Skylark Productions

Rag Faire Pratie Heads This cd costs $11.99	This cd was just recorded in October 2006, the first new Pratie Head cd since 1988. Steve Winick of Dirty Linen magazine wrote, back in the day: "The Pratie Heads were their state's premiere performers of British Isles traditional music ... they have made some of the best Celtic, English, and early American folk music available in recorded form. They have picked beautiful, uncommon songs to play, have thoroughly researched tunes and texts to produce the best possible versions, and have lovingly and impeccably arranged them. And still it emerges as spontaneous, joyful music - it's a rare gift they have. ... Peppler's voice is a clear soprano wonder with a feeling of intense but controlled wildness that she may owe to her training in Slavic and Balkan singing ... as amazing on fiddle as she is singing, [with] great tone on the slower tunes and real speed on the quick ones. My suggestion is to buy a copy of each tape, and then make a dub of each. Put the originals away in a cool, dark place and play the dubs. That way, when you've worn out your copies, you can repeat the process without having to pay for more tapes. Don't say I didn't warn you." Into the West, Berayna, Monymusk x 4, Sea Duck/Thirty Year Jig, Frozen Girl, Jamestown Homeward Bound, Bagira's Walk, Mayn Shvester Khaye, Strings in the Earth and Air, New Land/Toda Una Vida, Boutros the Cat, Daichovo Horo, Rag Fair, Siete modos de guisar las berenjenas, Old Songs/John Roy Lyall's Air, Bonny Ship the Diamond/Willafjord, Rosehill Reel, Lord Franklin	Into the West Mayn Shvester Khaye (Yiddish) Monymusk x 4 (Scottish, Irish, American) Seaduck's Waltz (Swedish) Strings in the Earth and Air Daichovo Horo (Bulgarian) Lord Franklin Rosehill Reel The Jamestown Homeward Bound
Early Fare Pratie Heads This double-cd set costs $11.99 PayPal	Available January 1, 2007, this is a remastered collection of most of the songs and tunes from the four recordings made by the Pratie Heads in the 1980s - "Flowers of the Forest," "Todlin' Home," "Kiss Quick, Mother's Coming," and "Heritage." Almost 2-1/2 hours of music on two discs. Disc One: Green Shores of America, Knickerbocker Line, The Girl that Broke My Heart/Sault's Own Hornpipe/Killoran's, Greenwood Laddy, The Bundling Song, An Acre of Ground, Rolling Ages/Poor Mourning Souls/Lovely Vine, The Foggy Dew, Paddy Ryan's Dream/Shark's Favorite, How Stands the Glass Around, King Henry, Five English Dances, Mary and the Gallant Soldier, The Turfman from Ardee, Flower of Northumberland, My Former Wife/Lord Inchaquin/The Contradiction, My Faithful Johnny, Morgan Flowers of the Forest, Spotted Cow/Lady Mary Hayes' Scotch Measure Disc Two: The Lord of Drum, Cathy Whitesides/I Live Not Where I Love, The Black Fox, Kiss Quick/Peter and David, Tuppence on the Rope, The Barleygrain for Me, Though I Go to Bed Little Do I Sleep/Lord President Forbes'/The Haggis, Bonny May, Trip to Durrow/Byker Hill/The Bishop/Orleans Baffled, Road to Drumleven, Maxwell's Rant/Random Hornpipe, The Beggar Song, The Bold Robber, Shieling in the Braes of Rannoch/Tyndrum, The Long Pegging Awl, Rock and a Wee Pickle/White Petticoat/Market Town, Todlin' Home, Dalkeith's Strathspey/Lady Caroline Montague, Peter and David (reprise)	The Barleygrain For Me King Henry Todlin' Home Flowers of the Forest The Knickerbocker Line My Father Gave Me an Acre of Ground
World Music Our Way Mappamundi This cd costs 11.99	Reviewed by David Potorti for the Independent "There's a lot to love about Mappamundi's first CD release: powerful vocal harmonies, complex musical arrangements and exotic acoustic instruments played with great relish. And they're all rendered with pristine clarity, courtesy of Jerry Brown's studio and Skylark Studios in Chapel Hill. Mappamundi translates as "map of the world," and the selections take us on that globe-circling journey: There's "Sinii Platochek," a popular World War II song from the Soviet Union; "Down Among the Dead Men," a number from Colonial America; "Okrug Selo," from Croatia; "Tsi Darf Es Azoy Zayn," a Holocaust text with the tango rhythm popular in the '30s and '40s; and "Now is Come Our Joyful Feast," in which "a cheerful Elizabethan text mongrelizes a gloomy shape note tune." "That same brevity and wit characterize the descriptions accompanying the rest of the songs: "Polegnala is awakened in an irritable mood by an acorn falling on her head - she had been dreaming her sweetheart had brought her a golden ring in a multi-colored bouquet," read the CliffsNotes to "Polegnala E Todoro." Like a visit to the opera, the translations only add to our enjoyment. But more importantly, it's the music itself that leaps off the CD. Regardless of the source or style of the number, the music swings - there are no museum pieces here. And given the historic and academic bent of the group's memebers, you know you're getting the real deal. "Beth Holmgren is