Email: boblarge(at)actrix.co.nz
Folkie from way back. Grew up in Apartheid South Africa and has never quite got over it. Now as Kiwi as one can be without being born in New Zealand. At home at Titirangi Folk Music Club but can be persuaded to perform anywhere to a listening audience.
Part of the Maritime Crew but equally comfortable in solo.
Companions, Soulmates and Judges: Recorded by Andrew Dixon at Impact Studios in 1995 and mastered onto cassette by Stebbings. Now remastered onto CD by Stebbings and reproduced and labelled by Portable Panic in 2003.
Songs of protest, grief and joy: and of being human. Send $15 ($10 plus $5 postage).
Thistledown Boy: A CD album, launched at Titirangi Folk Music Club on 12th July 2003. The album was recorded by Tony Ricketts of Portable Panic, on location at Huia. Songs written between 1992 & 2001. Songs of home and travel, intimacy and distance and the vicissitudes of being human. Like thistledown, they waft on the wind sometime to take root.
The tracks are: Rolling Down Pacific Clouds, Karamatura, Who Speaks for the Forest? The Troubadour and the Taniwha, Cherries in Warsaw, It’s a Mirage, We Couldn’t Say Goodbye, Thistledown Boy, Long Song Blues, Kathleen Connor, Brisbane River, Let the Rhythm Ring Out, The Parting Time.
All songs are Bob Large compositions and sung by Bob Large, with guitar on all tracks (except two a cappella songs) and occasional harmonica. Bevis England helps on Mandolin on “Forest”, Ken Lee on Accordion on “Cherries”, Bevis is on Guitar, Ken on Accordion and Ruth Large on Flute on Thistledown Boy.
Large as Life: CD recorded by Portable Panic in 2007 and engineered by Tony Ricketts. Launched at Waharau Winter Shake-up 2007. 15 songs written and performed by Bob Large on vocals, guitar and harmonica. Songs personal and collective, happy and sad, angry and wistful.
The tracks are: Mayday, January Song, Sitting on the Floor, Compassion, Living in this Selfish City, Seals at Huia Bay, Frankie the Frog, Umuntu Ungumuntu Ngabantu, Song for June, A Moment of Your Time, Disappointment Blues, Guten Morgen Mein Herr, Songwriters Workshop, Melanoma Blues, The Big Wheel. Ruth Sharp plays pennywhistle, Tony Ricketts plays soft string guitar and Tony Ricketts & Jenny Kilpatrick sing vocal backings on Umuntu.
Emily Sharp, Aimee Rae & Lexie Sharp sing backing vocals and Tony Ricketts plays the wooden frog on Frankie.
For Thistledown Boy and Large as Life: Send $25 each ($20 plus $5 postage) or $45 for both ($40 plus $5 postage) to the address above for postage anywhere in NZ - if you live in Greenland or further afield, we will have to negotiate!
I’d be more than happy to sing the songs live, if you’re foolish enough to invite me to... and happy to send a copy of the chords and lyrics to anyone who gets that interested.