 
Maggies Music now
available for download:
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Between Earth &
Sky
*HEAR THIS
CD,..listen to 2 minute audio
samples of every tune, click here:
www.cdbaby.com/robinbullock2
"A musician
whose stylistic expertise and technical skill are second to
none." -
Classical
Guitar Magazine (U.K.)
Order #mm221 CD
$12.00 + shipping
(PayPal prices include
shipping)
51:25 Minutes
Read an amazing review...from
Guitar Player Magazine...
"It takes nerve to play solo acoustic guitar. Gripping only
a few pounds of ingeniously assembled wood and metal, you have
to dazzle an audience's senses with your bare hands. On a
flat-top, staying in tune means pushing and pulling strings
within each voicing, and adding sustain means fretting your
notes a few milliseconds longer. Physical stuff. In the
tight-wire game of solo acoustic, there's no escaping the core
issue: How's your touch? Your tone? Your time? Just how well
CAN you play?
Masterfully, if you're Robin Bullock. His new Between Earth
and Sky is a breathtaking collection of traditional Celtic,
Appalachian, and Scottish Highland bagpipe tunes, Irish reels,
Breton folk melodies, and finely crafted originals. In
addition to acoustic 6- and 12-string guitar, Bullock plays
cittern, mandolin, electric bass and fiddle. It's easy to
overlook his brilliant technique, since it's always in service
of the music.
On eight of the CD's fourteen tunes, Bullock tracks all the
instruments. On other selections, he's backed by equally
gifted players on whistle, flute, djembe (a West African
drum), button accordion, soprano sax, alto flute, and bass
clarinet. Dobro master Mike Auldridge makes a guest appearance
on one cut, laying down ghostly lines that tug and tinkle
against Bullock's chimey arpeggios.
Whether flying solo or soaring with others, Bullock has an
extraordinary command of timbre and dynamics. From shimmering
harmonics to densely woven strands of counterpoint, his every
note rings clear. Part of this is due to the transparent, airy
recording, but it's Bullock's knack for arranging that lets
each instrument shine so brightly. You can hear that he has
dedicated years to absorbing the lesson of traditional folk
music: A poignant melody, not fancy fretwork, stands the test
of time.
Bullock plays with superb intonation - no mean feat when
overdubbing a cluster of fretted, stringed instruments - and
his fat, pointed electric bass tone makes you wonder why more
bassists don't flatpick. Best of all, his overdubs sound
organic and dynamic, like a well-seasoned ensemble. A
remarkable work from a deep player. "
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Tune
List
1 The Black Diamond/The Seven-Pointed
Star (2:57)
2 Feunteun An Aod (3:54)
3 The Rakes of Clonmel/The Trip to the
Cottage (2:35)
4 Sir Charles Coote/Captain Higgins
(4:30)
5 Stefan and Liz's Waltz (4:42)
6 Between Earth and Sky (4:14)
7 Oregon Ridge/Brew House Reel
(2:33)
8 Rigler's March/Rex's Rambles
(3:23)
9 Soldier's Return (3:06)
10 Jack 0'Diamonds/Merrily Kiss the
Quaker (4:11)
11 Johnny Don't Get Drunk/Miss Monaghan
(3:30)
12 Carolan's Quarrel with the Landlady
(3:20)
13 Free Flight (3:11)
14 Tiger Baby's Lullaby (4:37)
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Liner
Notes
MUSICIANS |
Robin Bullock
With Special Guests
Joanie Madden
John Whelan
Mike Auldridge
Bobby Read
Laryea Addy
Produced by
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Guitars, Cittern, mandolin, fiddle & bass
Flute & whistle
Button accordion
Dobro
Woodwinds
Djembe
Robin Bullock
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Dear Listener,
Traditional music has always been and
continues to be a living and evolving process. It reflects the
lives and experiences not only of generations long past but we
who live here on the cusp of the millennium. While my own
artistic path is grounded in the music of the Celtic lands, I
also recognize that music speaks the truth regardless of
geographic origin, transcending cultural differences and
reminding us that we are all one. This music, then, is an
American Celtic celebration, joyously drawing inspiration from
many traditions, honoring ancient roots and reaching out to
greet the future. - RB
1 The
Black Diamond*/The Seven-Pointed Star(2:57)
The first tune,
a wild exploration of shifting rhythms, is the musical
equivalent of a downhill run on an expert-level "black
diamond" ski slope. The second is the popular Irish reel "The
Star of Munster" transmuted into a more typically Eastern
European meter of 7/8. (Robin - cittern, guitar, mandolin,
bass & fiddle)
- 2 Feunteun
An Aod (3:54)
This majestic melody comes from Brittany, the Celtic
region of western France, and the repertoire of Breton
folk group Sonerien Du. The title (pronounced FOON-TOON
ahn WAHD) means "fountain of the coast." (Robin - citterns,
12-string guitar & bass; Bobby - soprano sax, alto
flute & bass clarinet)
- 3 The
Rakes of Clonmel/The Trip to the Cottage
(2:35)
The heart of traditional Irish music is the "session"
where musicians gather informally in a living room or
a pub and play tunes together for the sheer joy of community.
