...folk provides the theme but jazz determines the style Landermason Reviews

Album Review in HIFI+ MAGAZINE (Issue 58) Landermason The Reason

I’m not normally drawn to this kind of music, I find much of it bland and uninspiring – perfect for elevators and hotel lobbies but almost impossible to actually sit down and listen to. This though, is different. Landermason are essentially Fiona Lander and Paul Mason, a highly versatile and extremely gifted duo who take the finer elements of folk and then decorate them with a light dusting of jazz. They’ve only been together since 2000 but this is their 3rd album, and it’s a real corker. Fiona has the voice of an angel, her singing could coax the birds down from the trees and melt the hardest of hearts. She turns the penny whistle into an art form, blows sensuous sax, plays a mean clarinet and tickles the ivories ‘til they purr. Paul also sings and when the two voices collide a delicious swirl of harmonies ensues – it’s enough to warm the most jaded listener’s soul.

Most of the songs are self-written, but even the traditional tunes are revitalized by the sheer enthusiasm and skill these two bring to them. Mason’s acoustic playing is another highlight: crisply picked notes tumble eagerly forth to delight the senses as they weave in and out the beautiful arrangements. At 70-plus minutes it’s a long album but the time just seems to float by on a sea of unhurried bliss. Gorgeous.

Andrew Hobbs

Album Review in Rock ’n’ Reel Nov/Dec 07 Landermason The Reason

There's not so much a renaissance as a revolution going on in the North East. First Megson and now Fiona Lander and Paul Mason, a duo who starts with folk music and transport it to their own space.

The tradition is represented by 'When The Boat Comes In' and 'Dance To Your Daddy' and, although the latter is pretty straight with a chorus consisting of names like Robson and Tickell, I think that James Bolam would have problems identifying with the former. In fact, Landermason write most of their material with subjects ranging from the philosophy of 'I Know There's A Reason' to 'Drummer Man', an affectionate but unsentimental tribute to their late percussionist, Keith Bleasby.

Landermason's style comes from jazz but that's a simplistic label. True, 'Words Unsaid' would make a fine nightclub standard and there's much improvisation from Fiona's keyboards, clarinet, saxophones and whistles. True, the harmonies aren't really folky but their music is a fusion of styles that allows a jig ('First Past The Post') to slot in beWteen 'Me Too' featuring soprano sax and plucked piano strings and 'Please Yourself'. I must also praise Paul's guitar and bass, which shape the songs. He takes a couple of lead vocals and, although Fiona does most of the flashy stuff, Landermason is very much a duo of equals.

Album review (August 2007)

'Multi instrumentalist and vocalist Fiona Lander has teamed with Paul Mason, guitarist extraordinaire in this their thrid CD performing as Landermason '.... (see full review at folking.com)

LIVING TRADITION MAGAZINE 2007 ‘The Reason’ - Landermason

It’s a medieval fiefdom, a novel by Sir Walter Scott or is it, perhaps a breed of cattle? Wrong on all counts, Landermason is a duo comprising Fiona Lander and Paul Mason and this is their third album comprising a largely self written, soft focus and scintillating meld of jazzy, folk-tinged arrangements and breathy vocals. Based in north east England and lauded by the likes of Radio 2’s Bob Harris they’ve been writing and recording together now for some seven years and a well-honed musicianship shows through in the slinky shimmer of this rewarding release.

The highspots are many and varied. Profoundly romantic, shamelessly poetic, ‘The Reason’ expresses sentiments like love, heartbreak, optimism, pride, and regret in equal measure. “The time is right and what’s right can’t be wrong” is the thrust of ‘I Know There’s A Reason’ and whilst an ostensibly light and airy flavour informs the proceedings, these two visit the dark side of Planet Earth in ‘Somalia’ which says a lot about that country’s abject situation in just two verses.

There’s no full-on raw energy at work here and it’s a recording that’s notable for its absence of excess delivery but every track is rich in melody and affecting lyrical detail. Fiona’s whistle, clarinet and especially sax playing has real panache and seasoned by Paul’s glorious, so-right guitar this makes for an easy flowing effort that touches head and heart. Moving easily between the contemplative and the relatively upbeat, it succeeds in being cerebral and at the same time, somehow intuitive.

A sparky, supremely confident statement, this is one for the connoisseur.

Clive Pownceby

The Crack Magazine August 2007 Land ahoy!

Landermason – hailing from the north of England but with strong links to East Anglia and the Lake District – have just launched their latest album, The Reason, a superb amalgamation of folk and jazz.

I’ve never heard a version of ‘Dance to Your Daddy’ quite like this before. Included on Landermason’s fine new album, the traditional north-east standard is given a quite glorious light jazz working over and is as fresh as stottie that has just been taken from the kiln.

‘The Reason’ is their third album and the duo have really honed their sound which is a refreshingly breezy mix of contemporary folk and jazz featuring many an uplifting melody and superb harmonies. The band is actually a duo, Fiona Lander and Paul Mason (hence the moniker), and together they’ve come up with a collection of songs –from lively jigs to catchy up-tempo jazz tracks – that are replete with skilful arrangements and a quality of playing (on instruments including piano, saxophone, whistles, clarinet, guitars and recorder) which is quite exemplary.

