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Maggie’s Music created new 30 second Video Highlight of:
Maggie Sansone’s original composition :”Dervish” from the CD: A traveler’s Dream. Listen to a excerpt on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsRWpfzpu6c
To buy:please visit iTunes, Amazon.com, Maggie’s Music and also available from fine stores everywhere.
CONCERT NEWS…Sunday, February 6th, Concert seatings at 4:00, 6:00 & 8:00 p.m.features Ceoltoiri band members who recording acclaimed CDs on the Maggie’s Music label Women of Ireland and Silver Apples of the Moon. Karen Ashbrook & Paul Oorts with guest singer Connie McKenna of Ceoltoiri, at the Old Brogue Celtic Concert Series. This is a wonderful, intimate venue to hear acoustic music. A perfect treat for the end of a winter’s weekend! PLACE: The Snuggery of the Old Brogue Irish Pub, corner of Georgetown Pike (Rte 193) & Walker Road in Great Falls, VA ( USA). 703/759-3309.
www.ionamusic.com/brogue.shtml
News Flash!!! Maggie’s Music will now offer Al Petteway & Amy White’s new CD
High in the Blue Ridge for sale on the Maggie’s Music website and through their retail and wholesale stores and distributors.Both labels are happy to have entered into this exciting partnership. High in the Blue Ridge is a follow up to Land of the Sky and Winter Tidings and in total- Al and Amy combined have eight recordings on the Maggie’s Music label. Their last few recordings have highlighted their new found love for the music of the Appalachian region where they now reside. Grammy winner Al Petteway and Amy White’s music was recently featured throughout the soundtrack of Ken Burn’s film National Parks: America’s Best Idea. www.maggiesmusic.com/index.html
Jan.2 ( Sunday). 6-7pm. Free concert , or watch it LIVE as it happnes on the internet. The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage presents Maggie Sansone’s Wind Drift , a new CD celebration and more! With Al Petteway, Seth Kibel, Paul Oorts, Matt Bell and Regan Riley ( Champion Irish Step dancer) Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center, 800-444-1324 , 2700 F Street NW,Washington, DC 20566.
visit dec. 31, 2010 issue of The Washington Post and search Maggie Sansone Wind Drift … read the review here:Album review: Maggie Sansone’s ‘Wind Drift: Celtic Grooves, Mystic Moods’
MAGGIE SANSONE “Wind Drift: Celtic Grooves, Mystic Moods”
Kindred spirits: Martin Hayes, Brad Mehldau, Steve Reich
How does Maggie Sansone deliver on her latest album’s promise of “celtic grooves, mystic moods”? Swiftly, elegantly, soulfully. Not that the renowned hammered dulcimer player deserves all the credit. Collaborating with several Washington musicians with similar tastes, Sansone sets into motion nimbly woven instrumentals – some ancient, some original, each charming in its own way.
The improvised “Evening Chai” points to Sansone’s interest in Arabic and Persian traditions. But mostly she draws inspiration from Celtic sources, assembling jigs, reels, step dances and ballads that are invigorating and entrancing by turns. Her bandmates – Al Petteway, Robin Bullock, Bobby Read and Matthew Bell – are wonderfully adept at enhancing the melodies and providing the rhythmic accents and propulsion.
Beginning with the reel-powered “North Sea Crossing,” the lean arrangements acquire new textures and momentum, with each chorus adding something vibrant or alluring. “Willie’s Old Trousers & the Tartan” is a vivid example of Sansone’s flair for bringing traditional portraits to life. Of the original tunes, “Blue Mottetto,” a stylistic departure with Italian roots, stands out, thanks partly to its curious construction. Saved for last is another original: “Early Dawn,” a calm and sparkling coda. – Mike Joyce ( The Washington Post, Dec. 31, 2010)
Maggie Sansone’s new CD Wind Drift: Celtic grooves, mystic moods is highlighted in 2 concerts “Welcome in the New Year 2011 on Jan. 1 Maggie Sansone plus Al Petteway & Amy White at the Rams Head Tavern, Annapolis, MD 21401 http://tickets.ramsheadonstage.com/default.asp?SearchMonth=1%2F28%2F2011&monthsubmit=x&MV=1%2F28%2F2011 and Jan.2 The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, 6-7pm. Washington, DC. 20566.www.kennedy-center.org/millennium
Maggie’s Music now has sheet music featuring wonderful Celtic- Christmas tunes and traditional carols for hammered dulcimer, fiddle and guitar.. see Maggie Sansone, Jody Marshall and Al Petteway on the book page: www.maggiesmusic.com/products/mmmusicbooks.html
Maggie’s Music Blog – Part 2
by Maggie’s Music on Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 11:26am
In the early-70’s, I lived in a “hippie commune”, then in a group house in Charles Village. There was a sense of community I was drawn to that wasn’t felt in the classical music world, which was more competitive. (I remember when I played bassoon in an orchestra, and in order to move “up” from 3rd chair, I had to challenge the 2nd chair bassoon player in front of judges). That sense of competition is not a part of the folk community that i was drawn to, either. I feel like part of a large folk community in the Washington, DC area, and when i travel, i tap into that whereever i go; at festivals, or just walking into an Irish pub and joining a session. It goes back to the folk music days of singing around the “campfire,” or the Hootenanny’s in college, going to Pete Seeger concerts, and the whole audience singing along, etc.