We set out to capture that feel on this set of jigs
from the O'Neill Collection. The crack was mighty, as
they say. (Robin - citterns & guitar; Joanie - whistle
& flute; John - button accordion)
- 4 Sir
Charles Coote/Captain Higgins (4:30)
Two compositions by harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738),
the great Irish bard and a hero to all of us modern-day
Celts roaming the world. (Robin - guitars)
- 5 Stefan
and Liz's Waltz* (4:42)
My cittern was built in 1987 by the esteemed English
luthier Stefan Sobell at his workshop in the English
countryside of Northumberland. While on a U.K. tour
ten years later, I finally met his remarkable wife,
Liz, and wrote this tune to celebrate the meeting. (Robin
- citterns, guitar & bass)
- 6 Between
Earth and Sky* (4:14)
For Megan. Late one night in Castle Douglas, Scotland,
I let a traditional Breton tune go exploring on the
guitar, and this is where it led me. "I realized a long
time ago you don't really write anything, you just receive
it." -Keith Richards. (Robin - guitar)
- 7 Oregon
Ridge*/Brew House Reel* (2:33)
A pair of original reels named for wonderfully relaxing
places (although you might not guess it from Laryea's
powerful drumming!): a park north of Baltimore, Maryland
and a guesthouse in Devon, England. (Robin - cittern,
guitar, mandolin & bass; Laryea - djembe)
- 8 Rigler's
March*/Rex's Rambles* (3:23)
A new march for the Scottish Highland bagpipes, named
in honor of California piper Eric Rigler. (After composing
it I remembered that I don't play the bagpipes so I
offer it to you on guitar instead.) The guitar romp
that follows is named after an old canine friend. (Robin
- guitar)
- 9 Soldier's
Return (3:06)
The air to a lyric written by Scotland's national poet
Robert Burns, performed here by the Wolf Boy Multi-track
Celtic Philharmonic. (Robin - 12-string guitars, fiddles,
mandolin & bass)
- 10 Jack
0'Diamonds/Merrily Kiss the Quaker (4:11)
Favorite tunes from the Appalachian and Irish traditions,
respectively, with a perverse coupling of titles. The
first is also known as "Rye Whiskey" and "Drunkard's
Hiccups," among other titles; the second, well, where
the human imagination goes with that title, I bow to
modesty. (Robin - guitar)
- 11 Johnny
Don't Get Drunk/Miss Monaghan (3:30)
Another transatlantic medley: "Johnny Don't Get Drunk"
appears to be an Appalachian variant of the Irish reel,
"Miss Monaghan," with the sections reversed. Although
these have long been two of my favorite traditional
tunes, I never noticed their obvious similarity until
I paired them for this recording! (Robin - guitars,
bass, mandolin & cittern; John - button accordion;
Joanie - flute & whistles)
- 12 Carolan's
Quarrel with the Landlady (3:20)
Another Carolan composition, the title of which seems
oddly mismatched to the beauty of the melody. We can
only assume there's a good story there. (Robin - citterns,
guitar & bass)
- 13 Free
Flight* (3:11)
A visit from the Muse inspired by hawks in the Arizona
desert. (Robin - guitar & bass; Joanie - whistles)
- 14 Tiger
Baby's Lullaby* (4:37)
For Rena and all beings seeking a balance between fiery
creative action and the passive waiting silence from
which all springs. Sweet dreams. (Robin -guitars; Mike
- dobro)
An Asterisk (*)
indicates that the piece was composed by Robin
Bullock
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View your shopping cart now.
Maggies Music now
available for download:
Maggie's Music ~ PO
Box 490~
Shady Side, MD 20764
Office: 410/867-0642 ~
FAX:
410/867-0265
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