MP3 Tammerlin-Lee Hunter & Arvid Smith - No Small Thing

Shimmery, rootsy Americana with strong songwriting and outstanding musicianship, including special guests Darol Anger, Joe Craven and Byron House.

14 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Americana, FOLK: Modern Folk

Show all album songs: No Small Thing Songs


Details:
Tammerlinâs sparkling new release features their always impressive band as well as special guests, Darol Anger, Byron House, and Joe Craven.

Since 1992, Lee Hunter and Arvid Smith -Tammerlin have been placing their own stamp on folk/roots music. What youâll hear is exceptional guitar work accompanying clever original songs and traditional tunes pulled from the roots of American music-a little bit folk, pop, country, old time, British Isles and blues-with some world music flavorings. Always aiming to convey their passion for these stories to the listenerâ¦this is the magic of the music of Tammerlin.

Poised to release their fifth recording, Lee and Arvid continue their evolution. ââNo Small Thingâ features nine of Hunterâs original songs. From the introspective, hook-driven opener âAutumn Refrainâ to the bittersweet title song to the hope-filled closing tune âThe Last Danceâ, beautifully arranged by Darol Anger, her writing is stronger than ever-lyrical and intelligent, with melodies that stick in your head. Smith masterfully handles the instrumental work-fingerstyle and slide- on acoustic and electric six and twelve string, lap steel, melobar and dobro. He also contributes a mesmerizing sitar piece, âCrosscurrentsâ. Lee and Arvid have always been known for their treatment of traditional songs and this recording is no exception. Thereâs a richly textured reading of âI Once Loved a Lassâ, with Smithâs electric and acoustic 12-strings and Darol Angerâs violins swirling around an acoustic bass foundation created by Byron House. In contrast is âLeaves of Lifeâ, a sparse duet where Joe Cravenâs haunting solo violin illuminates Hunterâs vocal. Rounding out the sound are inspired covers of Steve Winwoodâs âCanât Find My Way Homeâ and Coldplayâs âKingdom Comeâ.

The collaboration began in Jacksonville, Florida in 1989 when Smith and Hunter were drawn together by a shared love for folk and world music. With that, they stepped into that stream of expression that goes back to the first campfire. The result is a style that transcends the musicâs origins while honoring its roots. âItâs all about evolution,â Hunter says. âMusic has never stayed in one place and itâs not going to. Lots of people are doing what weâre doing, but in different ways. Weâre taking traditional music and writing inspired by the tradition as well, to a new place, with our own voices and vocabulary and experience, but always with respect for where it came from.â In Tammerlinâs music, you hear that process.

As Tammerlin takes on more and more original material, Lee Hunter is usually the one wielding the pen. She handles rhythm guitar duties and most of the vocals with a voice that one Florida music magazine called âhaunting, passionate, and powerfulâ. Whether the song recalls a tragedy, a loverâs longing or a light-hearted take on everyday experience-it is the perfect instrument around which to build a sound.

âA wizard on the silver stringsâ is how Britainâs New Musical Express described Arvid Smithâs approach to the guitar. Smith is a man in love with strings with a collection of instruments to prove it. Heâs been categorized as a âfingerstylistâ, a description that is simultaneously apt and inadequate. He plays a mean slide and some pretty rockinâ electric as well. Possessed of a high level of skill and a cleverness to match, he can âpick the splinters out ofâ a guitar or coax and cajole the gentlest of sounds.

Tammerlinâs debut CD, the self-released âRoll Down Thy Window, drew critical acclaim from Folk Roots, a prominent European folk and world music magazine, and Dirty Linen, an equally prominent American-based folk and world music publication. The album was featured on the BBC World Service, and one track was chosen by Folk Roots for inclusion on its âFroots #6â compilation CD. The duo continued their trademark now-mystical, now-rootsy sound with their second CD, âThird Weeks AâLightninâ, (Binky Records)â released in December 1996.

Tammerlinâs third recording, âWind Horsesâ (Binky Records 2002) featured a number of Hunterâs stylistically- varied original songs. They took on traditional material in several Civil War-era ballads and two medieval French folk songs. Thereâs even a mystical soundscape inspired by the seals off the coast of Scotland. The sound prompted Dirty Linen Magazine to call Tammerlin âone of the best kept secrets in Americaâ. âWind Horsesâ was followed by âOne Kind Favorâ, released on their own label, BirdsTale Records, in 2005. On this recording, Hunter really began to stretch as a songwriter. Thereâs pop, country, blues, even ragtime, side by side with beautiful arrangements of some traditional fare, including a resurrected ballad from Kentucky, sung by Hunter and accompanied by Darol Anger. The London-based world music magazine, fROOTS, proclaimed, âgentle shimmers of rootsy Americanaâ, and Savannah, GAâs, Connect Savannah, stated, âLee Hunterâs high, wispy vocals and Arvid Smithâs captivating dobro and guitarwork reference early Richard & Linda Thompsonâ.

