A labour of love, this double CD is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest traditional musicians this country has produced.
In the mid 1950s, folklorist and musician, Reg Hall met Scan Tester and invited him to play in his loose-knit band of musicians. Their playing schedule covered the usual pub gigs and private parties and also included a trip to London where Scan played before a full house at the Royal Festival Hall. Game to go anywhere, Scan accepted invitations to clubs and festivals around the country and thus became known and loved by a public beyond his own place and time. Mostly recorded by Reg Hall, these 55 tracks – expanded and remastered from the 1990 vinyl LP – open a window to our musical past.
“The crowded rolling gate of Scan’s country dance band must be one of the most joyous noises to emerge from a pub’s doors”★★★★★ Songlines
CD1
1. SCHOTTISCHE
 2. POLKA
 3. THE BROOM DANCE 
4. THE REEL 
5. WALTZ: THE MAN IN THE MOON
 6. NO.2 STEP-DANCE 
7. SCHOTTISCHE
 8. POLKA: THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND ME 
 9. PRETTY LITTLE DEAR 
10. JIG: THE SEVENTEENTH OF MARCH 
11. WEARING OF THE GREEN
 12. WALTZ
 13. POLKA 
14. SCHOTTISCHE
 15. POLKA: JENNY LIND
 16. THE INDIAN POLKA 
17. SONG: THE LAKES OF COALFLIN 
18. POLKA 
19. POLKA: NOT FOR JOE 
20. SEE ME DANCE THE POLKA
 21. THE HEEL AND TOE POLKA
 22. STEP-DANCE 
23. SCHOTTISCHE
 24. POLKA
 25. NUTLEY WALTZ
 26. SCHOTTISCHE
 27. NO.1 STEP-DANCE 
28. LEARNING THE CONCERTINA
CD2
1. POLKA
 2. ONE-STEP: DOWN ON THE FARM 
3. STEP-DANCE
 4. STEP-DANCE
 5. WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCH THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHT 
6. BARBARA ALLEN 
7. THE LAST FIGURE OF THE LANCERS
 8. THE BROOK STREET SCHOTTISCHE
 9. SCHOTTISCHE 
10. WALTZ 
11. JIG: THE IRISH WASHERWOMAN 
12. STEP-DANCE: THE MONKEY HORNPIPE
 13. TWO VERSES of OXFORD CITY
 14. TWO VERSES of A WEEK BEFORE EASTER
 15. MARCHES: SCOTLAND THE BRAVE / THE HAPPY WANDERER
 16. THE HEEL & TOE POLKA 
 17. POLKA 
18. WALTZ 
19. POLKAS: LA RUSSE / McCUSKER’S / JENNY LIND / GOODNIGHT, LADIES
 20. THE WALTZ VIENNA 
 21. SCHOTTISCHE
 22. STEP-DANCE 
23. No.1 STEP-DANCE
 24. SOLDIER’S JOY
 25. THE CARNIVAL IS OVER
 26. I WISH THEY’D DO IT NOW
 27. BUSKING ON BRIGHTON BEACH
Scan Tester voice, concertina and tambourine
aided by his brother Will and his daughter Daisy and friends on the fiddle, melodeon, mouth organ and piano.
Available now from:
TOPIC SHOP, AMAZON, ITUNES and on SPOTIFY