliant job recording on location in the little chapel. No male singers were available the same day, so a week later we snaffled touring 5-piece Canadian band TANGLEFOOT to sing the bass parts in the studio. Working with Unity, Jacey and Tanglefoot was so successful, we hope to embark upon more such exciting collaborations in the future.

  CROOKED ARTWORK: The album artwork looks beaut! We've designed a riotously colourful 16-page booklet complete with lyrics & notes, featuring the full-colour photography of multi-media artist SUZON FUKS, of Brisbane, Australia. We all arose before dawn in time to shoot on location out in the bush at an abandoned (and dangerous!) old Queenslander, the very house which first inspired the album title.

  MANY THANKS to everyone who has played a part in the making of CROOKED HOUSE: those who provided the sources of inspiration, those who gave us space to write & rehearse, and all who support us on this amazing journey.

  CROOKED HOUSE is esentially a celebration of our playing, writing & singing together and the joy it brings us. May it give you the same great enjoyment!

TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF 'CROOKED HOUSE', CLICK ONTO OUR CONTACT/ORDER PAGE.

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'Wholly Road!' is our much-requested live album featuring 64 minutes of live performances of songs from both 'High-Life' & 'Naked', the stories behind them, plus a rare duo version of Jay's 1993 song "The Arms of Love".  The spoken introductions are separately tracked and are indentified in the track listing by quotation marks.

  The performances were recorded at several intimate acoustic venues (where no P.A. was necessary) in February during our 'Aussie Road Tour 2002'. We utilised a single stereo microphone & recordable mini-disc player. The result is a tremendously atmospheric 'in the audience' listening experience. If you close your eyes, you can picture us as we move around the stage in the stereo field.

  In some cases you can even hear the sunset calls of frogs, birds & cicadas in the bush outside the open windows as we play. It's as truly a 'live' album as you will ever buy!

'Wholly Road!' is warm, vibrant & full of fun, with heaps of enthusiastic audience interaction.

What The Reviewers Say:

"...One of the best live albums I have had the privilege to hear...What makes this different to most live albums is that before each song there is a story about the next song, and the ones prior to 'Naked' and 'High Life' show that if Jay ever fancies a career in stand up he would do well!  With no electric instruments or amplification this is all about letting the songs and the passion come through unaided and unimpeded... It is hard to pick out highlights as the album is so strong throughout, but 'Naked', 'High Life' and 'Separation Street' should have an especial mention...
Overall this is a great introduction to Cath and Jay, a true representation of what they are live...
I highly recommend this album to you all..."
(FEEDBACK FANZINE, UK)

"Mundy-Turner have managed to capture the live feel perfectly, complete with the chirruping of cicadas in the background...there are great versions of 'High Life', 'Little Birds' and 'Naked'.  The audience were obviously having a good time and their enthusiasm is evident on 'Somethin's Cookin' and 'Katoomba-deh'.   For those who have seen Cath and Jay recently this is a fine souvenir and for those who have not it's an excellent introduction to their work."
(FOLK ON TAP, UK)

"Cath Mundy and Jay Turner are one of the most vibrant acts on the folk scene...Wholly Road is an attempt to bring into our homes that extra dimension of sheer ebullience that the live gigs provide - the often hilarious but always highly informative little stories behind the songs, that contagious sense of real fun in life and communal music-making, and yes, the duo's highly theatrical physical presence - and is a resounding success...  The whole hour's worth is the ideal tool for persuading a friend who's never seen Mundy-Turner into going to see them at the earliest opportunity.  Not to mention Cath's amazing kookaburra - once heard, never forgotten."
(NETRHYTHMS, UK)

TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF 'WHOLLY ROAD!', CLICK ONTO OUR CONTACT/ORDER PAGE.

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"'Naked' presents a marriage of exceptional lyrics and sensitive yet innovative music."
Geoff Hayes, Rim Music, Australia

"'Naked' has both tranquility and pace, which are captured beautifully, giving it an essence of life, warmth & charm...some kicking slide guitar...steamy sensuous violin & guitar...heartfelt vocals...A fine piece of work and an essential purchase."  Folking.com

"With strong vocals & excellent musicianship, the duo produce a unique sounding folk, that at times is fused with elements of jazz & blues.  Jay uses a clever slide & thumbpick technique, while Cath's violin playing is smooth & elegantly phrased...A world class act."  Barfly Magazine, Australia

"Though the songs are shorn of extraneous instrumental trappings, the sound is far from bare...indeed extremely full in tone...Here the musical settings serve to generate the immediacy of the duo's vibrant live performances with great success...A very satisfying album."
David Kidman, UK

Featuring:
Catherine Mundy (vocals, violin, piano, kalimba, percussion)
Jay Turner (vocals, acoustic guitars in various tunings, blues harp, percussion)
with occasional additional percussion by:
Nigel Pegrum

All 14 tracks written by Catherine Mundy & Jay Turner, arrangements by MUNDY-TURNER.

