Water Street

Devon-born, Edinburgh-based multi-instrumentalist Tom Oakes created this entirely solo recording in adversity after his prized Grinter flute shattered onstage on the final night of a Swiss tour as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Returning home to 18 months of isolation, Oakes decided to explore the acoustics of the 17th-century merchant’s house his family were living in at the time, recording various flutes with occasional bouzouki accompaniment in different rooms.

Some tracks, such as ‘Water Street (#5211)’, have a searching, experimental quality as Oakes takes simple melodies on unpredictable twisting adventures through layered flute choruses. Others are more conventional dance tunes and windswept airs. It’s a very personal recording, often naked and exposed but with an honesty enhanced by the wood and stone of Oakes’ surroundings and the feeling that his breathy endeavours are creating direct conversations between musician and listener. The quietly percussive bouzouki accompaniment on ‘The Silver Slipper’ has the tone of a ghostly banjo and the gently ringing sounds behind the Irish air ‘Sé Fáth Mo Bhuartha’ add to the sense that Oakes’ makeshift studio might well be haunted.