The City Waites, January 1977

The City Waites take their name from the musicians or “waites” who were retained by towns and cities in days of old to provide music for municipal occasions. Their extensive repertoire includes “art” music of court and church but their main interest is in the re-creation of the “folk” and “pop” songs of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries and they rate highly the importance of bringing back the sparkle and spontaneity of the songs and dances of the street and inn, the countryside and the stage – as well, of course, as their humorous and sometimes bawdy aspects. These four talented musicians display their versatility on a wide range of instruments and the infectious vitality of their performance makes as big an appeal to pop fans as to lovers of either folk or classical music.