YAN Tan Tether is a sheep-counting rhyme and system traditionally used by shepherds in Northern England but it is also the name of a female close harmony folk trio from Otley who specialise in beautiful acapella arrangements of traditional and modern folk songs.

Following the release of previous albums Down in Yon Forest and Over the Heather, they have just released their latest album All on the Salt Seas, containing sea shanties, and a selection of songs of salty seas, sinking ships and saucy sailors!

The three young women Rosie Knighton, Tess Leslie and Lynne O’Malley have been singing together since 2013 and have built up a reputation for wonderful performances in the local folk clubs and festivals around Yorkshire and beyond. They play a host of instruments between them but concentrate mostly on creating beautiful a capella arrangements of traditional and modern folk songs. Their voices blend beautifully, creating some spine-tingling harmonies.

In this latest album these harmonies are to the fore. Some of the numbers are quite well known such as 10,000 miles and many others soon become familiar the more one listens to the CD. Maid on the Shore, the opening track, is set in minor keys with good harmonies. Bold Riley has an accordion accompaniment for the slow and soft melody and 10,000 Miles is well known, jovial and a song I remember singing at school at Prince Henry’s. Sleep Well ‘Til Morning is slower and melodic and is followed by Saucy Sailor, an up-tempo number again set in minor keys with good harmonies. Greenland is a song about that particular country which is well harmonised and Deep Blue Sea features Rosie in the solo lead with Tess and Lynne harmonising in the background. Another up-tempo number, I Saw a Maid, follows and then the melodic Constant Lovers. The penultimate track, Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth is set in the major key and to conclude the CD there is Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy again with Rosie taking the lead vocal.

The group has a busy schedule over the next few months. On Saturday, October 20 they are at Otley Labour Rooms and on Saturday, November 17 at Queens Hall, Burley for a Burley Bridge fundraiser, with Rum Doodle, Duncan McFarlane and Anne Brivonese. Coming up in 2019 they have the following schedule: Thursday 17 January - Topic Folk Club Bradford, Monday 11 February - Stockton Folk Club, Thursday 14 March - Chemic, Leeds and Saturday 4 May - Filey Folk Festival.

The CD which is priced at £10.00 can be ordered from the group via their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Yantantetherotley/ or it can be purchased at both the Otley and Burley events.

by John Burland