Search - Ethan James :: Ancient Music of Christmas

The hurdy-gurdy isn't the first--or even third or fourth--instrument you think of when someone says "Christmas music," but Ethan James is determined to change all that with an exotic and hypnotic collection of mostly medieval songs played on what could well be the intermarriage of the bagpipe and pump organ. Add dulcimer, saz, and some ethnic percussive instruments, and the result is a mesmerizing mixture of seasonal music capable of altering your conscious state any time of the year. James selects many songs that are traditionally sung and transposes them to the hurdy-gurdy, a daunting feat for any instrumentalist. Still, this wonderful album belongs in the home of anyone who savors the radiant brilliance of a lost time and the foreign though somehow familiar nuances of this timeless musical apparatus. A must-have. --Martin Keller