We’ve heard from some of you that your trip to Harlequin’s for holiday gifts was your first foray into shopping since the COVID precautions began! This is such a strong affirmation that we are offering something of real value and importance to you, and we are honored to have this level of support!
As you know, most in-person concerts, craft fairs and holiday events have been cancelled, making it difficult for artists to connect with their audience.
We know it’s not necessarily easy to access the ‘Holiday Spirit’ this early in the season, especially in the midst of local wildfires and a pandemic. These emergencies have separated us from each other, but in meaningful ways, they have also brought us together. Here at Harlequin’s Gardens and beyond, we have seen a real increase in mindfulness and caring for others. [Read More]
The Front Range is a hotbed of innovation and passion for quality food with real flavor and real nutritional value. Whether it’s the micro-brews, coffee, chocolate, heirloom vegetables, pasture-raised meats, or ancient grains, or the gluten-free, paleo, keto, or vegan diet, Front Range Coloradans have shown great support and enthusiasm for slow, locally-grown, organic, fair-trade and creative, locally hand-crafted foods.
You can pick up a mouth-full or a basket-full of some of our favorite locally crafted specialty foods this month at our Holiday Gift Market all of them will easily keep through the holidays and beyond. [Read More]
We have some new varieties of Amaryllis, a long-time symbol of the holidays, as well as some classic favorites. We’re offering traditional red, white, and several blended, pink, and apricot varieties – a fun way to change-up your holiday decorating! (Pictured: Amaryllis Apricot Parfait, left, and Apple Blossom, right. Photo credit: Holland Bulb Farms.)
Our top-size Amaryllis bulb selections in bags include Apple Blossom, Apricot Parfait, Black Pearl, and Red Lion.
Our decorative gold-boxed holiday sets include the bulb, a white plastic growing pot, soil disc, and planting instructions. Boxed set options include Minerva, Mont Blanc, Red Lion, and Vera. Highly fragrant Ziva Paperwhite Narcissus are also available in gift-boxes and as individual bulbs.
Our spring flowering bulbs have been very popular and are moving quickly – stop by soon for the best selection! See our 2020 selections.
It’s a big week at Harlequin’s Gardens! Our 9th annual Holiday Market (with it’s inaugural October debut!) continues after a perfect opening weekend. This week we have several new arrivals including
One of the earliest harbingers of spring are flowering bulbs, which people and bees all seem to welcome. One aspect of bulbs that may be underrated is their scent. Many bulbs are fragrant, bringing an added dimension to their enjoyment. Some of our most fragrant bulbs include:
Children have a lively interest in the natural world. They love vivid pictures, but they are bored if we dumb it down for them. We offer children’s books that are fascinating even for adults, full of in-depth science, but graphic and fun—many with projects and activities that make facts real. Also great story books, beautifully and cleverly told and illustrated.
In addition, we have youth orientated interactive items that put kids in touch with nature and teach about nature and natural history. Come in to see our selection!
From your previous visits in the last eight years, many of you know that our Holiday Market is the most rewarding, enjoyable place to shop for your holiday gifts, relaxed and far from the madding crowd! But these are strange and challenging times, and the pandemic has altered just about every facet of our lives. So, for a while there, we wondered how we could present a holiday gift market under the current circumstances. We realized that the only way we could keep our customers (and staff) safe and happy while shopping our market was to move it up to October![Read More]
Harlequin’s Gardens love and support for bees is reflected in our Bee Barn’s great selection of bee keeping products, many of which are locally sourced. We feature 8 and 10 frame Langstroth hive equipment (both assembled and unassembled), real beeswax foundation, and an amazing selection of tools and accessories, protective gear, feeding and bee health supplies, and great books.We’re here to support our native bees too! We also offer supplies for cultivating our native hole-nesting bees, including mason bees and leaf cutter bees. Unlike many other advertised native bee nest boxes, ours are correctly proportioned for successful nesting. These make great gifts for those who aren’t up for the commitment of honey bee keeping and want to work with native species. Stay tuned for our spring-time classes to learn more.
Whether you’re a new or continuing beekeeper, our staff beekeepers can answer questions and give advice – something you can’t get from mail order! We have Beekeepers Shopping Lists for Beginners, Seasonal, and Holiday Gift Giving to help guide your selections. Kristina Williams, our own local bee expert, will be on hand on Friday’s and Sunday’s to help tailor your bee-gifting.
We are filling our shop with new bulbs for fall planting, including lots of new varieties! We have nearly all of our bulbs in stock, and will let you know as the others arrive. Supplies are limited and some bulb selections are selling out fast, so although it’s best to wait to put most in the ground, come and get them while they last!