Throughout, Lee and Arvid continue to tour and find their music in demand at venues across the U.S. and in Europe. They have shared the stage with such artists as The Band, Emmylou Harris, Alex De Grassi and Doc Watson.

The music of Tammerlin takes the listener on a journey-a journey through time, although itâs anything but linear-constantly moving forward, always reaching back. Whether you hear them as a duo or collaborating with talented friends, the sound is rich, full, fascinating and just a step off of the well-beaten path.
In praise of âOne Kind Favorâ (BirdsTale Records, 2005)

âGentle shimmers of rootsy Americanaâ¦.â
fROOTS, London, UK

âThereâs a shimmering, airy quality to the arrangements that well suits Hunterâs voice.â

Dirty Linen

âOn the duoâs new CD, âOne Kind Favor,â the pair is working at the top of its game. Hunterâs rich, emotive alto gleams like a jewel in sterling musical settings on her own compositions as well as on a selection of well-chosen traditional folk tunes. Smithâs musicianship is immaculate throughoutâ¦.
Tallahassee Democrat

âTammerlin has done folk and roots music one kind favor with their new work. â
Daytona Beach News Journal

âLee Hunter has become a very strong writer, and her music fits seamlessly alongside the several traditional piecesâ¦.Great guests and excellent musicianship throughoutâ¦..Excellent record.â
Global Village Idiot (on-line music zine) www.globalvillageidiot.net

âLee Hunterâs high, wispy vocals and Arvid Smithâs captivating dobro and guitarwork reference early Richard & Linda Thompson . . .
. . . . . eclectic, well-schooled traditional music thatâs forward-thinking and quietly innovative.â

Connect Savannah, Savannah GA

âsmart, original lyrics and memorable melodies mixed with innovative reworkings of obscure traditional fareâ

Bradenton Herald

âclassy, beautiful, and intriguingâ
Friends of Florida Folk FOCUS Newsletter


In praise of Wind Horses (Binky Records, 2002) . . . . .

âOne of the best kept secrets in Americaâ.
Dirty Linen Magazine

âLuminousâ
The Tallahassee Democrat

âTammerlin have taken folkâs roots and majestically nurtured them into the 21st century.â

The Daytona Beach News Journal

âHunter and Smith are experts in their field, channeling folkloric song in new and challenging ways.â

Folio Weekly, Jacksonville, FL


What the press says about Tammerlin . . . . . . (for Roll Down Thy Window (Binky Records, 1995) and Third Weeks AâLightninâ (Binky Records, 1996))


âA beautiful sound. Lyrics to roll over your tongue. Eclectic but not quirky. Well done.â

Sing Out Magazine

âHunterâs ethereal,, but sharp vocals are one of the groupâs major strengths. The groupâs other strength is Smithâs eclectic guitar workâ¦â¦â¦ itâs both enjoyable and challenging all the same.â

Dirty Linen Magazine



âItâs the acoustic sound that, for me, really takes off. Guitar, banjo, and bodhran generate an intense pulseâ¦â¦Electric folk of a sort which doesnât harken back to the golden age, but instead has its eyes firmly fixed on the present-and future.â

Folk Roots Magazine

ââ¦â¦The most intriguing mix of electric and acoustic instruments pure folk may have ever experiencedâ¦Itâs a clever updating that still shows complete respect for the purity of the original music, and itâs that unwavering respect for their genre that makes Tammerlinâs work so captivating.â
Out NâAbout Magazine
Asheville, NC

ââ¦â¦An eclectic outlook with some dazzling musicianship and with some exceptional vocal warblings offered by vocalist Lee Hunter.â
Creative Loafing
Charlotte, NC


âYou need this album. (Roll Down Thy Window) It will change your preconceptions, your ears, your mind.â

The Rocket , Seattle, WA


ââ¦..The atmosphere during the Tammerlin concert was alternately electrically charged and hauntingly seductive.â

Baton Rouge Acoustic and Folk Society


âTammerlin dazzled the audience with their originality on a stage full of instrumentsâ¦.The duo expresses wonderful chemistry and stage presence and entertained the appreciative audience with their beautiful vocals and instrumental wizardry.
Spoleto Today, Post and Courier
Charleston, SC