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The Echoes Living Room Concerts Volume 7

For the last twelve years, the radio program Echoes has been invading the homes of musicians from around the world, recording them playing live in living rooms, basements, garages, closets and cathedrals. We enter artists' homes, move their furniture, unplug their phones, and turn off their refrigerators (and forget to turn them back on). With a basic mobile recording unit, the Echoes crew of two, Senior Producer/Host John Diliberto and Producer/Engineer Jeff Towne, records direct to a stereo DAT machine, mixing and adding reverb on the fly. The results have been praised by musicians, many of whom used living room concert recordings on their own albums including Windham Hill Records's new Michael Hedges anthology, Beyond Boundaries. It includes three tracks recorded in the Echoes Living Room.

The latest performances can be heard on THE ECHOES LIVING ROOM CONCERTS, VOLUME SEVEN, recorded in nine different cities, in spaces that ranged from a granite-floored chapel to a 6x6 sound booth. Musicians from across the globe, including India, Africa, Iran, Norway, Ireland, England, Arkansas and Montana appear on this CD with music that ranges from solo finger-style guitar to ambient dreamscapes to an African-Celtic dervish. Artists on the disc include Afro Celt Sound System, George Winston, R. Carlos Nakai, Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel, Habib Khan, Richard Leo Johnson, Kate Price, Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning, Ketil Bjornstad & David Darling, Gary Stroutsos, Tim Farrell, Erik Wollo and Axiom of Choice.

Track List:

1. Afro Celt Sound System, The Silken Whip 7:03
2. Kate Price, The Isle of Dreaming, 7:37
3. Tim Farrell, Across the Northlands, 4:21
4. Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning, Elieson, 3:14
5. Ketil Bjornstad & David Darling, The Sea V, 5:04
6. Erik Wollo, Drone Music #1, 5:04
7. Axiom of Choice, Valeh, 6:32
8. Gary Stroutsos, Falcon Cove, 5:48
9. Eric Tingstad & Nancy Rumbel, Sailing, 3:44
10. George Winston, Plains (Eastern Montana Blues) 3:29
11. R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton & Will Clipman, Prelude to a Storm 6:24
12. Habib Khan, Rose, 7:52
13. Richard Leo Johnson, Sketches of Miles, 5:31

Track Details:

Afro Celt Sound System The Silken Whip

Much too large for the actual Echoes Living Room, we captured Afro Celt Sound System in SIR Studios in New York City, as they rehearsed for their David Letterman Show appearance the next evening. In all their glory, Afro Celt sailed through one of the liveliest sets of music to be heard on Echoes, including "The Silken Whip." Their latest album is Volume 3: Further in Time (Realworld).

Kate Price The Isle of Dreaming

Hammered dulcimer player Kate Price lives in a trailer, a difficult fit for the five musicians she chose for her concert. So instead, we went to Mesa Studios in Sebastopol, north of San Francisco. There Kate gathered reed player Paul McCandless from the group Oregon, Hans Christian from Rasa playing sarangi and Nyckelharpe, percussionist Ian Dogole, guitarist Teja Bell and cellist Moses Sedler. Together they wove the themes of Kate Price’s album, The Isle of Dreaming (Higher Octave).

Tim Farrell Across the Northlands

In the glut of solo acoustic guitarists, Tim Farrell continues to stand out. As soon as we heard his latest album, Songs from Clarowood (Magrathea), we invited him in for his third Echoes visit. Playing his special George Nakashima commemorative edition Martin guitar in the Echoes sound booth, he unfolded the intricate, finger-picked melody of "Across the Northlands."

Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning Elieson

Keyboardist Jeff Johnson and flutist Brian Dunning actually recorded two concerts for Echoes on this late fall day looking out Jeff's studio window on Camano Island, Washington. One concert was for our Sonic Seasonings 2000 show, and another to highlight their album, Byzantium (Ark). Jeff & Brian were joined by Irish fiddler John Fitzpatrick and Portland based guitarist Tim Ellis. Their latest album is The Enduring Story (Ark).

