Sounds from the Village of
Carlisle
Various Artists
A unique mixture of musicians and spoken-word artists highlights
this collection of songs and poems performed at The Village of
Carlisle, a living-histor exhibit at OK's King Arthur's faire.
Ranging from the rollicking to the somber, the vast diversity
of the artists amd the beauty of their work shines through in
this unpretentiously presented collection.
Guitar riffs lead into a moving rendition of the old ballad "Johnny,
I Hardly Knew Ye," a song which eventually became known
during the American Civil War as "When Johnny Comes Marhing
Home." The CD's reels and jigs are superlatively well-performed,
from the "Jigs of Slurs" - a playful, echoing competition
between two fiddlers - to traditional tunes such as "Whiskey
Before Breakfast" and "Kitchen Girl."
Whie many of these pieces are not precisely medieval (most dating
to several centuries later), hey still convey the sens of history
and tradition that is well-suited to the RenFaire scene. For
instance, the ballad "King Uther" draws directly upn
Arhurian leged, telling the story of the great king, then taking
a more political turn in its plea for a ruer who governs not
only with might, but also with justice and fairness. While rooted
in the past, still other tracks add a more modern feel, from
the folk-rock pinings of "Exile of Erin" to the riotous
parody of Bob Dylan's classic "Like a Rolling Stone,"
fittingly called "Like a Sword in the Stone."
While many of the pieces are of Irish origin, other tunes hail from more remote locale. "Fly Not Yet" is reminiscentof the traditional songs of Spain, with flamenco-like touches on harp and dulimer. "Ayazein" brings a taste of the Middle East to the CD with an entracing melody that combines tambour and dulcimer. The sole spoken-word piece on the album is a refreshing chang of pace, a poem about the seemingly doomed romance of a sailor and a mermaid.
One of the CD's few flaws is its lack of liner notes. None of
the performers are listed in the notes, only the names of the
tunes ane their respective lengths, and there is almost no information
about the festival itself; not even its location. it is most
unfortnate that this information is not provifded on the CD as
the faire sounds like a fascinating venue, especially or those
interested in the early medieval period. Despite this, Sounds
from teh Village of Carlisle is a sparkling tribute to the
balladeers of the old ad the modern musicians and poets who carry
on their tradition.
Richard Mackenzie
© 2005
Shelton CT 06484 USA
(800) 232-2224 voice
(800) 775-2729 fax
LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com