The York Waits

The York Waits is a quintet of musicians who revived the tradition of the "city band" as it was known in England in the 14th century. They specialize in period compositions performed on authentic instruments, and appear at official functions for the Lord Mayor and the corporation of York. Anthony Barton (cornet, tenor shawm, soprano capped shawn, Flemish bagpipe, pipe and tabor, percussion, recorders, cittern, lute), Tim Bailey (sackbut, soprano shawm, hurdy-gurdy, alto-flute, alto curtal, recorders), James Merryweather (bass curtal, tenor shawm, English and Flemish bagpipes, recorders), Ian Richardson (bass curtal, soprano and soprano capped shawm, recorders, flute, hurdy-gurdy), and Roger Richardson (alto shawm, soprano and capped shawms, recorders, bass flute) perform music written between the 14th and 17th centuries in an authentic style, and have made several recordings for the Saydisc label, including 1588: Music From the Time of the Spanish Armada and Music From the Time of Richard III. Their style is deliberately archaic, achieving an authenticity of expression several hundred years old. Among contemporary performing groups, listeners will find parallels with the sounds of Gryphon and Amazing Blondel.