Thieves and Robbers: Clannad and "Strange Land"

From the soundtrack to a British TV series called Robin of Sherwood comes today's random song. The music to this series was provided by Clannad, an Irish band whose music draws from Celtic, traditional Irish, new age, folk and folk rock. The band was formed, according to local story, when Ciarán, Pól, and Máire Brennan were performing late at night in their uncle's pub and a police sergeant walked in - they feared a summons for excessive noise but instead he had a form to participate in a music contest. After winning a local folk festival, they scored a record contract. Subsequent years saw them shooting to fame, and providing music for television and film and collaborating with superstars such as Bono. They are considered pioneers in the fusion of Celtic and new age music, creating an earthly yet spiritual sound. This song, Strange Land, is from their 1984 album Legend, which is all of the music from the British TV series about the famous outlaw.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clannad

Storyteller and Stud: Sotiw and "Kokopelli Shuffle"

Our random tune for today is by Sotiw, pronounced So-too. Made up of Native American flautist Michael Joseph Ulery and guitarist Derek Mortland, Sotiw combines New Age, eclectic, world and fusion jazz styles to create a musical world with no boundaries. The two musicians were initially drawn together by their heavy metal past, but found an instinctual kindred in writing music. In addition, Mortland had to relearn guitar after suffering a paralyzing injury in a motorcycle accident, and in the process of relearning he also redefined his musical perspective by breaking through new barriers. This song, Kokopelli Shuffle, highlights both of their abilities and this new direction, between the traditional flute rhythmically matching the guitar's dissonance. The song is named after the Southwestern Native American trickster and fertility god. You can find Kokopelli Shuffle on Sotiw's 2007 album Sketches in Time.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/Sotiw

Wearing a Medieval Hoodie: Clannad and "Robin (The Hooded Man)"

Today's random tune is from the soundtrack to a British TV series called Robin of Sherwood. The music to this series was provided by Clannad, an Irish band whose music draws from Celtic, traditional Irish, new age, folk and folk rock. The band was formed, according to local story, when Ciarán, Pól, and Máire Brennan were performing late at night in their uncle's pub and a police sergeant walked in - they feared a summons but instead he had a form to participate in a music contest. After winning a local folk festival, they scored a record contract. Subsequent years saw them shooting to fame, providing music for television and film and collaborating with superstars such as Bono. They are considered pioneers in the fusion of Celtic and new age music, creating an earthly yet spiritual sound. This song, Robin (the Hooded Man), is from their 1984 album Legend, which is all of the music from the British TV series Robin of Sherwood.

Eternal Scent: Paul Avgerinos and "Rose of Heaven"

Today's song is Rose of Heaven by Paul Avgerinos. Paul Avgerinos is an American composer, performer and producer whose genres include new age, ambient, space, world, world fusion, electronic and drone. Avgerinos attended Johns Hopkins University's Peabody School of Music where he studied bass violin. His albums are blends of well known and obscure acoustic and electronic instruments. He is known for using Romantic and Impressionist techniques, and he has worked with such artists as Aerosmith, Jewel, Run DMC, Willie Nelson, Deana Carter and The Celtic Tenors. Rose of Heaven is from his 2007 CD Garden of Delight.

Into the Mystic: Clannad and "Ancient Forest"

Today's random tune is from the soundtrack to a British TV series called Robin of Sherwood. The music to this series was provided by Clannad, an Irish band whose music draws from Celtic, traditional Irish, new age, folk and folk rock. The band was formed, according to local story, when an underage Ciarán, Pól, and Máire Brennan were performing late at night in their uncle's pub and a police sergeant walked in - they feared a summons but instead the sergeant had a form to participate in a music contest. After winning a local folk festival, they scored a record contract. Subsequent years saw them shoot to fame, provide music for television and film and collaborate with superstars such as Bono. They are considered pioneers in the fusion of Celtic and new age music, creating an earthly yet spiritual sound. This song, Ancient Forest, is from their 1984 album Legend, which is all of the music from the Robin of Sherwood series.

Especially in My Green Tea: Paul Avgerinos and "Jasmine"

Today's random tune is Jasmine by Paul Avgerinos. Avgerinos is an American composer, performer and producer whose genres include new age, ambient, space, world, world fusion, electronic and drone. Avgerinos attended Johns Hopkins University's Peabody School of Music where he studied bass violin. His albums are blends of well known and obscure acoustic and electronic instruments. He is known for using Romantic and Impressionist techniques, and he has worked with such artists as Aerosmith, Jewel, Run DMC, Willie Nelson, Deana Carter and The Celtic Tenors. Jasmine is from his 2007 CD Garden of Delight.

It Never Stops: Moya Brennan and "Merry Go Round"

A downtempo Celtic rock song from Irish singer Moya Brennan greets you as the random tune for today. The song is titled Merry Go Round and is from her 2006 album Signature. Brennan comes from a musical family (one of her sisters, Eithne, is better known as the singer Enya) and the family's band Clannad have been credited with creating the contemporary Celtic sound. Brennan is the eldest of the siblings, and started her own solo career in 1992. She is often classified as Celtic or New Age, though she feels uncomfortable with the New Age label as her music often has Christian themes. She has recorded 25 solo albums, her music has been featured in film, and she has collaborated with numerous other musicians in a variety of genres. She has also been very candid about her life - in her autobiography The Other Side of the Rainbow she recounts her upbringing in her family and her struggles with alcohol, drugs and an abortion which made her reevaluate her life and become a committed Christian. To help others with similar problems, she has given much to philanthropic endeavors and is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Christian Blind Mission. Merry Go Round can also be found on the 2011 live album Heart Strings.