THE NAKED STORY
Our new album, 'Naked', was recorded at Select Sound, Cairns, Tropical Far North Queensland, Australia, during 6 cyclone-threatened days, in the first week of April 2000 .  The material included songs sketched and written over the last two years, as well as material developed from Cath's musical score for the Jill Shearer play 'Georgia'  in 1999 & some pieces written only weeks before the sessions.  In January 2000, Jay wrote a stunningly honest song called 'Naked' and we knew straight away that it was the title of the album.

PRE-PRODUCTION
Originally we had hoped to record at home using new computer technology.  It proved a frustrating, fruitless experience dogged with endless technical difficulties.  There were moments of sheer desperation, as precious recordings glitched, or even completely disappeared!  If Jay had hair he would have torn it out - we just wanted to get on with the music!!!!!  Obviously the only thing to do was to book studio-time, and continue with pre-production at home using our 4-track mini-disc recorder.

IN THE STUDIO
Our immediate choice was to return to the scene of our successful 1998 album 'High Life', Select Sound, the studio run by Nigel Pegrum.  Always our favourite studio companion, Nigel recorded, mixed & mastered the album with his usual flair (whilst cracking Cath up with his unforgettable range of nutty BBC accents).

The concept of the album was to be 'Mundy-Turner as we sound onstage', in an intimate acoustic setting.  Our motto was to be "Fearlessly Beautiful", to closely inspect each sound for depth, texture, quality, emotion.  Making a complete break from the band-concept of 'High-Life', we wanted to create an album with a completely different flavour and mood, more personal, more close-up and sparse in arrangement.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY
The gorgeous black & white photography is by Miriam Millner, an exhibiting Art Photographer from Christchurch, New Zealand, who we were lucky enough to meet at the Canterbury Folk Festival, Wainui, during our NZ Tour April-May 2000.

The images resulted from what started out as a casual photo-shoot.  Miriam invited us to her home studio because, she said, she liked our onstage energy, but wanted to shoot beyond the public face and capture our 'essence'.  Miriam's innate ability to put us completely at ease helped to make the session a treat.  When we received the proof-sheet, whilst still on tour in NZ, it became clear that these were the images to go with our new album - they were perfect.

BACK AT THE RANCH...
The track schedule emerged during a dinner-date at home in Brisbane shortly after our return from NZ, with our lovely friends Julie Robson & Wendell Shaw.  Jay was playing our guests the initial mixes we'd just received & was trying to make the selection as interesting as possible.  It soon became obvious that inspiration was at work (blame the lentil curry!).

Jay then scanned Miriam's large-scale B&W proof-sheets & chose crops from eight of the various shots she'd taken.  In a single six-hour stint at the computer, he put together the framework & art concept of the 12-page booklet & double-sided inlay.  Cath, then very sick with flu, arose from bed to write song-introductions, make suggestions, corrections & to generally do an amazing job of proof-reading.
Fine-tuning adjustments made, the artwork & final mixes went to pressing on May 24.  Whew!

In the meantime we had been performing concerts of the new 'Naked' material in New Zealand & Oz and the demand for copies got so high that in a short space of time we had a fantastic number of pre-paid orders for the album.  Thank you all.  Enjoy!

TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF 'NAKED', CLICK ONTO OUR CONTACT/ORDER PAGE.
 

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1998/1999 WINNER of SUNNIE AWARD for BEST ALBUM in the Folk/Ethnic category
Queensland Recording Association

    "...an excellent album stand-out tracks a splendid showcase..."
Folk On Tap Magazine, U.K.