Listed below are all the selections we’re expecting this year. Click on names for descriptions and photos, or scroll down past Eve’s “Bulb Tips” article for a comprehensive alpha display.
ALLIUM
At Harlequin’s Gardens we always knew that nurseries in Colorado are seasonal, but our commitment to local, sustainable, high quality, beautiful, delightful, unusual and innovative is eternal. One of our owners, Eve Reshetnik Brawner, also happened to be a multi genre artist with artisan friends making amazing items without enough ways to sell them. So nine years ago we germinated the idea of a Holiday Gift Market that would not only provide our cherished customers with items that reflected the reputation we’ve tended with our outstanding nursery stock and sustainable garden center items, but would also keep our dedicated and amazing staff working in the off-season.
The market has flourished under Eve’s care and every year new artisans bloom and are discovered, while like a favorite perennial, beloved returning artisans continue to intrigue us and bring forth new delights, too. So regardless of whether you’ve been coming since that very first opening weekend or have yet to discover the most rewarding, enjoyable and entertaining place to shop for your holiday gifts (or yourself) please join us![Read More]
BBB is a great local seed company, offering Rocky Mountain wildflower mixes, and flower seed mixes for supporting honey bees and wild bees and other seed mixes that are perfect for gifts or holiday party favors.
Don’t be fooled by the title; a lot of the area covered is in Colorado, including Denver, Boulder and Ft. Collins. This is a very good plant ID book from by Mary O’Brien and Karen Vail with interesting descriptions. In addition, it’s an excellent herbal, giving both medicinal and edible uses. Highlighted in yellow are important “cautions”. It is presented in a respectful way, honoring nature as did the Ute Indians who pioneered the use of these plants. For example, did you know that Gambel Oak “…is a good back country first aid plant to know, using the leaves as a poultice or wash for insect bites and wounds, or chewing a piece of the bark for toothaches….” Good photos. These local gals really know their stuff and we highly recommend their book!
Our own Engrid Winslow hand knits these soft, warm and beautiful wool socks, leg warmers and boot cuffs in washable wool/poly blend and Pashmina yarns, in lovely color blends with reinforced heels and toes, in sizes for women and men.
Quantities are limited – the early bird gets the socks!
A Denver-based, micro-batch, bean-to-bar artisan chocolate, Cultura is produced in Art Gym, one of Denver’s ‘maker spaces’. They use only beans from ethically-sourced and organic cacao farms in Latin America, which they hand sort, crack, roast, winnow, grind, conche, temper and mold to bring out the richest aromas and flavors and the smoothest textures.
We are offering their superlative chocolate bars in multiple flavors and sizes, as well as their delicious Mexican style Sipping Chocolate!
Foraging & Feasting celebrates and reclaims the lost art of turning locally gathered wild plants into highly nutritious, delicious meals, a traditional foodway long practiced by our ancestors but neglected in modern times. The stunning, instructive botanical illustrations and delicious, enlightening recipes offer an adventurous and satisfying way to eat locally and seasonally, and present creative ways to bring wild edibles into our lives.
We share this project with you out of our long commitment to connecting with nature through food and art. The effort weaves together acclaimed herbalist Dina Falconi’s 30 years of passionate investigations into wild-plant identification, foraging, and cooking with Wendy Hollender’s masterful botanical illustrations.
Jen Grant creates these cheerful and artful flags with her original designs. Display your affection for wildflowers, bees, birds, bicycles, etc. by garlanding a doorway, deck, porch, window or wall. Her original block-printed designs are made in Lafayette, CO.
Our friend Clark and his family have turned what used to be a hobby into a full-time business. In their Longmont studio, they make delightful cast beeswax candles that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including several designs that are cast in on traditional European holiday season candle molds.
Amber Lights candles are highly decorative, wonderfully detailed, naturally endowed with a heavenly honey scent, and burn clean and smokeless.
Amy Mundinger of Pine Tree Studios is truly a gifted craftswoman, with a keen eye for color and design, and well-honed skills in fiber arts from crochet to embroidery on upcycled felt, and free-motion quilting with hand-dyed 100% cotton fabrics. Amy is an active and prominent member of the Handweavers Guild of Boulder, which has been forced to cancel its fabulous holiday show ans sale this year.
This year, in addition to wonderful felt ornaments, flowers and needlebooks, and collaged and stitched cards, she has designed and sewn some very comfortable, effective and attractive face masks for us.
