Thematic instrumental melodies for hammer dulcimer, bowed psaltery, guitars, viola, Celtic harp, piano, wind instruments and more.

12 MP3 Songs
NEW AGE: Ethnic Fusion, NEW AGE: Contemporary Instrumental

Show all album songs: Chantilly Mae Songs


Details:
Port Townsend musician and recording artist David Michael (The ferryboat harpist) has produced this new CD called Chantilly Mae, featuring the compositions of his wife Dari. This is their debut release as a musical duo. Dari composed the melodies for the CD on the hammer dulcimer, bowed psaltery and piano and David provided the arrangements. He accompanies her primarily on guitar and also with Celtic
harp.

Most of the tunes were written in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, where the couple(married in 2004) went for their honeymoon and has spent some time the last few winters. David's forte is Celtic harp but while in Mexico plays a "beater" guitar, suitable for the beach. They bring the bowed psaltery (a chromatic, triangular melodic instrument) with them as it fits easily in luggage. While vacationing there, they have plenty of time to compose new music. They have spent the last two years creating the CD which was recorded at Synergy Sound in Port Townsend by engineer Neville Pearsall.

The eclectic music of Chantilly Mae utilizes many modes, with genres ranging from Medieval to Klezmer ... sometimes sounding Irish or like the soundtrack to an American western. The title piece which Dari wrote for her grandmother, sounds to David like a Ladino(medieval/Spanish/Jewish) melody,and with the addition of an esraj (a 19-stringed bowed instrument from India), the piece falls squarely into the realm of World Fusion .... David's specialty.

Some other musicians, Gwen Franz, Randy Mead, Benjy Wertheimer, Michael Mandrell, Joe Breskin, Paul Becker, Forest Shomer and Robert Rushing, make guest appearances on the CD.