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06/19/2023
“and so flows the river”
Ronn McFarlane: W. Lee’s Reel – Where Mountains Meet the Sky – Clear Creek
Erik Satie: Gymnopédie n° s 1‑3
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sinfonia from Cantata 29
John Jacob Niles: I Wonder as I Wander
Turlough O’Carolan: Mrs. Judge’s Jig – Miss Noble
Henry Purcell: Hornpipe
Carolyn Surrick: Greenmount Avenue – Liane’s Ocean
Harold Arlen: Over the Rainbow
John Dowland: Lachrymae
B.F. White (attr.): Beach Spring
Diego Ortiz: Recercada Primera and Segunda
Traditional: The Water is Wide – Shenandoah
Ronn McFarlane (lute), Carolyn Surrick (viola da gamba), Yousif Sheronick (percussion)
Recording: Tonal Park, Takoma Park, Maryland (October 17‑21, 2022) – 56’
Flowerpot Productions 2023‑01 – Booklet in English
 
...sometimes it comes at us unobtrusively...other times like a gale force wind...or even a whispering ostinato. Such are reactions to sound. But it’s through “listening” to these sonic underpinnings that spark catalysts to enchant, engage, reminisce and even interpret a song with new approaches.
Lots of organic introspection has gone into creating “and so flows the river”. The more we read, the more enlightened we become. Lutenist Ronn McFarlane has integrated with Carolyn Surrick’s viola da gamba as they delve into their musical spectrum. Such illuminating excursions have featured M. McFarland’s solo album, “The Celtic Lute” (2017) while integrating the cerebral theorems with Mlle Surrick inside “Fermi’s Paradox” (2020) along with the delightfully nostalgic Christmas holiday blockbuster, “A Star in the East” two years later. “and so flows the river” cuts through a gamut of genres with a panoply of earthy injections and good‑natured wholesomeness. Yousif Sheronick’s percussive additive has given compositions a textural boost of agreeable richness. The “river”, a symbolic agent, forever maneuvers with flexibility and mobility, transitioning from tune to tune with profundity. The album integrates with a potpourri of poetry, personal experiences and literary descriptions.
Striking is the order of music. One such example is Satie’s Gymnopédies. Carolyn Surrick carries the melody in n° 1 that teeters on the thickly moody and melancholy state; conversely, n° 2’s aura surrounding the lute gathers more lyrical, lighter equations. But the immediate segue to n° 3 doesn’t present itself immediately. Rather, the finality is buried four tunes later until finishing touches are made to Purcell’s saucy Hornpipe. Now we’re back to syrupy, dank vestiges of the viola da gamba...an interesting recompense of sorts.
Personal experiences permeate “Greenmount Avenue” (Carolyn Surrick) that are severely harsh and strident with ideas. Reading the gambist’s liner notes will elaborate the rawness of sorts. But the highs and lows of life are personally expressed though other personal extractions, such as M. McFarlane’s peppery opening, “W. Lee’s Reel” and spunky, carefree percolations of “Clear Creek”. The azimuth widens with the infinitesimal conversationalist-like manières of “Where Mountain Meet the Sky”. There’s even room for a refreshing take on the two well‑known Diego Ortiz pieces, “Recercada Primera y Segunda”. Sentimentality holds firm and strong during a take on Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” and the wistful memories encapsulating “The Water is Wide” and “Shenandoah”.
“Variety” and “internal thinking” are two major vehicles inside “and so flows the river”: the album’s heart and soul tap deeply and sincerely.
Christie Grimstad
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