Blue Peacock’s vibrant indigo table linens, towels, bags and accessories are entirely handmade by our new friend, Susanne Kianicka, in her small artisan workshop in Boulder, CO, using a centuries-old fabric design technique called INDIGO BLUEPRINT to create timeless one-of-a-kind pieces of cloth. Carefully prepared white linen, cotton or silk fabric is hand-printed with a dye resist, using her own handmade printing blocks or silk screens, then dipped repeatedly in an organic indigo plant dye bath. After washing, the resist printed areas appear as crisp white patterns contrasting perfectly against rich indigo blue background. Finally, the fabric is cut and sewn into the final shapes.
Susanne’s work is influenced by the richness of European folk art and crafts. Growing up in Switzerland, her family’s Slovak heritage stimulated her study of the Central European technique of indigo dyeing and the region’s textile designs. Knowing that Indigo Blueprint has become very rare motivates Susanne to try to keep alive this crafting tradition, drawing on her training as Cultural Anthropologist and her diverse handwork skills.
Susanne uses only high-quality natural fabrics and organic plant dye. Her “Global Boho” style celebrates cultural heritage while blending ethnic patterns with modern trends to create fresh designs. Inspired by principles of the Slow Fiber movement, she makes each piece with great care and consideration.
Blue Peacock’s meticulously crafted fine indigo textiles creations are thus labors of love and exceptional quality! We will have her bandanas, shoulder bags, microwaveable personal warming pillows filled with cherry its, bracelets nd face masks, and we hope, some table linens.
Would you like to learn botany while you cook? Garima Fairfax’s unique cookbook joins botany and the pleasure of creative cooking. She combines foods which are closely related to each other in order to help learn who is related to whom. Garima continues to receive great reviews from people who have purchased and used her book. Eating is a very effective (and fun) way to help retain what you learn!
Nationally acclaimed local fiber artist Annette Kennedy, widely known for her award-winning art quilts, turned her talents and her love of nature to making marvelous nature-printed silk scarves.
She uses leaves, flowers, buds, etc. from plants that she grows herself and forages, along with natural dye plant extracts, to create elegantly subtle, earthy, one-of-a-kind silk scarves that feel as luxurious as they look.
Back (every year!) by popular demand: Scrumptious, rich, melt-in-your-mouth nut shortbread cookies, based on almond flour, pecans, and butter, subtly sweetened with a little maple syrup. Gluten-free, grain-free, mostly organic, no refined sugars. You don’t have to be gluten-sensitive to love these rich and satisfying cookies!
This year the supply may start out slow, but Eve hopes you’ll be patient…she’ll be able to bake more once the holiday market is up and running.
Our customer and friend Diane Patterson makes these wonderful ornaments, called Temari, which date back to ancient Japan, where Temari was originally a handcraft of upper class women. Intricate designs were embroidered on handmade balls using silk threads from kimonos. The balls were used as toys.
Temari are unique, beautiful, colorful gifts. Attractive hanging as a single ornament, grouped in a bowl, used in a centerpiece, given as a housewarming gift, or simply to hold and admire, they will be treasured for many years.
Nationally known fiber artist, Annette Kennedy from Longmont, has been creating her award-winning quilt art since 2003, with her award-winning pieces in the National Quilt Museum and in private collections around the country.
These artful magnets, trivets, and coasters are images of her art quilts that will bring the spark of inspiration wherever they are placed. They are durable and easy to wipe clean when needed. Nature is Annette’s focus, with flowers, plants and landscapes being the central theme in her work.
Artisan Renée McDougall of Longmont became interested in crafting with glass while working at the Stained Glass Supply Company. At her home studio, she works mostly in fused glass, a process that can take up to 11 hours from start to finish.
We have her fun and very affordable earrings and hair ornaments, both popular stocking-stuffers every year!
Erin Huybrechts Davis says she has been a painter for as long as she can remember. She grew up on the east coast, has her degree in painting and printmaking, and a masters degree in education. She now lives here in Longmont, CO, where she is a freelance illustrator and teaches art to young people.
We were struck by her flowing, stylized and poetic depictions of the natural world. She is inspired by patterns and imagery from Asia, where she has traveled, and this influence is evident in her work as well. We are delighted to offer Erin’s cards, prints, and original paintings again this year!