Ketil Bjornstad and David Darling The Sea V

This is Ketil Bjornstad and David Darling's second appearance on an Echoes Living Room Concert CD. The original version of "The Sea V" featured a murderous electric guitar solo from Terje Rypdal. In Philadelphia’s Indre Studios, Ketil and David return "The Sea V" to its original piano and cello form. Their latest album is Epigraphs (ECM).

Erik Wollo Drone Music #1

A late-summer addition to the Echoes Living Room Concerts Volume 7. Erik Wollo journeyed from his home in Fredrikstad, Norway, to the Echoes studio with his Stratocaster Guitar and effects. Playing over a pre-recorded drone, he ruminated on electric guitar, improvising this piece out of the air. His latest album is Wind Journey (Spotted Peccary).

Axiom of Choice Valeh

This was one of the more unusual locations we've ever recorded for Echoes. The Koan Collection is an enormous Los Angeles store full of antique furniture from India, Indonesia, Nepal and Thailand, most of which looks like it was pulled from an archeological dig. The store is owned by guitarist Loga Ramin Torkian and his wife, Yatrikadevi Shah-Rais. Loga, along with singer Mamek Khadem, form the core of Axiom of Choice. They are joined here by electric cellist Martin Tillman and percussionist Ando Harutyunyan. "Valeh" appeared on their self-titled debut album on X-Dot 25. Their latest CD is Niya Yesh on Narada World.

Gary Stroutsos Falcon Cove

The Chapel at Bastyr University

For his third Living Room Concert, flutist Gary Stroutsos gathered an intimate, modern chamber music group with Jonn Serrie on synthesizers, Elizabeth Falconer on koto and percussionist Larry Mahlis on an array of global percussion. They sent their sound echoing into the arched ceilings of the Chapel of Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. Gary's latest album is Pacific Moon (Paras).

Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel Sailing

Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel are longtime Echoes favorites. Over the last 15 years or so, they've woven their pastoral melodies for acoustic guitar, oboe, English horn and ocarinas. Their second appearance on a Living Room Concert CD was recorded in the living room of the Jow family of Livermore, CA. Eric and Nancy's latest album is Paradise (Narada).

George Winston Plains (Eastern Montana Blues)

In the fall of 1999, George Winston visited the Echoes living room where we had to move all the furniture out to make room for a grand piano. Looking out on the fall foliage through the bay window, Winston played Hawaiian songs, slack key guitar, some old favorites and this piece, Plains (Eastern Montana Blues) from his latest album of the same name.

R. Carlos Nakai William Eaton Will Clipman Prelude to a Storm

R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton and Will Clipman create a global chamber music for Native American flute, lyre-harp guitar and percussion. Recorded at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in Medford, Oregon, this performance comes from one of a pair of live concerts for Echoes affiliate stations, KBSU in Boise, Idaho and Jefferson Public Radio in Ashland, Oregon. Their latest album is In A Distant Place (Canyon).

Habib Khan Rose

In his San Jose living room, Indian sitarist Habib Khan gathered an all-star cast of Bay Area world musicians, including guitarist Matthew Montfort and keyboardist Doug McKeehan, both from the group Ancient Future; on tablas, Emam; drums, John Waller; flute, Peter Block; and on violin, Patti Weiss. With incense in the air and the aroma of Indian food from the kitchen of Habib's wife, Shoba, they cooked up this east west world fusion. Habib Khan's latest album is Longing (X-Dot-25).

Richard Leo Johnson Sketches of Miles

If you can't actually see a Richard Leo Johnson performance, the next best thing is hearing him play live. It gives you a true appreciation of his technical wizardy as his hands fly across the fretboard of his double necked 6 & 12 string acoustic guitar. It sounds like three or four guitarists, but as this performance attests, it's just Richard Leo Johnson. We set Richard up in the Echoes living room for this performance of a piece inspired by Miles Davis and "Sketches of Spain." His latest album is Language (Blue Note)

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