I AM very pleased to release the first recording in my Fallow project, a year-long series of digital releases that will culminate in a limited edition vinyl release in December 2021. I chose the title Fallow as it represents the period in which this project was borne, chiefly the months imbedded in Covid-19 induced inactivity. Yet these months, and more still to come as of this writing, have been an intense time of research, study, practice, and self reflection. While this period of time appears inactive, it is also fertile, like a fallow field that has been sown with the intent of a future crop. Over the next year, I will release a series of recordings that spring forth from this time and will be, no doubt, influenced by what is being planted.

The first release in the series is a Breton air, La Veuve Danse Sa Cabane, which roughly translates to The Widow in Her Cabin. I first encountered this melody in a recording I found in the basement of a branch of the Chicago public library 20 years ago and was immediately taken by it. (Sometimes it takes a little time to decide what you’d like to do with a melody.) While the recording mostly features the great singing of Arnaud Maisonneuve, a few instrumental tracks appear including this beautiful air, performed on the Breton bagpipe and bombarde. In my research, I was not able to identify the origin of this melody though know that it is quite old and in the public domain. I believe my recording is only the 2nd to exist.

My version of La Veuve Danse Sa Cabane was made at the wonderful Jack Straw Cultural Center in Seattle, WA, with help from a generous residency through their Artist Support Program. I recorded all the sounds you hear, including clarinet, penny whistle, shruti box, and various percussion including bodhran (Irish frame drum), bells, bamboo angklung, and the inside of the piano. Tom Stiles was the engineer and Scott Anthony from Storybook Sound mastered the track, as he will all the tracks in the Fallow project. A great deal of time and care was put into the sonic experience of the music, and I would recommend headphone listening for a rich experience.

This is a digital only release on my Allos Documents label available exclusively at my website and through Bandcamp. It will be part of the vinyl release in December 2021.