Formulated and made in Boulder by ‘the doctor’ himself (Mikl Brawner), from 99% pure Aloe Vera Gel, with cold-pressed, organic Rosehip Seed Oil; 100% pure Jojoba Oil, and 32,000 IU Vitamin E Oil, along with essential oils of Lavender, Vetiver, and Rose. That’s all. No alcohol, nothing synthetic, non-greasy. All the ingredients are natural plant products, chosen for their skin-healing qualities. The steam-distilled Rose Oil is a powerful anti-viral and antiseptic. The other ingredients are good for healing burns and dry and damaged skin, inflammation, wrinkles. They are moisturizing and uplifting to the spirits.
Mikl has made and used this formula for more than 15 years to heal his Irish skin from the abrasion of shaving and the drying effects of the Colorado sun (and keep him looking youthful and handsome!). And it smells wonderful (and it’s not just for men!).
Retuned Jewelry makes striking, stylish bracelets, earrings and necklaces for gals and guys from repurposed, used guitar strings. Did you know that because of the various alloys used to make guitar strings, they are extremely difficult to recycle? At least 700 tons of strings end up in the dump every year. Retuned works with local musicians and music shops to collect used strings that would have otherwise been thrown away. Their jewelry, made by Christina Lacey and her husband in Frederick CO, gives these hard-working strings new life and allows their stories to live on. We think they are a perfect fit for our Holiday Gift Market, don’t you?
Christina says “Music has always been a big part of our lives. When we started Retuned, one of our goals was to be able to give back to the community that has meant so much to us. The Blue Star Connection mission is to provide access and ownership of musical instruments for children and young adults with cancer and other serious life challenges. We’re happy to say, with your help, we are able to help support Blue Star Connection.”
Cayenne pepper can stop bleeding. Garlic helps alleviate a toothache. Honey soothes a burn. When an emergency situation arises, simple home remedies can play a vital role in easing symptoms and providing immediate help. Become an effective first responder with a combination of best first-aid practices, herbs, and standard homeopathic applications.
This quick-reference handbook by Brigitte Mars spells out hundreds of life-saving techniques, commonsense tips, and time-tested herbal remedies that everyone should know. From how to perform basic CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver to the best immediate response to natural disasters, you’ll find the most practical, effective actions to take to ensure survival. Compact and easy to bring along in your backpack or camper!
We are proud to feature Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living by friend and local author Karen Auvinen, an award-winning poet, mountain woman, and teacher. Her memoir is an “outstanding…beautiful story of resilience” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), a luminous, lyric exploration, “a narrative that reads like a captivating novel…a voice not found often enough in literature—a woman who eschews the prescribed role outlined for her by her family and discovers her own path” (Christian Science Monitor) to embrace the unpredictability and grace of living intimately with the forces of nature.
Years ago, Julie and Eve were classmates at the Boulder Potters Guild. Her passion for clay subsequently led her to create her own home studio in Longmont, where she applies her hand-building skills and sense of whimsy to making delightful decorative and functional pieces.
Now a Guild member and a teacher there, Julie says “I am drawn to texture and find my roots coming through in my work. I am inspired by nature and by the patterns of repetition: the simplicity of a house, the design formed by bicycle gears, the delicate texture in a leaf, the rolling rocks in a rambling stone wall, and the ridges on a sea turtle’s shell.”
The Stella Natura Wall Calendar is an easy-to-use, informative and beautiful planting and gardening calendar that shows the best times to take advantage of the cosmic influences of the moon, sun and planets. This is a research-based system that is used by Biodynamic farmers and gardeners.
We have been using this calendar for over 25 years and believe it has helped with germination of seeds, root development of cuttings, and healthy plant development. More than just a calendar – it’s packed with valuable information and insights for successful growing, from seed to harvest!
Many of you already know that our own Engrid Winslow makes jams and jellies that make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure. She uses fresh fruit, (local and organic whenever possible) and very little sugar, so the fruit flavors shine. She makes the classics as well as many delicious originals, like Pear with Vanilla Bean, and Blueberry Lemonade, to name just a couple.
You’ll find delicious uses for Engrid’s preserves, in breakfasts, hors d’oeuvres, salad dressings, glazes, and desserts. This years flavors include Apricot, Apricot Rosemary, Black Raspberry, Blueberry, Blueberry Lemonade, Ginger Peach Marmalade, Marionberry, Peach, Pear Butter, Raspberry Peach, Santa Rosa Plum, Sour Cherry, Strawberry, and Strawberry Rhubarb!
We love using Khala cloths, the original Beeswax Wraps in the US. They are the creation of Asa and Tamar McKee, who now reside in Boulder, where they produce their environmentally responsible alternatives to plastic wrap and plastic bags. Khala Cloths can be used to cover and seal a bowl of left-overs, and make the best wrapping for keeping cheeses, breads and vegetables fresh longer.