Edinburgh Festival Folk At The Oak (Landermason) The Wee Folk Club/The Royal Oak

The intimate Wee Folk Club overflowed with instruments as jazz-folk duo Landermason too the stage, and not one was left unplayed. Throughout two separate sets Landermason were musically excellent, showing off technical ability but also adding heart and soul into their songs about their home in the North, and their travels across Britain. Fiona Lander showed impressive command of multiple instruments ranging from piano to saxophone to penny whistle, whilst Paul Mason’s jazz-tinged folk guitar-playing was exceptional. The pair both sing, and while Lander’s voice is, by her own admission ‘gentle’, the harmonies were always perfect. The complexity of many of the arrangements will alienate those outside the genre but for folk fans this was an outstanding performance.

[Asm] CMU Daily August 9th 2007

Review of ‘The Reason’ August 2007

Mm, I really like this one - and against all expectations too. Landermason is a Northumberland-based duo comprising Fiona Lander and Paul Mason, who deftly inhabit the musical territory where according to their press handout “folk provides the theme and jazz determines the style”. That's at once rather true and slightly misleading as it turns out, for it's likely that a pure jazz lover would find the music too folky and a folkie would find it too jazzy. Having said that, this is a really refreshing (if often quite soft-focus) record, the duo's third. It presents eleven original compositions by the duo (nine songs and two sprightly instrumentals) which make a virtue of melody but also of variety, the moods and colours ever changing through the heavenly length of the album (over 70 minutes including the lovely leave-the-disc-playing bonus track - In From The Desert? - that really doesn't deserve to be overlooked). There's also a setting of the famous cradle lullaby (here puzzlingly titled Sweep's Song), and even better, a linked sequence of swingingly imaginative arrangements of two traditional songs from the north-east (When The Boat Comes In and Dance To Your Daddy) on which the duo are joined by Peter Tickell on fiddle, Alice Roser on concertina and a veritable chorus of guest singers. Not that Fiona and Paul need extra singers elsewhere, for they're both blessed with truly excellent voices, attractive and clear when solo and abundantly harmonious when singing together. And their instrumental skills are legion too, with Paul's deft and supremely accomplished (and classically-influenced) nylon-strung guitar work the ideal foil for Fiona's finely judged whistles, saxes and piano contributions. Aside from the aforementioned guest musicians, the only augmentation they allow is when young sibling fiddlers Sarah and David Jones get to play on XYZ (the track that's named after the band they both used to be in - David's now with Last Orders of course!). The jazzy idiom comes into its own on The Mirror and Words Unsaid, while Please Yourself and Hero are possibly closest to contemporary folk - but it's the conjoining of the two strands (especially on Somalia, I Know There's A Reason and All Roads) that arguably provides the album's most beguiling moments. Having said that, and appealing though the album's early tracks are without doubt, Landermason really come into their own in the disc's second half, with the sequence from Please Yourself through All Roads to Somalia proving extremely satisfying. Landermason's music brings us one of those combinations of musical styles and influences that's often been tried but less often convinces; it's a tribute to their thoughtfulness, their craft and their intense degree of musicianship that it works so very well. A delightfully classy proficiency is the order of the day with Landermason, sure, but it's shot through both with an abundance of haunting, tuneful beauty and an emotional responsiveness that's not to be dismissed.

David Kidman
NetRhythms.com

Landermason At The Real-Music Club, Live In The Kiln at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, 7th July 2007

Fiona Lander wins you over in the time it takes her to flash a smile. Immediate, attractive, effervescent and so full of life it bubbles over like pink champagne.

Paul Mason is more of a still wine. Subtle in flavour and quieter at opening, but again his warm smile and enjoyment of life invites you to know him better.

Paul in grey sweatshirt, electric blue patch trousers and sandals; Fiona brighter in white trousers and autumn leafed top, also in sandals. Two beaming smiles later and they have the audience forgetting the summer rain. By the time the first note is played you realise these two likable individuals have that rare, rare commodity. Call it the X-Factor, call it star quality, call it what ever you want. They have it.

They have that special fusion of personality, magnificent musicianship, inspiring songs, toe-tapping tunes and memorable vocals that converts performance into cd sales on a consistent basis. Audiences don’t queue up to buy the CD’s of support acts very often. On this occasion even the barman came downstairs with his cash crumpled in his hand. “Rob”, he said, “if you don’t book these as headliners next year you must be mad.”

Paul’s guitar work is the engine of the performance. It doesn’t battle against the songs, or demand to master the tunes. It leads them forward – knowing the path so well that the other instruments follow with confidence. Fiona’s keyboard playing is probably the best I’ve heard in the Kiln – not necessarily for the wizardry but more because Fiona knows how it fits within Landermason’s mini orchestra of sound. The keyboard is there to do its part. A servant to Paul’s guitar, a backdrop to the vocal scene, an anchor for the soaring whistles. Minimalist, atmospheric, expressive. How can I describe it? Do you know how as a summer storm passes, the thunder rumbles a bass back note? How you sense the smell of damp fruitfulness hanging in the air and see a rainbow slowly fade against a slate sky. That is how the Keyboard envelops Landermason’s music. The recorders, whistles, flute, & clarinet flutter around Paul’s guitarwork whilst the Saxophone provides the pillow on which to rest your head. Fiona dances from one instrument to another. Paul Stoic and grounded holds it all together. Landermason are a force of nature.

