Ocean: The CD
Contemporary Celtic Music Celebrating the Mystery and Magic of the Sea
“What beautiful music... This album is truly an invitation to meet the mystery and be
transformed by it.”
Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.
Author, New York Times bestseller
Minding the Body, Mending the Mind
Composer/director Jennifer Cutting convenes a global orchestra of
Celtic and British Isles music’s brightest lights for her collage of
sea-inspired pieces exploring the rich symbolism of water and its themes of
transition, transformation, and “The Hero’s Journey” in mythology and
traditional music. Guest artists such as Maddy Prior and Peter Knight
(Steeleye Span), the late Tony Cuffe (Ossian), Gabriel Yacoub,
Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention, XTC, Paul McCartney), Troy Donockley
(Iona) and other leading lights from the British Isles and European scene are
joined by U.S. luminaries Grace Griffith, John Jennings (Mary
Chapin Carpenter band), Sue Richards, Zan McLeod, and others.
Bulgarian diva Tatiana Sarbinska lends her riveting Balkan vocals to the
album’s electrifying finale.
Celtic, symphonic, and electronic textures merge in Cutting’s expansive sound
canvases for Ocean. Heavenly women’s vocals, harps, pipes, fiddle,
accordion, and other traditional instruments fuse with keyboards, bass, drums,
and electric guitar for a song cycle that moves from lush, ethereal soundscapes
to energizing Irish tune sets and majestic artsong, evoking key stages in the
human journey. Digging deep into archival sources for inspiration, Cutting
researched obscure lyrics from the Irish oral tradition, Latin phrases from
medieval alchemical texts, and glorious forgotten melodies from the manuscripts
of turn-of-the-century folk music collectors.
Seven years in the making, Ocean represents the culmination of
Cutting’s vision of blending the timeless beauty of traditional acoustic
instruments with the shimmering possibilities of the latest music technology.
Having achieved national prominence for her ancient/modern fusions as a
bandleader, producer, songwriter, arranger, and instrumentalist on the
critically acclaimed CD High Tea (New St. George, Folk Era Records
FE1415), Ocean finds Cutting and her global orchestra poised for
international success.
May Ocean provide an uplifting soundtrack for traveling
hopefully on life’s changing seas.
RealAudio Clips (32K
stereo)
All clips are excerpts. The downloadable
versions require the entire file to be downloaded first but can be saved to
disk if you right-click on the link. The
streaming versions will begin to play after a few seconds. RealPlayer 8
or later required.
For further information, please contact Jennifer Cutting at:
SunSign Productions
34 Hickory Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912
USA
Phone/Fax: (240) 582-6182
Email:
