Folk music is still living in the present

No, Sue Grainger (Letters, 6 January), the Ian Anderson who wrote about the lack of British folk music in the new music list for 2020 wasn’t the one who was in Jethro Tull. It was the Ian Anderson who deserves our thanks for editing and producing the excellent Folk Roots magazine (latterly fRoots) which sadly closed last year after 40 years. Without Mr Anderson’s efforts many of us would not have become as enthusiastic about world and folk music or, as he called it, “local music from out there”.
Toby Wood
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

• Folk music “living in the past”? What rot. The songs of Robb Johnson, Leon Rosselson, Steve White, Grace Petrie, Joe Solo, Jim Woodland and many others have more to say about present-day social and political issues than anything in the charts.
Graham Larkbey
London

• I was intrigued by Emma Brockes’ piece on true crime in New York (Crime apps: the latest way to fuel our anger and fear, Journal, 7 January), especially by the report that “a man with no pants on was wandering around the corner of 34th Street and 5th Avenue”. But was she writing in American English or British English – and, if the latter, how would one ever know?
Dr Richard Carter
Putney, London

• John Gooder’s last car at age 74 (Letters, 6 January)? That was my husband’s age when we gave up our car and took to our bicycles for our transport needs. We spent many holidays touring on various National Cycle Network routes – wonderful!
Phyll Hardie
Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich

• Singing may be the answer to many things (Letters, 6 January). What does someone desperate to join a choir but unable to sing in tune do instead? Even Gareth Malone would not be able to help me.
Jennifer Henley
London

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