Gráinne Hambly third recording, just released last month, contains her tradmark blend of Traditional Irish Dance Music, O'Carolan tunes, slow airs, and other selections from the harp repetoire of Ireland, aswell as the title track, one of Gráinne's own compositions.
The level of artistry on this CD, from the selection of the material to the arrangements and the playing, is superlative. If you think that her Between the Showers and Golden Lights and Green Shadows recordings are great, The Thorn Tree will knock you over. Grainne gives an unsurpassed performance.
As if the music weren't enough, the liner notes on each selection are a must read.
Celtic Grooves (http://celticgrooves.homestead.com/CG_Hambly_Grainne_Thorn.html) says "Her playing on traditional tunes, even near-hackneyed ones like the "Stack of Barley," and newly or recently composed ones, including her own slip jig after which the album is named, is kept light and vivacious thanks to simple yet effective arrangements. Hambly can also conjure a more solemn, "classical" sound on some of the older harp tunes, even at times an ethereal, supernatural quality which befits airs like "Port na bPucai." This is, in its minimalist way, an uncommonly rich recording."
Note that thesession.org's album submission engine seems to strip any word relating to a tune type from submitted track titles. So track 12 is rightly "The Jointure and Jig"
The Thorn Tree: Gráinne Hambly
Gráinne Hambly third recording, just released last month, contains her tradmark blend of Traditional Irish Dance Music, O'Carolan tunes, slow airs, and other selections from the harp repetoire of Ireland, aswell as the title track, one of Gráinne's own compositions.
The level of artistry on this CD, from the selection of the material to the arrangements and the playing, is superlative. If you think that her Between the Showers and Golden Lights and Green Shadows recordings are great, The Thorn Tree will knock you over. Grainne gives an unsurpassed performance.
As if the music weren't enough, the liner notes on each selection are a must read.
Celtic Grooves (http://celticgrooves.homestead.com/CG_Hambly_Grainne_Thorn.html) says "Her playing on traditional tunes, even near-hackneyed ones like the "Stack of Barley," and newly or recently composed ones, including her own slip jig after which the album is named, is kept light and vivacious thanks to simple yet effective arrangements. Hambly can also conjure a more solemn, "classical" sound on some of the older harp tunes, even at times an ethereal, supernatural quality which befits airs like "Port na bPucai." This is, in its minimalist way, an uncommonly rich recording."
See more information at http://grainne.harp.net/tree.htm
# Posted on November 21st 2006 by feadogboy
Track 12: The Jointure and Jig
Note that thesession.org's album submission engine seems to strip any word relating to a tune type from submitted track titles. So track 12 is rightly "The Jointure and Jig"
# Posted on November 21st 2006 by feadogboy