A cool Celtic voyage to Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and the Isle of Man. Traditional tunes in innovative arrangements are performed on hammered dulcimer with Irish flute, cittern, guitar, mandolin, soprano sax, Celtic harp, fretless bass, bodhran and hand drums. (52:51 minutes)
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Maggie Sansone's latest recording Dance upon the Shore, sees her hammered dulcimer in a variety of different settings. This time saxes, flutes and Arabic percussion joins in the familiar harp, fiddle and strings backdrop. The Eastern flavor and subtle jazz shades make this an album to open the perception of Celtic music far beyond the usual sources. “Down the Hill” pleasantly relaxes while “Tyrone March/Cooley’s Reel possesses an arrangement outstanding in its simplicity. Dance upon the Shore is a Celtic/New Age/Jazz crossover that bubbles with life and captures perfectly the spirit of experimentation at its kernel."
~ Rock 'N' Reel (U.K.)
Steeped in tradition yet often wed to the contemprary, few recordings span the gap of generations so gracefully... With unexpected color, rhythmic vitality and a venturesome spirit, she's managed to balance the art and accessibility, past and present, with unusual care and deftness.
~ The Washington Post
Tune List
- Get Up Early (3:29)
- Breton set (5:43)
- Down the Hill (3:42)
- Tyrone March / Cooley's Reel (6:29)
- Skye Aire (3:53)
- Drummond Castle (2:53)
- Humours of Kilclogher / The Sheep Beneath the Snow (7:41)
- St. Kilda Air / Jenny Nettles / St. Kilda Reel (4:51)
- Joe Cant's / John McKeown's / Willafjord (2:44)
- Mummer's March / The Burning of the Piper's Hut (5:16)
- Sergeant Early's Dream / Hills of Ireland / Gusty's Frolics (5:09)
Liner Notes
Musicians
Maggie Sansone ~ Hammered dulcimer
Robin Bullock ~ Cittern, guitar, fiddle & mandolin
Bob Read ~ Soprano saxophone, clarinet & alto flute
Al Petteway ~ Guitar
Sarah Bauhan ~ Abell whistle & wood flute
Bonnie Rideout ~ Fiddle
Sue Richards ~ Celtic harp
Rico Petrucelli ~ Fretless electric bass
Myron Bretholz ~ Bass & button accordian
Steve Bloom ~ Bodhran, Dombek, ashiko drum, congas & shakers
Produced by Charlie Pilzer
1. Get Up Early (3:29)
Hammered dulcimer, guitar (Al), soprano saxophone, clarinet, alto flute & bass. An Irish jig.
2. Breton set (5:43)
Hammered dulcimer, cittern, guitar, fretless bass & button accordian. These tunes come from Brittany, the Celtic region in the northwest of France. The air, "Meulomp," is followed by three traditional dance tunes.
3. Down the Hill (3:42)
Hammered dulcimer, flute & guitar. A traditional Irish set dance first heard from James Kelly and Paddy O'Brien, two fine Irish musicians now living in America.
4. Tyrone March/Cooley's Reel (6:29)
Hammered dulcimer, soprano saxophone, fiddle (Robin), button accordian, guitar, fretless bass, dombek, shakers & ashiko bass drum. An Irish march from Tyrone County in the Northern province of Ulster, and a well- known reel and popular session tune.
5. Skye Aire (3:53)
Hammered dulcimer, fiddle (Bonnie), guitar (Al) & bass. A Scottish air from the Patrick McDonald Collection of Highland Aires (1784).
6. Drummond Castle (2:53)
Hammered dulcimer & guitar (Al). A Scottish march.
7. Humours of Kilclogher/The Sheep Beneath the Snow (7:41)
Hammered dulcimer, whistle, wood flute, Celtic harp, guitar (Al), & bass. An Irish jig, and a tune from the Isle of Man played first as a lament, and then in an original variation as a waltz.
8. St. Kilda Air/Jenny Nettles/St. Kilda Reel (4:51)
Hammered dulcimer, fiddle (Bonnie), Celtic harp, mandolin, & clarinet. The St. Kilda tunes are from the Patrick McDonald Collection of Highland Aires. St. Kilda is an island located 70 miles off the west coast of Scotland. Jenny Nettles (a type of spider) is a Scottish reel.
9. Joe Cant's/John McKeown's/Willafjord (2:44)
Hammered dulcimer with damper pedal, cittern, guitar, congas & bodhran. Two Irish reels and a reel from the Shetland Isles off the coast of Scotland.
10. Mummer's March/The Burning of the Piper's Hut (5:16)
Hammered dulcimer, soprano saxophone, clarinet, guitar, cittern & congas. This Irish march, also known as "The Droghedy March," can be found in Francis O'Neil's Irish Minstrels and Musicians (1913). The second tune is a Scottish march possibly referring to the harsh treatment of the Highland clans after the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie, when kilts were banned and pipers were outlaws.
11. Sergeant Early's Dream/Hills of Ireland/Gusty's Frolics (5:09)
Hammered dulcimer, flute, fretless bass, cittern & bodhran. A traditional Irish reel played like a dream, as the title suggests, followed by two Irish slip jigs.
- Get Up Early Maggie Sansone
- Tyrone March / Cooley's Reel Maggie Sansone
- Joe Cant's / John McKean's / Willafjord Maggie Sansone 1:26
- Mummer's March / The Burning of the Piper's Hut Maggie Sansone 1:39