Presented by bluenorther

bluenorther said...
Hello, Lizardson,
In case, you should accept...Here's two albums by the singer/songwriters Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen.I intentionally ripped these CDs to 128 Kbps, because those who will like the music will order the CDs anyway!The Music Is worth it.
To order directly from the artists:
http://www.compassrosemusic.com/
And finally, keep on blogging for you are the best folk blogger around.(Despite your strong psych.folk and trad. preferences...:).
bluenorther.


Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen

Steve Gillette is best known as a songwriter, with songs recorded by artists from Ian & Sylvia to Garth Brooks, from Jiminy Cricket to John Denver. His song Darcy Farrow alone has been recorded by more than one hundred artists since 1966, most recently by Jimmy Dale Gilmore and Nanci Griffith. Quite literally, he wrote the book on songwriting: Songwriting and the Creative Process (Sing Out Press) is a standard text in songwriting classes across the country. Steve sings in a rich baritone and is a virtuoso on guitar, using a unique fingerpicking style with a flat-pick and two fingers. Cindy Mangsen, who married Gillette in 1989, is also a songwriter, but her focus has been on songkeeping. Cindy is a master interpreter of traditional ballads, rich in myth and legend. She plays guitar, concertina, and banjo, and is renowned for her compelling voice, described by one critic as a voice that can warm a New England winter. As Steve comments, "Cindy has brought me back to my roots, and I think I've influenced her in terms of ensemble playing, rhythmic development, arrangement and performing. We're very fortunate to play for people who really listen and who come to a concert with a certain sense of history. There's a strong feeling of community about this music." Steve and Cindy have been featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and Mountain Stage, and have delighted audiences across North America and Europe with their music, warmth, and humor. They have recorded three duet albums: Live in Concert (1991), The Light of the Day (named Best Folk Album of 1996 by WFMT and WDET), and A Sense of Place (2001, Redwing Music). $16, $14 members.


"Live in Concert" 1991

wvfest.com:
Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen express a deep affection for traditional and contemporary folk music on this live recording. Whether the song is a 500-year-old ballad, an early blues, or an original composition, the two singers combine respect and intuition into a captivating performance. You can also feel the enjoyment they share in performing this treasure trove of varied material together. Although Gillette is a talented songwriter, only nine fo the CD’s nineteen selections (the cassette has fourteen) are originals. The rest range from Mark Graham’s funny "Their Brains Were Small and They Died," to Elizabeth Cotten’s "Shake Sugaree," to the epic traditional ballad, "Annachie Gordon" (Child 239). The latter is given a definitive performance by Mangsen (CD only). Of the four versions in my library, hers is the most effectively delivered narrative. It brings a tear to the eye even after scores of hearings, without histrionics or melodrama. Mangsen also delivers a haunting, knowing a cappella version of the traditional "When I Was in My Prime." Gillette’s original compositions sneak up on you. You’ll enjoy them the first time around, then suddenly find yourself singing them later. "The River" and "Grapes on the Vine," co-authored with Charles John Quarto, and "Heartland," co-authored with Rex Benson, are particularly memorable as is Gillette’s best-known song from the ‘60s, "Darcy Farrow," co-authored with Tom Campbell. Gillette’s guitar picking throughout is also a treat. The album is also technically impressive. Recorded digitally at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it retains the feel of the live performance, while editing out the nonmusical elements.


"The Light of the Day" 1996

Kerry Dexter:
"Even if you only have time for a brief visit, we hope you enjoy it," say Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen of their first duet album in four years, The Light of the Day. If your visit is brief, you'll want to sample Cindy's fine songwriting on Dark of the Moon, and Steve and Charles John Quarto's tribute to folksinger/storyteller Gamble Rogers, Song for Gamble. The duo also present serious and not so serious songs from the folk ballad tradition (En Montant la Riviere, from Quebec, and the Child Ballad Get Up and Bar the Door, for example)as well as a Swedish-Finnish medley, and a medley of the traditional hornpipe The Coast of France with a contemporary song by Pete Jung, Far Away. Steve and Cindy's subtle harmonies and their sense of humor are on display in Right Says Fred, and on Johnny Appleseed, where they are joined for vocals by Anne Hills, with Mark Schatz on bass and banjo and George Wilson on Fiddle. The Restless Wind, Hole in My Shoe, The Bonny Light Horseman, 1800 Hundred and Froze to Death (a song about a very frosty Vermont summer), and the Unicorn continue the balance of composed and traditional folk music on the disc. Steve plays guitar on most tracks, while Cindy adds concertina, dulcimer, and keyboards on selected cuts, and there are a number of well chosen guest artists. Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen are excellent storytellers, and it's easy to imagine them sitting around a campfire sharing and teaching these songs, passing on - and continuing to create - folk tradition.