 "...a CD which not only does justice to their live performances, but transforms their music in a way that will delight and surprise..."
Barfly Magazine, Cairns, Australia

 "Even my favourite albums have two or three 'average' tracks.  Every track on 'HIGH-LIFE' is brilliant!  I can't stop playing it..."
Vicki Cohn, Organiser, Canterbury Folk Festival, New Zealand

Featuring:
Catherine Mundy (vocals, violin, piano)
Jay Turner (vocals, acoustic 6-string & 12-string guitars, electric guitar)
Gary Ward (fretted & fretless bass guitars)
Nigel Pegrum (drum kit, percussion)

with special 'appearances' by:
Mark Mannock (Keyboards); Kirk Steel (Piano Accordion);
Peter Ella (Mandolin); Ashley Dargan (Didgeridoo);
Wayne McIntosh (Slide Guitar); Gregg Amies (Trumpet);
Andrew Hungerford (Clarinet, Saxophone); Jason Fox (Trombone)

All songs and arrangements by MUNDY-TURNER.

THE HIGH-LIFE STORY...
'HIGH-LIFE' is our first full-length album together.  It was recorded in several sessions between December 1997 & February 1998 at Select Sound in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia, with Nigel Pegrum (ex-drummer of 17 years with Steeleye-Span ) as co-producer, engineer and drummer .

The main criterion of the album was that it was to adhere to our 'folk-roots' background, but be produced to a level which would compete with major record company releases, both in quality & in air-playability.

Nigel, with his wonderful folk-rock pedigree, proved to be the perfect companion for the journey, as well as lots of fun to work with (it is an overriding consideration that all Mundy-Turner recording sessions are 'serious fun').  His ready wit & patient nature helped us through, time & again.

PRE-PRODUCTION
Pre-production happened at home and in our motel room at Airlie Beach during our November '97 residency at the infamous KCs Char-Grill and Bar (yeah, you guessed it, we were the char-grill).

Jay wrote the popular, now nationally playlisted 'Get There From Here' in that motel room too, enraged by the arrogance of an Airlie resort manager who told us we could never make anything of ourselves doing original music rather than hackneyed covers.  Thanks to this fellow, we had a brand new addition for the album!

At home, each song selected for the album was 'story-boarded' (blu-tacked to the living room wall on a large pieces of art paper with proposed instrumentation, arrangement details etc).

Cath forced herself to sit down during the brain-frying heat & humidity of January '98 with manuscript paper and pencil to score the exact brass arrangements for the 'Prelude' , ' In Your Rain' and 'Get There From Here' - not an easy task under those conditions, but well worth the effort.

With Gary Ward, we worked in detail on the bass parts.  We pretty much knew what we wanted, but tried to give Gary his artistic freedom, too.  Gary & Nigel were to form the formidable & charismatic rhythm section of the album.  These men both have the ability to elevate their craft to the point where it becomes art, as so often happened on 'High-Life'.

IN THE STUDIO
We had a ball in the studio making the musical dreams for our songs come true. The other musicians on the album were invited to participate because of our respect for & enjoyment of their ability & style of playing.

We were very privileged to have some of the top players in Australia living on our doorstep; most of them had become our friends.  Not all of the listed instruments played on every track - certain timbres were selected for their suitablity to each song, and mostly because we heard them in our heads.

For example, we had always wanted a cajun style accordion on the New Orleans tribute 'In Your Rain', plus the 'Prelude' of an African-American Dixie-jazz funeral procession coming 'around the corner' to introduce the song.  (PS. Has any 'High Life' listener other than Nigel spotted that the melody of the 'Prelude' is deliberately the same as that played by Cath on piano during the instrumental section in 'Start My Day' ?)

Especially inspiring instrumental work was done by Mandolinist Peter Ella, Kirk Steel on Piano Accordion, Ashley Dargan on Didgeridoo, and Wayne McIntosh on Slide Guitar. Nigel's drumming on 'Sarajevo Waltz' was so delicate and sublime it had us in tears.  We were also very hard on ourselves and made sure we were coming up with excellent performances, so as to avoid any future cringe factor.  It worked, because to this day we still love to listen to 'High Life'.

The album was mixed & mastered (finally) at Select Sound, as we preferred Nigel's mastering job to that of the specialist we had engaged in Melbourne.  It was a purely subjective choice that we never regretted.

ALBUM COVER PHOTOS
Visually, we wanted the cover to be fresh, colourful & to give the product a 'taste of the Far North', as well as capture the playful aspect of our creative partnership and our connection with the outdoors.  We were put in touch with photographer Liz Kalaf by mutual friends who lived nearby us at Machans Beach.  Liz, too, lived along the esplanade & we managed to sneak a photo-shoot on the beach in between cyclone weather conditions.

In the eye of the storm was a perfect blue day.  We headed down to the spot we'd picked out the previous day & made some of the most beautiful, fun shots you could imagine.  Working with Liz was a dream - she put us right at ease, so we didn't feel at all self-conscious about singing and mucking around in front of her.  Although we chose only four images specifically for the album cover out of the 75 exposure session, there were a dozen photos more which were wonderful for publicity, or as personal portraits.

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Having bought a second-hand Apple Mac computer that once belonged to a graphic designer, we tried our hands at designing our own album cover around the images taken by Liz.  It was great spending as much unharried time with it as we liked, instead of the usual peering over someone else's shoulder at occasional points in the process.  We were able to achieve exactly what we wanted before going to print.

ALBUM LAUNCH
The album was launched in grand style on March 29, 1998 at the Rondo Theatre in Cairns.  We wanted a focussed concert environment & the Rondo was near-perfect.  The local community of both businesses and friends generously supported the fund-raising for the event by buying ad-space on our posters, programmes, and front page feature in Barfly Magazine .  The advertising paid off handsomely & tickets for seats were completely sold out two days in advance of the event.  We sold floor-space at the door!

It was a splendid evening, helped by a great team of sound, lights & front-of-house personnel.  Quirky local acappella quartet "The Frangipani Girls" opened the show in colourful tropical style & then we were on with the full band, brass-section & all, rocking superbly to a highly enthused audience.  Afterwards in the foyer followed a continuous flurry of signings and sales and congrats.  Our 'baby' was born and christened!

Later, Tony Hillier, editor of local leisure & music paper "Son of Barfly" was to write that:
"Mundy-Turner's event will be the benchmark against which to set all future Cairns album launches".

LIFE AFTER 'HIGH LIFE'
Immediately following this event, one of our launch sponsors/advertisers, local department store MYER CAIRNS bought a substantial amount of 'High Life' stock to sell in their new music section, happily selling out within the month!

In May 1999, ABC RADIO play-listed 'Get There From Here', the opening track, for national rotation on all ABC stations.    Many other Australian radio stations are playing tracks as part of regular programming.   We've heard of it being played by DJs as far away as Dublin and Belgium, so now it is travelling solo!

The Queensland Recording Association 1998-1999 SUNNIE AWARDS voted 'HIGH-LIFE' to be the BEST ALBUM in the Folk/Ethnic Category.

Melbourne's celebrated BOITE WINTER FESTIVAL1999 featured the acappella track 'Little Birds' on their festival compilation album.

In 2000, ABC MUSIC are releasing a 'Best of Far North Queensland' compilation album for which 'Get There From Here' has been selected.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOADS TRACK-BY-TRACK OR FULL ALBUM
- CLICK ONTO OUR CONTACT/ORDER PAGE.
 

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 "An inspired piece of action by Jay Turner & chum Catherine Mundy, who, when visiting said legendary facility, promptly went back & cut a bowling-set of acoustic rock'n'roll."
Folk Roots Magazine, UK

featuring:
Catherine Mundy (vocals, violin) & Jay Turner (vocals, acoustic guitar)

All songs by Mundy-Turner except 'Jennifer' by Jay Turner
 

THE SUN SESSIONS STORY...
In Memphis, Tennessee, October 1995, Mundy-Turner's 'The Sun Sessions' resulted from a spontaneous idea we had to record at the legendary Sun Studio .  Our visit there took place during our American Gospel Tour , led by Sydney's acappella gospel-singing guru, Tony Backhouse .

The studio calls itself the 'birthplace of rock and roll', having discovered such greats as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis & BB King there in the 1950s.  TV Chef Keith Floyd also said "If music be the food of love, then Sun Studio is the 'Kitchen of Rock and Roll'!"

Inspired by the very vibe of the place and its captivating stories, we booked two half-hour sessions  which alternated between half-hour 'guided museum tours' of the studio.   Recording straight to tape as they did way back then, we performed three new songs.

'Somethin's Cookin' (in the Kitchen of Rock'n'Roll)', penned the night before the sessions as a tribute to the studio, was inpired by the words of Keith Floyd and all the great musical ingredients we'd been savouring during our Gospel Tour travels.

The more complex 'In Your Rain' was written the week before, during our stay in New Orleans.  It was so new we had to go out into the carpark to rehearse, during the break between sessions!

In the last few minutes, we decided to record 'Jennifer' by Jay, a sweet wistful song written for Jennifer Simpson, Australian singer & friend, & the person responsible for organising Jay's first tour of Australia.

The recordings were really only made for fun.  However, the results were so fresh, we decided to release them as a 'calling card' for the industry & for fans.  We sold 1,000 copies in a very short time.   Sadly, it is no longer available.

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