"The Road Out of Town" is our latest release. Our first CD "Jefferson and Liberty" is also listed. We are a group of musicians who perform music of or inspired by the Americas colonial period. A lot of the music is from the British Isles as it is the music that the colonists brought over. Check out our website at www.ItinerantBand.com Here is what "Dirty Linen" had to say in their review of our first CD. "The music of colonial America is the specialty of The Itinerant Band, a seven-piece group from Virginia. On Jefferson and Liberty [Southern Branch Music SBM-2001CD(2001)], the repertoire largely dates from the 18th century or earlier, with familiar British import dance tunes like "Fisher's Hornpipe" and "Flowers of Edinburgh," and contemporaneous vocal pieces like the sea chantey "John Cherokee" and an obscure love song called "O! Say Bonnie Lass" from the notebook of a Revolutionary War officer. This group wisely avoids the obsession with historical authenticity that makes some similar groups unlistenably precious. The members add a few contemporary instruments like guitars and octave mandolins to the fiddles and flutes that would have been used back then, and they clearly enjoy what they're doing, playing with feeling rather than academic dryness. The resonating hammered-dulcimer leads on many of the instrumental tracks are especially lovely."
THE ROAD OUT OF TOWN
There is a liner note on "The Road Out Of Town" that says, "We are presenting a collection of the various genres and styles that would have been found from parlors to taverns to barns to battlefields, and overall aiming to have a good time."
Mission accomplished.
The Itinerant Band [is] a fine aggregation of traditional musicians who have collected a wonderful selection of songs and tunes from a couple of hundred years ago. This can often produce a dry and textbook presentation of too-familiar tunes, but these folks add a healthy dose of affection for their music that just makes you want to listen again and again. If such a thing is possible, they play with a twinkle in the eye that flirts with the listener. It is a joy to listen to.
There are a number of things about this CD that are most striking, to me, and they are as follows:
1.) I really liked the tune selection. There are some very familiar tunes - "Paddy On The Turnpike", "Star of the County Down", "Boys of Bluehill" among them - and some less familar - "The Young Widow" being particularly nice, in my book. Some original material is also worthy of mention here. Bob Clark's "McPherson's Farewell to Creag Dhub" is a gorgeous piece that ought to be included in the repertoir of traditional musicians everywhere, if only so they can claim to be ahead of the folk process. Given time, the tune will surely become part of "the repertoire".
2.) The research done into the tunes is interesting and presented with the same "twinkling eye" as the music itself. There is both great reverence for the material and great fun in telling you about it.
I recommend this CD highly! It's entertaining and fun and will become a frequent visitor to your CD player.
The Itinerant Band. The band has recorded two fine CDs: Jefferson and Liberty and The Road Out of Town. Their specialty is traditional music (with a pronounced influence from the British Isles) that was originally played “from parlors to taverns to barns to battlefields” as early as the eighteenth century. Instrumentation includes hammered dulcimer, guitar, fiddle, flutes, whistles, recorder, Appalachian dulcimer, bodhran, bones, harp, mandolin - an ample array for a full, satisfying sound and variety. Instrumental pieces predominate, but there are also some pleasing vocals. Tunes include well-known favorites like “Smash the Windows,” “Jefferson and Liberty,” “The British Grenadiers,” “Miss McLeod’s Reel,” plus a number of tunes less commonly encountered. The band excels in some medleys- “Soldier’s Joy and “Liberty,” for example - in which tunes with natural affinities are combined seamlessly. All the musicians are highly skilled, and their collective effort produces tight, neat tunes that will provide years of listening satisfaction. The CDs come with good liner notes, including color photos. If you appreciate traditional music performed well, you will enjoy both of these CDs. More information, including pricing and ordering, is available at the band’s website: www.itinerantband.com . The Itinerant Band is also available to perform period music in period clothing for various occasions. Contact Dave McNew at 757-495-5871 or McBodhran@mindspring.com .