professor of Slavic languages and literatures at UNC-Chapel Hill; Jane Peppler directs the Triangle Jewish Chorale and teaches singing at the Duke University Short Courses Program; Robbie Link is a ubiquitous performer/teacher/composer/arranger as well as the owner of Hillsborough's Red Hawk Music; Jim Baird teaches in the Durham school system; and multi-instrumentalist Ken Bloom has "introduced audiences to unfamiliar sounds in an entertainging way" on venues like A Prairie Home Companion - when he's not building the obscure instruments he plays, like the Bandura and the Kantele. (On World Music Our Way you'll have to settle for guitar, trombone, bouzouki, accordion, domro, fiddle, viola, concertina, bass, percussion and piano.) "This is the world music that makes us happiest," says the group. It also demonstrates the power that music, no matter when or where it's made, has in capturing our imaginations - and transporting us from the mundane to the unexpected."	The Blue Scarf (Russian) Okrug Selo (Serbian) Oy Mame, Bin Ikh Farlibt (Yiddish) Bonny Laboring Boy (English) Rose and Crown (by Ian Robb, Canadian) S'iz der step shoyn opgeshorn (Yiddish) William Glenn (English/American) The Grecian Queen (Irish) Now is come our joyful feast (American)

Sedgefield Fair - more-or-less traditional music from England and Scotland Jane Peppler, Jacqueline Schwab and Robbie Link This CD costs 11.99	Reviewed in "Folk Roots" Magazine, July 1994: "Highlights of this one are the invention and audacity of Schwab's piano playing (she also featured on the scandalously unrepeated BBC2 American Civil War series). Whereas in so many cases the instrument shouldn't be permitted within a mile of a folk song, she skips in and around the tunes in ways you'd scarcely think possibly, cunningly aided and abbetted by Link's double bass." Reviewed in "English Dance & Song," Spring 1995: "This is a lighthearted recording of well-loved tunes ... Jacqueline Schwab's piano playing is the highlight of this cd. She colours her accompaniment to reflect the mood of the lyrics. Delicate and etherial one minute, dancing and lilting the next, her playing is rich and bold and she uses the entire range of the instrument. An unexpected treat is the bass playing of Robbie Link. He solos both with bow and without, providing counter-melodies far beyond the usual oom-pah. [Peppler's] viola, with its dark, woody tone is especially effective on "The Lass of Glenshee." Jane Peppler teamed up with bassist Robbie Link and Jacqueline Schwab (pianist with the wonderful English country dance band Bare Necessities and pianist for Ken Burns' Grammy-winning Civil War series on PBS) to present this romantic, funny, haunting collection of 17th and 18th century country songs. Sedgefield Fair, Bushes and Briars, Reynard the Fox, The Lass of Glenshee, The Ploughboy, Artichokes & Cauliflowers, Adieu, Adieu, Mothering Sunday, Barracks Street, Bonny Lass of Anglesey, Rambling Comber, Maidstone Hall, Buy Broom Besoms, Black-Eyed Susan, Come Lasses and Lads	Sedgefield Fair
UNDER THE DRAWBRIDGE: Music from the Thirteenth to the Twentieth Century. The Solstice Assembly This CD costs 11.99	CD Review: "An all-seasons follow-up to Three Log Night, a regional Christmas favorite, Under the Drawbridge is an impressive introduction to the elegant, elastic vocal stylings of North Carolina's Solstice Assembly, an inventive 18- voice choral group that specializes in updating folk songs that span the last 800 years. These modern minstrels, favorites on the East Coast Renaissance festival circuit ... whether singing a cappella or accompanied by guitars, fiddles, percussion and recorders, showcase forceful harmonies with reverent relish and a youthful spirit. The alternately festive, romantic, and haunting arrangements mirror a variety of familiar vocal settings, including madrigal choruses, barbershop quartets, even such peers as the Bobs and the Roches... The most lasting pleasures ... are the older songs, all performed with an earnest affection that accents their beauty rather than their age." As featured on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition; debuted the peculiar genre of Medieval Beach Music. Down with the Rosemary and Bays; Cro-Magn the Barbarian; Li joliz temps d'estey; Rainbow; Rainmaker; Padaj kiso; Margot labourez les vignes; The Silent Bird; Pokraj more loze; Con el viento; Touch but my lips; Hard Times; White Collar Holler; Blind Bartimus; Once I had a sweetheart; John the Revelator; No hiding place; Cadgwith Anthem; The Hock Cart; Windham; Cuando el rey Nimrod; Resonet in laudibus; Long Journey; Let memory keep us all; Black-eyed Suzy	Sigh No More, Ladies Let Memory Keep Us All
SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED: centuries of great vocal music The Solstice Assembly This CD costs 11.99	Philadelphia City Paper: "To ease an ache for beautiful singing, try the Solstice Assembly's Some Assembly Required. The voices blend perfectly, in a surprising array of styles, from the Bobs' modern a-cappella-with-attitude to French sea shanties and back to the Renaissance. Think of all the hyperbole about celestial sounds and angelic harmonies, double them and apply them here.'' CUE Magazine: "The Solstice Assembly then took the stage, and I mean TOOK IT, with an earthy vocal/choral style that reaches far back into folk traditions. Their singing tone is a full-throated delivery that commands attention and delivers great excitement and driving energy." The Charleston Post & Courier: "The harmonious and high-spirited Solstice Assembly belted out a cappella renditions with enough talent to raise the roof ... Sixteen voices full of musical gusto sang the reverent to the irreverent as a class act in the Piccolo Spoleto Traditional Folk Music Series ... the audience wanted more as they showed their appreciation with applause and shouts of encore." Whitsuntide is Come, Sigh No More, Love is Come Again, Ripe and Bearded Barley, Roulez!, Vegan Fight Song, Spontaneous Human Combustion, Agincourt Carol, Gaude Mater Polonia, The Peddler's Song, Fine Knacks for Ladies, Chicken on a Raft, Double Cheese and Ham, Go Back Home, Canaan's Land, Northfield, Schnirele Perele, Up Above My Head, No Ozone, Drive Dull Care Away, Imi Notna Leviva-li, One More Shopping Day, Last Month of the Year, So Will We Yet, Suzannana	One More Shopping Day
Courting Disaster Jane Peppler and Beth Holmgren This cd costs 11.99	This recording and the concerts promoting it were prototypes for the Mappamundi repertoire. Beth and Jane were joined by Joe Newberry on guitar, Dave Digiuseppe on bouzouki and accordion, Stephen Smith and Doug Holmgren (no relation) on piano. Victory Review: "Warm, vibrant, expressive voices on these 21 songs about love from a woman's perspective. The variety is staggering... Their harmonies generate energy; their solo vocals soothe and soar. ... A rich, beautifully sung collection." Cue Magazine: "They unfolded a fine collection of folk music from around the world in a most entertaining performance ... very colorful, interesting songs given exemplar performances by very fine artists. Peppler has a very special soprano voice -- clear and bell-like -- that's perfectly matched to the songs she sings. And the lady plays a hunk of fiddle as well. Holmgren has a lovely mezzo voice that creates great warmth with its rich, velvety quality. Their perfect blend of vocal colors and ensemble precision is first-rate and an auditory joy. They made a real night of it with a flawless musical performance. ... the audience would not let them leave the stage..." Was That the Human Thing to Do?, Away with these self-loving lads, Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, Na pirino mome, Kissin's nae sin, Chant de foulon, Garten mother's lullaby, To meadows, Tayere Malkele, The fit's come on me now, Making Whoopie, Kon' bjezhit, To the begging I will go, Na ugorje, Break now, my heart, and die, I'm Beginning to See the Light, Karamfilo, You Got to Know How, Take a bumper and try, You're Driving me Crazy, Daj mi, daj	Making Whoopie Tayere Malkele (Yiddish) Was that the human thing to do? Kon' Bjezhit (Russian)
Three Log Night: Uncommon Music for the Holiday Season The Solstice Assembly with The Band of Ages and The Buds. Bonus track by Mappamundi. This "authorized bootleg" cd costs $11.99	Burned from a cassette-only recording done in 1988 on an as-needed basis, with additional tracks from "Under the Drawbridge" by the Solstice Assembly and "World Music Our Way" by Mappamundi. Thank you soooo much, I grew up with this cassette and was heartbroken that I could not find it on CD. You have totally filled me with Christmas cheer! - E. N., Monmouth Oregon Download the cover and liner notes here: click on links and print them out. Cover art (in color) Liner notes Back cover Fulfillment, Sherburne, The Lord at First did Adam Make, Time to Remember the Poor, Ma-Oz Tsur, Y'vanim, Simu Shemen, S'vivon, Hanerot Halalu, Sussex Mummers' Carol, Gloucester Wassail, May Waltz/Woodcutter's Song, In the Bleak Midwinter, Blessed be that Maid Marie, Gaudete, Gedeonis Area, Cookham, Sainte Nicholaes, The Very First Blessing, The Holly and the Ivy, The Boar's Head Carol, Tappster Dryngker!, Rock the Cradle, Joe, Pastime with Good Company, The King, The Holly Bears a Berry, Let Memory Keep Us All, Now is Come Our Joyful Feast	In the Bleak Midwinter Ma-Oz Tsur (Italian) Gloucester Wassail
Three Log Night: SONGBOOK by Jane Peppler This book costs $6.95. Click the button below if you are purchasing four or more copies of the Three Log Night Songbook for a discounted price of $5.95 each.	Companion songbook, 47 pages long, with all the arrangements as sung on the recording above. It has been very popular with choral groups, Christmas carollers, people looking for Hannukah music and singing circles!

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