For all those who didn't make it to Silver Spring, MD Saturday night, Dec 1, the nine muses of ancient Greece were celebrated in a masque presentation by Owain Phyfe and friends. The masque was narrated by Owain's wife, Lady Paula. (According to Phyfe, a masque is a concert/theatrical presentation with a consistent theme popular during the Renaissance and late Medieval times.)
Some 300 people packed Cerridwin's Coffeehouse and showed
standing ovation appreciation for the music. Highlights of the evening
included several songs not yet recorded by Phyfe and company. Among
them, "If I Were a Blackbird," also a new song in Ukranian and another
in Welsh.
A beautiful visual counterpart to Phyfe's music was provided by guest
dancer, Anne ("Zimra") Delekta, who
has been performing with Phyfe at
several festivals this year. She from hails from Columbus, Ohio has
been studying the Middle East since 1988, including its dances, culture,
and art forms. Her favorite areas of interest are women's dances and
rituals and henna body art. She teaches locally as well as at events
such as Convocation and Sirius Rising, and also through the Society for
Creative Anachronism.
Local musicians taking part were Diana McFadden on cello, Jim Brewster
on mandolin, Dave Landis on flutes and Diana Sunday on percussion.
Diana McFadden a
classically-trained cellist, has nevertheless for years been exploring
both other instruments and other musical styles. The influences of
rock, blues, jazz, medieval, Eastern, Indian, and other assorted
traditional musics may all be glimpsed within the unique and highly
personal synthesis of her work. She is known for her work in the
worldbeat band Kiva and most recently Green Crown.
Jim Brewster plays
a diverse palette of musical colors, selected and mixed from a wide
range of cultures and styles. Whether blowing hot jazz licks on the
pennywhistle, picking out sarod-inspired Eastern melodies on the
5-string banjo, or laying down a funky rock rhythm on the djembe, Jim
strives always to create something new from the musical riches that have
been handed down through the ages. He plays with Green Crown, Rhythm
Alive!, and the Bardic Bardo Brothers.
Diana Sunday is
also a vocalist, percussionist, and guitar player with Green Crown. Both
Diana Sunday and Dave Landis are listed as official Nightwatch Recording
artists and thus we may expect them to be contributing to the upcoming
Owain Phyfe 2002 album (untitled).
It was a wonderful, high energy night filled with beautiful
music.....and beautiful people.
Anon,
Truly a wonderful and magical evening...
Vyxen MacDobhran, the Yuletide Wench
Nimieux
What was particularly poignant for me was Owain's acknowledgement of
the passing of the actor (Bill Huttel) who portrayed King Henry VIII
for 13 seasons at the Maryland Renaissance Festival (and Ontario and
Florida) just before he sang his final song, "Health to the
Company."