‘I Know There’s A Reason’ and ‘Angel of the North’ are triumphs, both live and as title tracks of the duo’s two different but equally memorable albums. I have both in the car and repeated plays over a long journey have allowed me to fall in love with both. I love ‘Whistle Jig’ and ‘Saxophone Jig’ and ‘Somalia’ but it takes ‘Mirror’ and ‘Words Unsaid’ to satisfy the jazz lover in me. Back to the live performance in the Kiln and I remember with fondness ‘Take 5’.

So if you ever hear of a mysterious duo called Landermason and wonder who they are, or you read that “...folk provides the theme but jazz determines the style” and don’t quite know what that means. Or if you hear ‘Angel of the North’ being played on the Radio and wonder if the composers are one hit wonders – don’t dismiss them, don’t ignore them, Landermason are incredible.

Take your chance to see Fiona dancing between musical styles and Paul standing astride them while you can. Landermason won’t remain a mystery for long.

Rob Henry
The Real-Music Club

by Dave Kushar 'Sprial Earth' July 2007 ALBUM REVIEW

This is an album of epic proportions in reach and scope [more]

Published on 22/06/2007;-) LanderMason turn on the style

FIONA Lander and Paul Mason, the duo from Bellingham better known as Landermason, performed a varied programme that included lyrical ballads, traditional jigs and more jazz-orientated numbers [more...]

REVIEW on gig at 'LIVE AT THE SAL' Doncaster

"Another 'Sal discovery'. Landermason were simply superb. Take 5 on penny whistle? Yes you had to witness it to believe it. And...the best guitarist the club has ever seen - full stop. Paul's presentation of 'Somalia' was absolutely breathtaking - the first time I've clapped like a lunatic before the number ended - no-one noticed...they were all too absorbed in quality." Bob Chiswick

March 2006Review on live gig at 'Friday Folk' Orpington 17/03/06

"Was it because it was Paddy's night or what??? A smallish audience turned out for what was to be a stonking evening. Ok, I'd never heard of them either...but if they're good enough for Doug Hudson, they're good enough for me. Fabulous, original material, some jazz, some folk, some pop, all performed on various guitars, keyboards and wind instruments. If I had to compare them to anybody, it would have to be MUNDY-TURNER, but these guys live here!!! Well worth looking out for, we give them four stars." Sue Tuckey

February 2006'AROUND KENT FOLK' Angel of the North CD Review

"The title track celebrates the Angel and the strength of Folk. 'I will be back soon' - the pain of exile and waiting to return. 'Natural Beauty' - how the beauty takes control and sets you free. 'Whistle Jig' and 'Saxophone Jig' are grand to listen to. Trad tracks are 'Waters of Tyne' and 'The Dark Island' - played with such wistful, haunting emotion it does evoke the isle. Fiona has a strong but smooth sensitive voice. Great future ahead of them - see them at your local club."

July 2004THE INFORMER

"Landermason are obviously highly accomplished musicians with real training and understanding of their genre… they are incredibly tasteful, the self penned tracks stay in a place where folk provides the theme but jazz determines the style" [more...]

May 2004HEXHAM COURANT

"The quality of their performance easily held their audience rapt and spellbound at the sell-out event. The music of vocalist/instrumentalist Fiona Lander and guitarist Paul Mason spans the folk, jazz and classical fields and brings to each a deep intensity of feeling that rivets the attention… Landermason"s concerts just keep getting better and better" [more...]

September 2003HOLLEY'S COMET

"The musicianship was outrageously good…..solo and harmonized voices were spot on, varying in intensity and giving great colour and tone to the night... I really recommend going to see them" [more...]

May 2003HEXHAM COURANT

"At one level you can simply let the atmospheric sounds and the words lap over you. Delve deeper, however, and within the same music there is a wealth of reward to be enjoyed from the ebbing and swelling of the rhythms, the mood-changes, colour changes and chord-changes that abound" [more...]

April 2003HADLEIGH COMMUNITY NEWS

"In all a very exciting and even inspiring evening…LanderMason have set a mark and have redefined the standard to which other local musicians must aspire" [more...]

June 2002EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES

"The musical diversity, sometimes even within the same song, ensures the listener's attention doesn't wander... multi-instrumentalist Lander has a wonderfully pure, occasionally breathy voice which is a delight to listen to, particularly with the considered harmonies she and Mason add to create light and shade" [more...]

June 2002GRAPEVINE MAGAZINE "The Foster Factor" column

"Their set of mostly original material at the Pulse Festival at the Wolsey Theatre went down a storm. The Wolsey was the perfect setting for beautiful songs like "Summer Days" and "Somalia". The latter was immediately followed by a version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock". By now the audience was lapping it up. LanderMason encored with Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" giving us a glimpse of an earthier side to their musical talents" [more...]