About the CD
"The Road Out of Town" is our latest release. Our first CD "Jefferson and Liberty" is also listed. We are a group of musicians who perform music of or inspired by the Americas colonial period. A lot of the music is from the British Isles as it is the music that the colonists brought over. Check out our website at www.ItinerantBand.com Here is what "Dirty Linen" had to say in their review of our first CD. "The music of colonial America is the specialty of The Itinerant Band, a seven-piece group from Virginia. On Jefferson and Liberty [Southern Branch Music SBM-2001CD(2001)], the repertoire largely dates from the 18th century or earlier, with familiar British import dance tunes like "Fisher's Hornpipe" and "Flowers of Edinburgh," and contemporaneous vocal pieces like the sea chantey "John Cherokee" and an obscure love song called "O! Say Bonnie Lass" from the notebook of a Revolutionary War officer. This group wisely avoids the obsession with historical authenticity that makes some similar groups unlistenably precious. The members add a few contemporary instruments like guitars and octave mandolins to the fiddles and flutes that would have been used back then, and they clearly enjoy what they're doing, playing with feeling rather than academic dryness. The resonating hammered-dulcimer leads on many of the instrumental tracks are especially lovely."
# Posted on June 15th 2003 by McBodhran
Review
THE ROAD OUT OF TOWN
There is a liner note on "The Road Out Of Town" that says, "We are presenting a collection of the various genres and styles that would have been found from parlors to taverns to barns to battlefields, and overall aiming to have a good time."
Mission accomplished.
The Itinerant Band [is] a fine aggregation of traditional musicians who have collected a wonderful selection of songs and tunes from a couple of hundred years ago. This can often produce a dry and textbook presentation of too-familiar tunes, but these folks add a healthy dose of affection for their music that just makes you want to listen again and again. If such a thing is possible, they play with a twinkle in the eye that flirts with the listener. It is a joy to listen to.
There are a number of things about this CD that are most striking, to me, and they are as follows:
1.) I really liked the tune selection. There are some very familiar tunes - "Paddy On The Turnpike", "Star of the County Down", "Boys of Bluehill" among them - and some less familar - "The Young Widow" being particularly nice, in my book. Some original material is also worthy of mention here. Bob Clark's "McPherson's Farewell to Creag Dhub" is a gorgeous piece that ought to be included in the repertoir of traditional musicians everywhere, if only so they can claim to be ahead of the folk process. Given time, the tune will surely become part of "the repertoire".
2.) The research done into the tunes is interesting and presented with the same "twinkling eye" as the music itself. There is both great reverence for the material and great fun in telling you about it.
I recommend this CD highly! It's entertaining and fun and will become a frequent visitor to your CD player.
Chuck Hall's Website.
# Posted on November 16th 2003 by McBodhran
Band review
The Itinerant Band. The band has recorded two fine CDs: Jefferson and Liberty and The Road Out of Town. Their specialty is traditional music (with a pronounced influence from the British Isles) that was originally played “from parlors to taverns to barns to battlefields” as early as the eighteenth century. Instrumentation includes hammered dulcimer, guitar, fiddle, flutes, whistles, recorder, Appalachian dulcimer, bodhran, bones, harp, mandolin - an ample array for a full, satisfying sound and variety. Instrumental pieces predominate, but there are also some pleasing vocals. Tunes include well-known favorites like “Smash the Windows,” “Jefferson and Liberty,” “The British Grenadiers,” “Miss McLeod’s Reel,” plus a number of tunes less commonly encountered. The band excels in some medleys- “Soldier’s Joy and “Liberty,” for example - in which tunes with natural affinities are combined seamlessly. All the musicians are highly skilled, and their collective effort produces tight, neat tunes that will provide years of listening satisfaction. The CDs come with good liner notes, including color photos. If you appreciate traditional music performed well, you will enjoy both of these CDs. More information, including pricing and ordering, is available at the band’s website: www.itinerantband.com . The Itinerant Band is also available to perform period music in period clothing for various occasions. Contact Dave McNew at 757-495-5871 or McBodhran@mindspring.com .
# Posted on November 16th 2003 by McBodhran