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Hi FiddleSticks Friends,
We're pleased to introduce the latest album in the FiddleSticks Family. "Big Fiddle" has just been released, and we think you'll like it a lot! Liz -- our cellist -- wrote almost all of the music for this album, with a couple of tunes by Katie. The album features the cello (the "Big Fiddle" is what the cello used to be called in Scotland). The rest of us FiddleStickers back her up - Katie on fiddle, Becca on vocals, and Marco on Irish drum; Plus there are lots of other amazing musicians on the album. Liz is fast gaining a reputation as one of the top Celtic Cellists anywhere, and this album proves it. Not to mention this is Liz's debut as a really amazing composer.
Here is how Liz describes her music in the liner notes to the new CD:
Although cello was introduced as the Big Fiddle in Scotland over 300 years ago, its potential in folk music was largely untapped until recently. After all, it was harder to hear than the fiddle, and definitely harder to schlep (I speak from experience). Within the last two decades, however, cellists have begun to test out new rhythmic, technical, and melodic ideas in folk idioms. As a composer, arranger, and Big Fiddler myself, I love finding new ways to include the cello in folk music.
The versatility of the instrument allows it to fill multiple roles on this album: the cello can take the place of lead fiddle; provide low, rhythmic accompaniment; or decorate the middle range with supportive counterpoint. I arranged the album’s title track for cello trio to highlight each of these roles.
This project has been a wonderful experience for me, but I consider it a first stop in a much longer creative journey. I hope you enjoy this album and I invite you to join me as we embark together on this Big Fiddling expedition!
The album's now for sale on the FiddleSticks website, www.fiddle-sticks.com:
Buy "Big Fiddle" by itself for $15, plus $2 shipping
or as a New Release special you can get a double bonus:
Buy "Big Fiddle" plus "Ampersand" for just $20, plus $2 shipping, and we'll include free the latest Timpanogos Singer Songwriter album.
Or send your order with a check to
FiddleSticks
647 N 1280 E
Orem UT 84097
We're sure you're going to love this new album.
Just to whet your appetite, here is a track list and more information about each of the songs:
1. Tailor’s Thimble Tim the Trusty Tandem
I discovered the Tailor’s Thimble in an old pink book
of Irish tunes. It seemed a good counterpart for Tim
the Trusty Tandem, a tune I wrote about a borrowed
bicycle-built-for-two and an adventure that Drew
and I had on Cape Cod.
2. Pretty Saro + Maggie’s Beau
Pretty Saro, a traditional song in Appalachia and
the British Isles, has been performed by artists
ranging from Bob Dylan to Judy Collins. This ver-
sion features a new melody by Fiddler and singer
Kate Davis Henderson. I wrote Maggie’s Beau to
celebrate the birth of my cello Maggie, and the
arrival of her bow, Hal. Thanks to J.P. Lucas for such a
wonderful instrument.
3. Ike and Icky is solo piece is dedicated to the mysterious
young twins Isaac and Icarus.
4. Lake Isle of Innisfree
Irish poet W.B. Yeats referred to his poems as
songs. When I read about the eternal island, or
Innisfree, this is the song that came to mind.
5. Little Prince + Stone Frigate + Pigeon on the Gate
Sometimes I wish I could sit with the Little Prince
and watch 44 sunsets in one day. I wrote this tune
for him. Stone Frigate and Pigeon on the Gate are
traditional tunes that have been adopted into many
Celtic subgenres. Here, I perform them in the Cape
Breton style.
6. When We Two Parted
I wrote this melody, thinking it would be a lullaby,
but after I came across the Lord Byron poem, I
realized that the melody I had written
wasn’t a lullaby at all, but a tragic love song about
sorrow and deceit. Who knew?
7. New Time is tune is an example of a new genre I like to call
“ChamberGrass”—a combination of arrangement
ideas from chamber music with melodic ideas
from folk traditions. It features my group, the
Folk Arts Quartet.
8. November
My great-great-great grandfather, Parley P. Pratt,
was a poet and preacher. During a mission in South
America, he wrote a poem entitled “November in
Chile” describing how, despite the beautiful spring
weather, he longed for family and “the wintry blasts
of [his] mountain home.” I wrote this solo cello piece
after reading his poem for the first time.
9. The Great Selkie
The Great Selkie is an eerie Irish ballad that my
mother used to sing. My sister Becca sings it now.
10. Walter’s Jig + The Abominable Oboe
I composed Walter’s Jig for Walter and his wife
Ellie, my delightful neighbors, after they provided
an audience for one of my recording sessions. My
sister Kate Davis Henderson wrote the Abomi-
nable Oboe after she and I had a most unfortunate
encounter with an out-of-tune oboe.
11. Big Fiddle + Sheepskin and Beeswax
I woke up one morning humming Big Fiddle and
quickly wrote it down before I could forget it.
Later I coupled it with a traditional tune I learned
in Drummondville, Queìbec, and recorded it with
two of my favorite big fiddlers, Ari and Natalie.
Liz Davis Maxfield, member of the family band FiddleSticks and Founder of the Folk Arts Quartet, is about to graduate from Berklee College of Music in Boston, and will be heading to Ireland as the first ever Cellist to pursue graduate studies in Irish music at the University of Limerick in Ireland. More about Liz at www.LizDavisMaxfield.com
FiddleSticks is at www.fiddle-sticks.com. Thanks for subscribing to the FiddleSticks Newsletter, or to unsubscribe, send a note to unsubscribe@....
Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. Check it out.
We're pleased to introduce the latest album in the FiddleSticks Family. "Big Fiddle" has just been released, and we think you'll like it a lot! Liz -- our cellist -- wrote almost all of the music for this album, with a couple of tunes by Katie. The album features the cello (the "Big Fiddle" is what the cello used to be called in Scotland). The rest of us FiddleStickers back her up - Katie on fiddle, Becca on vocals, and Marco on Irish drum; Plus there are lots of other amazing musicians on the album. Liz is fast gaining a reputation as one of the top Celtic Cellists anywhere, and this album proves it. Not to mention this is Liz's debut as a really amazing composer.
Here is how Liz describes her music in the liner notes to the new CD:
Although cello was introduced as the Big Fiddle in Scotland over 300 years ago, its potential in folk music was largely untapped until recently. After all, it was harder to hear than the fiddle, and definitely harder to schlep (I speak from experience). Within the last two decades, however, cellists have begun to test out new rhythmic, technical, and melodic ideas in folk idioms. As a composer, arranger, and Big Fiddler myself, I love finding new ways to include the cello in folk music.
The versatility of the instrument allows it to fill multiple roles on this album: the cello can take the place of lead fiddle; provide low, rhythmic accompaniment; or decorate the middle range with supportive counterpoint. I arranged the album’s title track for cello trio to highlight each of these roles.
This project has been a wonderful experience for me, but I consider it a first stop in a much longer creative journey. I hope you enjoy this album and I invite you to join me as we embark together on this Big Fiddling expedition!
The album's now for sale on the FiddleSticks website, www.fiddle-sticks.com:
Buy "Big Fiddle" by itself for $15, plus $2 shipping
or as a New Release special you can get a double bonus:
Buy "Big Fiddle" plus "Ampersand" for just $20, plus $2 shipping, and we'll include free the latest Timpanogos Singer Songwriter album.
Or send your order with a check to
FiddleSticks
647 N 1280 E
Orem UT 84097
We're sure you're going to love this new album.
Just to whet your appetite, here is a track list and more information about each of the songs:
1. Tailor’s Thimble Tim the Trusty Tandem
I discovered the Tailor’s Thimble in an old pink book
of Irish tunes. It seemed a good counterpart for Tim
the Trusty Tandem, a tune I wrote about a borrowed
bicycle-built-for-two and an adventure that Drew
and I had on Cape Cod.
2. Pretty Saro + Maggie’s Beau
Pretty Saro, a traditional song in Appalachia and
the British Isles, has been performed by artists
ranging from Bob Dylan to Judy Collins. This ver-
sion features a new melody by Fiddler and singer
Kate Davis Henderson. I wrote Maggie’s Beau to
celebrate the birth of my cello Maggie, and the
arrival of her bow, Hal. Thanks to J.P. Lucas for such a
wonderful instrument.
3. Ike and Icky is solo piece is dedicated to the mysterious
young twins Isaac and Icarus.
4. Lake Isle of Innisfree
Irish poet W.B. Yeats referred to his poems as
songs. When I read about the eternal island, or
Innisfree, this is the song that came to mind.
5. Little Prince + Stone Frigate + Pigeon on the Gate
Sometimes I wish I could sit with the Little Prince
and watch 44 sunsets in one day. I wrote this tune
for him. Stone Frigate and Pigeon on the Gate are
traditional tunes that have been adopted into many
Celtic subgenres. Here, I perform them in the Cape
Breton style.
6. When We Two Parted
I wrote this melody, thinking it would be a lullaby,
but after I came across the Lord Byron poem, I
realized that the melody I had written
wasn’t a lullaby at all, but a tragic love song about
sorrow and deceit. Who knew?
7. New Time is tune is an example of a new genre I like to call
“ChamberGrass”—a combination of arrangement
ideas from chamber music with melodic ideas
from folk traditions. It features my group, the
Folk Arts Quartet.
8. November
My great-great-great grandfather, Parley P. Pratt,
was a poet and preacher. During a mission in South
America, he wrote a poem entitled “November in
Chile” describing how, despite the beautiful spring
weather, he longed for family and “the wintry blasts
of [his] mountain home.” I wrote this solo cello piece
after reading his poem for the first time.
9. The Great Selkie
The Great Selkie is an eerie Irish ballad that my
mother used to sing. My sister Becca sings it now.
10. Walter’s Jig + The Abominable Oboe
I composed Walter’s Jig for Walter and his wife
Ellie, my delightful neighbors, after they provided
an audience for one of my recording sessions. My
sister Kate Davis Henderson wrote the Abomi-
nable Oboe after she and I had a most unfortunate
encounter with an out-of-tune oboe.
11. Big Fiddle + Sheepskin and Beeswax
I woke up one morning humming Big Fiddle and
quickly wrote it down before I could forget it.
Later I coupled it with a traditional tune I learned
in Drummondville, Queìbec, and recorded it with
two of my favorite big fiddlers, Ari and Natalie.
Liz Davis Maxfield, member of the family band FiddleSticks and Founder of the Folk Arts Quartet, is about to graduate from Berklee College of Music in Boston, and will be heading to Ireland as the first ever Cellist to pursue graduate studies in Irish music at the University of Limerick in Ireland. More about Liz at www.LizDavisMaxfield.com
FiddleSticks is at www.fiddle-sticks.com. Thanks for subscribing to the FiddleSticks Newsletter, or to unsubscribe, send a note to unsubscribe@....
Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. Check it out.
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