When I then switched my primary instrument to hammered dulcimer (another long story for some other time), and I moved to Berkeley California with Richard, I continued to focus on old-time and Celtic music. That encompasses music from all the Celtic lands (Ireland, Scotland, Brittancy, France, Wales, etc), and I was also attracted to the instruments’ ancestors- the Persian santur. I still played recorder in early music ensembles; and classical guitar and piano at this time. When I moved back East to Annapolis, MD, I joined Ensemble Galilei – a combination of early music and Celtic musicians. Its sound we called chamber folk, which combined early music with the drive and excitement of Celtic jigs and reels.
The music I listen to shares many of the same motifs, such as the use of minor scales, improvisation, repetitive drones and rhythmic motifs. Maybe it’s the Eastern European side of me. I’m drawn to flamenco music, music of India, Iran, Egypt, music of 14th century music, piano music of Erik Satie, Philip Glass, Gurdjieff/De Hartmann, but I have always loved that kind of music.
When in college, I first heard Billmalah Kahn play the shennai – i wanted to learn it (i didn’t), but i listened to that record over and over again. I heard Ravi Shankar in concert, I was interested in spiritual practices like yoga and the philosophy of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. In fact, my college art teacher’s recommended reading was Tertium Organum by P. D. Ouspensky. Remember, this was the 60’s! (I was at KSU from 1966-1970, and yes, “i was there!” – walking across campus to an Ethnomusicoly class) Lots of “who am I?” questions those days. I should mention that I’ve been questioning the meaning of life since i was very young, with rather suden deaths of loved ones who were close to me, as well as being in a major car accident in my 20’s, and I think this has played a part in my history and influenced the kind of music that I developed an interest in.
But why Celtic music? Celtic music’s use of modes (scales) that, although we play lively jigs and reels as well as laments and airs, creates a melancholy vein that runs through it. I don’t think I have any celtic ancestry, but i like to say that “the Celts invaded Italy,” so maybe there is a touch in my DNA. I’ve always been drawn to minor keys. “Haunting and evocative” is how i like to describe my music; there is always a mysterious, melancholy texture to it. I chose this description of my record label, Maggie’s Music: “From the deep well of our ancient folk traditions.” because it expresses the music best. It’s that well that feeds the music we play today.
Maggie’s Music Blog – Pt. 1 of 2 ( Maggie Sansone: My background and Celtic interests) by Maggie’s Music on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 2:18pm
Background… My personal ancestry is Italian and Eastern European; my dad was born in Norwood, MA to Italian immigrants; my mom born in Dorchester, MA to Eastern European immigrants. They met at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, MA, married, lived in NYC, and moved to Miami, (because my mom’s sister lived there) around 1947 “to raise their kids in the sunshine.” I was the only one in my family actually born in Miami. My aunt and uncle had thriving businesses, including selling baby alligators to the tourists and shipping them up North in little cardboard boxes (my first job, by the way).
I grew up listening to jazz, classical and show tunes, then folk music in the 60’s. My parents joined the Unitarian Church in Miami and it was a very lively place for arts and culture. My parents, both in the arts, had lots of parties with very interesting people from all kinds of backgrounds and there was lots of music and sing-alongs. I was a music instrument addict, and every year I would learn a new instrument that I discovered at a concert, from a friend or on my little 45 records. Each instrument would sing a song about itself (my favorite record from that collection was the Bassoon, and I later followed my dream and learned to play it just before I went off to college).
So how did I get into Celtic music? When I moved to Baltimore, MD (1973- 1980). I heard my first Irish music at local jam sessions and concerts. The two hot bands were Celtic Thunder and The Irish Tradition with Billy McComiskey. I‘m not a singer (except in the shower), so I was drawn to the instrumental side of the music and was mesmerized. I first got involved in the weekly jam sessions that happened in my neighborhood. The houses would have different rooms for different types of music. Even though I was involved with 5-string banjo and bluegrass at the time, I was drawn to the Irish music rooms, and I joined in. I made friends with many of the musicians, and even joined one band that formed out of those sessions called Kids on the Mountain (the name of an Irish tune we loved). I played guitar and mandolin. Later, I moved to Berkeley, CA and played hammered dulcimer, but I still went to Irish sessions. I loved the community spirit, the welcoming atmosphere to join in and learn tunes by ear, and playing music for dancing.
Stay tuned for the next installation, in which I’ll discuss more of the ’70s, California, my musical influences and interests, and a little more general background information. Thanks for reading!
maggie sansone’s original compositions featured on Echoes with John Diliberto. Echoes is a nightly music soundscape heard on public radio stations across the United States. On monday, September 20th-(Echoes Program 1038A) Echoes featured Evening Chai and Wind Drift, two original compositions by Maggie Sansone from her new CD: Wind Drift: Celtic grooves, mystic moods ( MM114, Maggie’s Music) featuring Maggie Sansone on hammered dulcimer and with Al Petteway on guitar, Robin Bullock on cittern, Bobby Read on woodwinds and keyboards and Matthew Bell on bodhrán and djembe. www.echoes.org. Playlist archive: http://playlists.echoes.org/?p=771
visit: www.echoes.org
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