Going with the Flow: Enya and "Orinoco Flow"

The random song for today is one you'll recognize. Orinoco Flow is by Enya, the performing name of Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, and is off of her 1989 best selling album Watermark. Enya was a brief member of her family's well known Celtic/New Age band Clannad before going off on her own. She wrote the music for the 1986 BBC television series The Celts before releasing Watermark, which brought her worldwide recognition. Her next album, 1992's Shepherd Moons, won her a Grammy. Her music is distinctive for its layered vocals, folk melodies, synthesized backdrops and an ethereal quality of reverberation.

Seasoned: The Forefathers and "Solstice"

The Forefathers, the performers of today's random tune, are a four piece American instrumental band based in Orlando, Florida and formed in 2005. They perform ambient world rock fusing genres such as Celtic, new age, afro-beat, folk and rock. This song, Solstice, is from their 2006 self-titled and debut CD, The Forefathers.

Legend: Clannad and "Robin (the Hooded Man)"

Today's random tune is from the soundtrack to a British TV series called Robin of Sherwood. The music to this series was provided by Clannad, an Irish band whose music draws from Celtic, traditional Irish, new age, folk and folk rock. The band was formed, according to local story, when Ciarán, Pól, and Máire Brennan were performing late at night in their uncle's pub and a police sergeant walked in - they feared a summons but instead he had a form to participate in a music contest. After winning a local folk festival, they scored a record contract. Subsequent years saw them shooting to fame, providing music for television and film and collaborating with superstars such as Bono. They are considered pioneers in the fusion of Celtic and new age music, creating an earthly yet spiritual sound. This song, Robin (the Hooded Man), is from their 1984 album Legend, which is all of the music from the British TV series Robin of Sherwood.

Eastern Themes: Paul Avgerinos and "Lily of the Valley"

The Global Music Randomizer appears to be on an Eastern theme. Today's random tune is Lily of the Valley by Paul Avgerinos. Avgerinos is an American composer, performer and producer whose genres include new age, ambient, space, world, World Fusion, electronic and drone. Avgerinos attended Johns Hopkins University's Peabody School of Music where he studied bass violin. His albums are blends of well known and obscure acoustic and electronic instruments. He is known for using Romantic and Impressionist techniques, and he has worked with such artists as Aerosmith, Jewel, Run DMC, Willie Nelson, Deana Carter and The Celtic Tenors. Lily of the Valley is from his 2007 CD Garden of Delight.

New Aging Gracefully: David Arkenstone and "The Fairy Ring"

Some of the first "world" music I ever heard could also be classified New Age music. And some of the earliest world music I ever heard could also be classified as Irish or Celtic music.

When I was in high school and college, some of the first music that took me outside the realm of rock music was music that was generally described as New Age. George Winston, the New Age composer and pianist, was the biggest selling artist on a label called Wyndham Hill Records, and in high school and college that music was great study music and just hanging around and reflecting music. While George Winston wasn't necessarily a world music artist (though he introduced me to Professor Longhair long before I ever knew I would live in New Orleans and become a big fan of its unique music) others in the New Age category sometimes were. A tape of the recently passed Paul Horn, a jazz flautist that was an early pioneer of New Age music, came into my possession as a gift from a friend. The album was Inside the Taj Majal, and Horn played against the echoes of his own flute in the Taj Mahal, creating harmonies with himself. The music wasn't necessarily Indian music, but it had a world feeling to it. I think that stepping outside of my rock and roll comfort zone was greatly facilitated by New Age music, and with it, my path to becoming an enthusiast of world music was assured.

The other branch of that path was through Celtic music. I was introduced to real Celtic music by Megan, then my girlfriend and now my wife and the official host of our global music show. She grew up in an family of Irish/Welsh descent, and quickly disabused me of the notion that Irish music was warbling tenors singing Danny Boy. We were living in Milwaukee at the time, and I still remember going to the Milwaukee IrishFest. We came upon a band, Capercaille, that stopped me in my tracks. It was Celtic music on steroids, with a modern beat, keyboards, and yet the fiddle, the bodhrán and the beautiful voice of Karen Matheson. I was hooked. I took up tin whistle, played around with a group of pickup musicians, and still to this day consider Celtic music one of my favorite music loves and another path toward my musical openness.

Today's randomly picked song and artist brings me back to those times, because it also skirts the edge between world, specifically Celtic, and New Age music. David Arkenstone is a Grammy-nominated composer and producer who specializes in instrumental music. He has written for the World of Warcraft video game series, and for the NBC broadcast of the Kentucky Derby. He was influenced by the music of Kitarō, one of the pioneers of New Age music, as well as classical music and progressive rock bands such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Deep Purple and Yes. He was also influenced by the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming. He has learned to play an astonishing array of instruments, including the bazouki, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, harp, cello, flute, electronic keyboards, piano, Turkish saz, pennywhistle, melodica, pan pipes, drums and percussion, and says his creation of music has been vastly aided by technology. He is involved in the band Troika...they have a similar sound to his solo work and though they remain anonymous, the compositions on their albums are credited to Arkenstone. He has released 48 solo studio albums, 5 albums with Troika, and a live album and is featured on 5 compilations. He has also composed 4 soundtracks.

This song, The Fairy Ring, is the second song on his 2003 release Spirit of Ireland.