Out of the wilds of the Minnesota -- OK, so St. Paul isn't exactly the wilds, but it still has access to that magic, bardic lake that I'm convinced is up there -- comes Greenwood Tree. The duo of Stu Janis on hammered dulcimer and bowed psaltery and Bill Cagley on guitar, mandolin, and bodhran have been together for more than fifteen years. These three CDs demonstrate that they are solid musicians, performing primarily Celtic tunes, with a dash of other traditions tossed in.

The leadoff set of "Larry O'Gaff," "Tripping Up Stairs," and "Joy of My Life," on Greenleaf Fancy, sets the tone for this, as well as the other two, CDs -- light, jaunty, quick, and skillful, with the lead traded back and forth between Janis's dulcimer and Cagley's mandolin. The set of "Silver Spear," "Tom Morrison's Real," and "Cooley's Reel" is particularly strong, especially with the guitar providing a strong grounding to the dulcimer. The only disappointment on this CD is Pachelbel's "Canon in D." As a change of pace, it should have stood out. Instead, while it's pretty, it feels stripped down and lacking in spirit.

Pleasant as Greenleaf Fancy is, Windy and Warm is a step up, thanks to several particularly good arrangements. "The Minstrel Boy" and "Simple Gifts" are given a more upbeat tempo and laid-back style than as they are commonly performed, making for a fun set.. Stu Janis breaks out his pennywhistle for "The Butterfly," which, given some grounding from the bodhran, is a beautifully eerie version. The highlight of the CD is the title track, an tune with Americanroots by John D. Loudermilk, featuring excellent, bluesy guitar playing from Cagley and some less-than-dulcet dulcimer playing from Janis.

Greenwood Tree's latest, The Cottage Door is their best, in no small part due to backup bass played by Sandy Njoes and Rahn Yanes. The improvement is demonstrated in the first two tracks. With just bodhran for backup, Janis's dulcimer playing of "Willy's Joy," "Springboard Jig," and "Vorpal Jig" is skillfully pretty, but insubstantial. With guitar and bass, along with dulcimer, "Dunmore Lasses" and "Mother's Delight" is a solid, gutsy set. With Gary Bartig on bones, the set of "Reel de Mattawa" and "Bay of Fundy" is likewise solid.

Janis uses the bowed psaltery -- a violin-like instrument with a single string for each note -- to excellent effect on two tracks. The Hebrew folk-tune, "Erev Shel Shoshanim" -- better known as the tune to Grit Laskin's "At the End of a Pointed Gun" -- is given a lush arrangement with bass and guitar backing. "Christ Child Lullaby" is a haunting, resonant version. The liner notes compare the drone of the psaltery to that of the bagpipes, but that is unfair to both instruments. The psaltery drone is an echo of the notes played, rather than the lead-in to the tune.

If there is any problem with these recordings, it is that the tunes tend to run together. Especially, given the excellent performances of "Windy and Warm" and "Erev Shel Shoshanim," Greenwood Tree would do well to mix in a few more non-Celtic tunes. Outside of that, fifteen-plus years has honed Bill Cagley and Stu Janis's skill into consistently solid and sometimes outstanding performance.

[Chuck Lipsig] 

 

Greenwood Trees are growing here.