Book Reviews

"Hi Lorinda!  The Lullabies book & cd arrived today, thank you!  I've missed it so, and I"m so glad I could get it again!  Also glad it's gonna be snowy here this weekend and I'll have a great excuse to stay IN and play!!!  (not that I really need one!)  haha!

Jennifer Mylod

After several album releases featuring her Celtic harp, tin whistle, piano, oboe, autoharp and psaltery skills in addition to mountain dulcimer, Lorinda Jones has at long last released an entire album featuring the mountain dulcimer as the lead instrument on each track.  It was well worth the wait. No Shadows was recorded in its entirety in one long session in early February and I'm guessing the title means that a local groundhog did not see his shadow.  He was probably enraptured by the sweet sounds anyway and, had he seen his shadow, it would not have been a shadow of and serious doubt about the music.   Lorinda's playing is typically terrific, tremendously tasteful, totally titillating, and, as always, suits my ear to ... wait for it ... a 'T'.    The songs are mostly traditional American folk favorites with some beautiful old hymns and a couple of Celtic tunes thrown in for good measure but Lorinda's treatment of these venerable old tunes is anything but business as usual.  Her arrangements are different in that special way that sets good players apart from the ordinary.

She has also surrounded herself with some very capable people like Rob Smith on mandolin and cello, Dell Harris on guitar, Gary Gallier on dulcimer and udu (hedu a fine job as engineer too!),Brenda Brooks on hammered dulcimer and flute, Rob Harris on fiddle, andJean Ham on harmony dulcimer.  Lorinda also plays whistle and recorder but her versatility extends well beyond just playing a room full of instruments.  She flatpicks hot fiddle tunes with the best of them; she fingerpicks slow ballads with the gentle touch of the wonderful harpist she is; and she unleashes her dujo (a cross between a dulcimer and a banjo) on a lively Irish jig.  Not least, her inventive arrangements give her supporting cast plenty of room to shine too.   This is a classic dulcimer album that should find its way into your collection.

Hi everybody,

I've been on the road a while, but now am back at regular e-mail and eager to chime in with my highest praise for Lorinda and her teaching of us.  It was super in all respects.  And, as Marva has already said, the binder and CD are just right.  What a very well-thought-out and perfectly rendered take-away treat.  I listened to the CD as I was making the long drive from Swannanoa to Charlottesville, VA, and found myself deeply touched by the care (and time!) that Lorinda had obviously put into it.

Also on my drive to Charlottesville, I listened to Lorinda's A la Mode CD, which accompanies her teaching/tune book of the same title.  To my ear there is something deeply haunting and magical about the minor modes, which Lorinda demonstrates on the CD.  I wonder if we could experiment with modes next year - ideally without setting ourselves up for broken strings.

With great thanks again to Lorinda, thanks to Jane for putting us in touch with each other, and warm greetings to you all,

Elisabeth
from Los Angeles, CA