Recorded largely in British Columbia, this album abounds in beauty, rhythm and lushness. Sharlene plays nine of her newest compositions as well as two commissioned pieces by Loretto Reid and Evelyne Datl, two wonderful pieces by Alfredo Rolando Ortiz and one lovely tune by Craig Noseworthy. Sharlene is accompanied by a diverse band comprised of accordion, saxophone, 5-string violin, cello, bass and percussion. And visually? Well the gorgeous photography and cover design reflects an album that is … delicious!
Only available in full as a CD HERE
Tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13 available on your favourite platform!
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Produced by Sharlene
The musicians are:
Sharlene, lever harp
Oliver Schroer, 5-string violin
Tom Keenlyside, soprano sax
Joseph Macerollo, accordion
Finn Manniche, cello
George Koller, bass
Sal Ferreras, percussion
- Somewhere on the Ocean Floor (2:40)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2004 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
Have you ever gone snorkelling in the ocean? You can waste a lot of energy – and swallow a lot of salt water – trying to catch sight of what is beyond. But, if you just float there, a lot of strange creature will just dance on by.
– harp, bass, percussion (cajon, bells, deer hoofs)
Sheet music available HERE - Island Mountain: Clouds (3:12)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2000 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
Shadows of clouds pass over the Cariboo Mountains, creating rolling waves on the treetops below. “Clouds” is the first movement of a suite for two lever harps commissioned by Island Mountain Arts of Wells, British Columbia for the turn of the millennium. My friend Kim Robertson and I premiered Island Mountain Suite in August of 2000 down the road from Wells at St. Saviour’s Church in Barkerville, a town from the days of the gold rush. It was an other-worldly experience amidst the dramatic, ever-changing clouds.
– harp - Windows on the Sea (3:50)
by Craig Noseworthy – © Craig Noseworthy (SOCAN)
While in Quebec, I was fortunate to learn this air from a local violineur. I discovered it was written by Craig Noseworthy, a composer and flute player I had performed with in Toronto ten years earlier. It was Craig who shared with me “Moving Cloud”, an Irish reel featured on my first album, the rhyme & the river and on Harp & Holly’s album, Here is Joy. I have added a fun rhythmic twist to this beautiful tune, “Windows on the Sea”.
– harp, cello, bass, percussion (pandeiro, triangle) - Tangoolish (2:38)
by Loretto Reid – © Loretto Reid (SOCAN)
Tangoolish was written for me by my inimitable friend Loretto Reid. Originally from County Sligo, Ireland, Loretto is mistress extraordinaire of the Irish flute, tin whistle, concertina and button accordion. Thank you Loretto for this fun piece! xo
– harp, soprano saxophone, bass, percussion (conga, cua, maracas) - Wallace Bay (2:27)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2004 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
“whispering voices. listen to the land and lake. who you are is there.” – Sharlene Wallace, Wallace Bay, Minett, Ontario ©2018 Sharlene Wallace
– harp, cello, bass, percussion (tombak)
Sheet music available HERE - Beyond the Waves (3:33)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2004 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
From depths within and beyond the waves, a calm descends pure and true. – harp, soprano saxophone, bass, percussion (udu, cymbals)
Listen here to Beyond the Waves - Habanera Gris (3:57)
by Alfredo Rolando Ortiz – ©1994 AROY Music (ASCAP) Habanera is a 19th century music genre from Cuba. In this grey habanera, Joseph Macerollo (accordion) and Oliver Schroer (violin) add some mystical spices to a musical ceviche penned by South American harp soloist and composer Alfredo Rolando Ortiz.
– harp, 5-string violin, accordion, bass - Floating (3:54)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2004 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
on gentle waves. looking up towards billowing clouds floating in the warm blue sky above. just floating by…
– harp - El Rio (4:19)
by Alfredo Rolando Ortiz – ©1979 AROY Music (ASCAP)
EL Rio (The River) is written in a genre called pasaje, a harp music style from the plains of Venezuela where the harp is an important and much loved instrument.
– harp, accordion, bass - The Flower that Waved (4:09)
by Evelyne Datl – ©2004 Evelyne Datl (SOCAN)
The oldest part of Toronto, where I live, is called Corktown for the Irish immigrants who settled here. My tiny front garden is filled with delphiniums, peonies, lilies and lilacs. From my studio window I occasionally catch sight of the flowers waving and welcoming wandering pedestrians into their quivering oasis. “Some flowers are so vibrant they seem to be waving! At times I have even seen Sharlene herself wave like this… without words.” – Evelyne Datl
– harp, accordion, bass, percussion (cymbals, clave, surdo) - Lost River (3:37)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2000 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
Near Lac MacDonald, in the Laurentian mountains of Quebec, lies the Lost River. If you are lucky enough to find it, you’re probably, unfortunately, lost!
– harp, bass - Acacia Street (4:39)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2000 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
The great Irish harper-composer, Turlough Carolan wrote many tunes for his patrons, thanking them for food and accommodation. Friends, who shall remain nameless to protect their innocence, have extended their hospitality to me several times. Unfortunately, on two occasions, I was diligently practicing the harp – fortissimo no doubt – and failed to hear them knocking, trying in vain to gain entrance to their own home. No one ever said making sacrifices for art was limited to the artist alone. This piece is for my forgiving friends.
– harp, 5-string violin, bass, percussion (cymbals, crotales, temple bell, surdo)
Sheet music available HERE - Three Sisters (1:52)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2004 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
Written for my mom, Marilyn and her two sisters Evelyn and Doreen. This is a watery air for three sisters who spent many many years swimming, teaching swimming, swimming, life guarding, swimming and generally spending a lot of time in the water… swimming!
– harp, cello
Sheet music available HERE
Listen here to Three Sisters - Fields in Winter (5:08)
by Sharlene Wallace – ©2004 Sharlene Wallace (SOCAN)
For a large portion of our Canadian year, life remains dormant under a vast ocean of ice and snow, waiting for the sun’s inspiration. My concert tours frequently take me to many unexpected corners of this enormous country bounded by oceans on three sides and teaming with great lakes, mighty rivers and hidden ponds. I can only hope that a musical phrase, a fragment of a poem, a gesture or a word well chosen occasionally flickers from conscious performances to some hidden well of common understanding, some stream of shared, unspoken thought.
– harp, bass, percussion (pandeiro, cymbals)
Recorded by Dwayne Harder at Riverside Recording, Burnaby, BC
Accordion and bass recorded by Michael Jack at Phase One, Toronto, ON
Mixed and mastered by Jeff Wolpert, Toronto, ON
All harp arrangements by Sharlene Wallace
Photography by Kevin Kelly
Creative concept, art direction, design, layout, digital images by A Man Called Wrycraft
On this album, Sharlene plays a gut/wire 40 string lever harp made by David Kortier of Duluth, Minnesota.
Release date: 2004