The Shady Groves

Welcome to Autumn: a season of adventure, a season of change, a season of hope renewed! For me, fall brings an immense nostalgia for the adventure tales that have followed me all my life. In that spirit, this month’s selections approach change with a light heart full of wonder and hope. Keith Hopwood · Malcolm Rowe , feat. Jack May - "Wayfarers All" Not long ago, I revisited the children's classic The Wind in the Willows , and I was struck not only by the charm of the stories but the beauty of the language Kenneth Grahame uses in telling them. The song "Wayfarers All" comes from the BBC stop-motion animated series based on The Wind in the Willows , and it is named after a memorable chapter from the book, which is about the unfolding of autumn and the restless call of adventure. Ratty receives a visit from a mysterious seafaring stranger who invites him to come away from his comfortable burrow to follow the life of a wanderer. The wayfarer speaks fondly, among ot...

Happy May Day to you all! Here I present to you a musical garland to celebrate this sacred month, so full of life and tradition. Loreena McKennitt- "The Mummers' Dance" This piece is, quite frankly, one of my favorite songs of all time... I have loved "The Mummers' Dance" since at least 1999, when I was about 10 or 11 years old. When I first really encountered it, I had recently discovered the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, and at the time, this song called up the wild love of adventure and rich reverence for nature that the woodland creatures of these stories possessed. Today, it means even more... I have since learned that the song borrows many lyrics from the traditional English "May Day Carol": We’ve been rambling all the night And some time of this day. Now returning back again, We bring a garland gay... A garland gay we bring you here, And at your door we stand. It is a sprout well budded out, The work of Our Lord’s hand. For me, thes...

Éirinn go Brách! Celtic music, including the traditional music of Ireland, is one of the greatest musical influences of my life, and it is a delight to be able highlight some of the Celtic currents that continue to flow through my playlists... Here I present to you a mix of contemporary Celtic folk as well as the kinds of very traditional Irish pieces without which Saint Patrick's Day would feel incomplete to me! Mary Black- “Colcannon” "Heartwarming" is the word that comes to mind when I think of this song... With its beautiful harmonies and the bright piercing voice of the inimitable Mary Black, "Colcannon" expresses nostalgia for home and the love of family, especially a mother's love in preparing favorite foods. Whalebone- "The Otter’s Holt" I have recently become infatuated with this downtempo interpretation of the traditional Irish reel "The Otter's Holt," which is usually performed at a breakneck pace... I love getting to savo...

2024 is one of those exceptional years when Saint Valentine's Day coincides with Ash Wednesday, an alignment that has invited me to explore the meaning of love more universally, that is, to reflect on the nature of both human and divine love on February 14 this year. In keeping with such meditations, my musical highlights for this month pay tribute to earthly romance as well as to the mystical imagery of the relationship between God and humankind as being like that of a spousal relationship, the Lover and the Beloved. Let us begin the journey with earthly love… Earthly Love Pauline Scanlon-   Red Colour Sun “And I Love You So” https://youtu.be/fqLXVzh9ED0?si=59rU5KCmZKkXe2ut and “Valentine”  https://youtu.be/ng8GFqkNIAc?si=MnmRrrWBvl7LquRu Irish singer Pauline Scanlon's breathy vocals bring a warm, modern sensibility to traditional songs as well as to beloved covers from popular music, including "And I Love You So" by Don Maclean and "Valentine" by Willie Ne...

Merry Christmas to you all! It is a joy to be able to nestle into my burrow here in this Pensacola winter and reflect on which selections of my favorite Christmas music to share with you. Over the years, I have encountered seasonal music that miraculously combines the qualities of joy, beauty, peacefulness, and celebration simultaneously. These are some highlights that come to mind… Simon and Garfunkel- “Star Carol” : https://youtu.be/OTrp5QmjO5s?si=fj2IzBjA0ANKqwUl This tender little folk carol as performed by the duo Simon and Garfunkel was one of the first recorded Christmas songs I ever remember hearing as a very young child… Its innocent beauty has stayed with me ever since! Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel - The Gift : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA7SPe9JExqip7gsw5XyeQbiRbzcNbIO9&si=OflBGiZyzRYhGRGH While old enough to be a classic, this album is a new friend to me! Its timeless use of acoustic guitar and woodwind instrumentation and gentle contemporary freedom in inter...

"The October winds lament around the castle of Dromore ..." and echo in my imagination, continuing to inspire my musical projects and festival offerings in this busy and rewarding Autumn! As you may know, the modern celebration of Halloween descended both from traditions associated with the Celtic festival of Samhain as well as customs from the Christian feast of All Hallows Eve (the Even of All Saints). The following eloquent quote from  Tlachtga: Celtic Fire Festival by John Gilroy describes well the nature of the earlier feast: “The idea that Samhain is a juncture between the two halves of the year saw it acquiring the unique status of being suspended in time - it did not belong to the old year not the new. It could be said that time stood still on this night and the implications of this were immense. During this night the natural order of life was thrown into chaos and the earthly world of the living became hopelessly entangled with the world of the dead. But the world ...