Every Khala Cloth comes in zero waste packaging and the cloth used is organic cotton and hemp grown in North America – no bleaching, no chemicals! Khala Cloths will have a long life (several years) when properly cared for.
Shari Moraga is practically our neighbor in Boulder. She calls her work ‘illustrations in thread’ and uses her sewing machine to ‘draw’ and ‘paint’ her light-hearted illustrations of vegetables, honeybees and hives, bicycles and more, on sturdy cotton tea towels, aprons for gardeners and cooks, and zipper bags.
Mark Andreas, a Life-Coach in Boulder, collected these 61 true stories of creative and compassionate ways out of conflict. Each story is unique in the resourceful and often surprising solutions that real people have found to change a fearful or threatening encounter into a humanizing connection. Not moralistic, and genuinely eye-opening, heart-opening and inspiring. It makes a wonderful gift that can be opened again and again. This excellent read has been a big hit at our holiday gift markets every year.
Sweet Fruit from the Bitter Tree is strongly endorsed by Dan Millman (author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior), William Ury (author of Getting to Yes), and Eve & Mikl Brawner.
Sondra joined us late in our 2015 holiday market and her fun, original hand-knitted hats and headbands immediately set off a buying frenzy! Eve gets compliments wherever she goes when she wears the fabulous feathery headband Sondra made, even from strangers on the street!
We’ve stocked up on her pieces this year, including her soft, snuggly ‘mobius’ scarves, hats and headbands, as well as her beautiful pressed-flower botanical cards.
Any gardener will be thrilled to receive a Gift Certificate to Harlequin’s Gardens! Our Gift Certificates are available in any denomination. With a gift certificate, your recipients can select from our wide array of neonic-free plants, soil products, gardening and bee-keeping tools and supplies, and more!
Visit our store, our website, or call 303-939-9403 and have your credit card handy!
Katrina Blair is the author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds, the only book on foraging and edible weeds to focus on the thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents a complete food source and extensive medical pharmacy and first-aid kit. The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is about healing ourselves both in body and in spirit, in an age where technology, commodity agriculture, and processed foods dictate the terms of our intelligence. But if we can become familiar with these thirteen edible survival weeds found all over the world, we will never go hungry, and we will become closer to our own wild human instincts — all the while enjoying the freshest, wildest, and most nutritious food there is.
Reviewed by our Deb:
“This is the best all-around tool ever! Whenever I go out into the garden with no particular task in mind (other than peace of mind putzing) I grab this tool. It can dig, saw into fat roots, slice into bindweed roots with the pointed tip, it’s wonderful. I have a sheath for it which slides nicely onto a regular belt or garden-tool belt. I love using it for planting bulbs as I can make a deep, small hole. If I could only have one tool forever, I would choose this one.”
Remember the fabulous, Boulder-made Balsamic Nectar we offered at our earlier Holiday Gift Markets? Well, we were as aggrieved as you were when production stopped and left us empty-handed! Ever since, we’ve been hoping for a worthy and locally-produced Balsamic Reduction to show up. IT’S HERE!
Healthy Harvest, a small family business in Golden, CO that produces fine Extra-Virgin Olive oils and Olives, has ventured into the wonderful world of Balsamic Reduction, a fabulous rich, intensely flavored vinegar that has been treasured in Italy for centuries. Healthy Harvest Balsamic Reduction has a truly authentic flavor, with nuances rarely found even in very expensive Italian imports. Starting with grape must from Modena, Italy, the ingredients are reduced in small batches without preservatives, thickeners, or sweeteners. The result is a thick, decadent reduction to drizzle over cheese and antipasto, roasted vegetables, steamed or seared greens, salads, pasta and risotto, or even fruit and ice cream. It’s Eve’s favorite ‘secret ingredient’ for elevating so many culinary creations from ‘very good’ to ‘AMAZING!’
Eve’s other top ‘secret ingredient’ has also become available from Healthy Harvest! That would be their Lemon Olive Oil, which starts with their superb Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to which they add fresh-pressed oil from whole lemons. They use a higher percentage of Lemon Oil than any other Lemon-Infused Olive Oil Eve has encountered, making it exceptionally flavorful and delicious. Use it on salads, seafood, root vegetables, asparagus, artichoke, brussel sprouts, avocado, risotto, pasta, and more.
Both of these exquisite culinary treats are wonderful gifts for hosts and hostesses, and for any ‘Foodie’ on your list!
Lois Edgar is a longtime member of the Boulder Potters Guild. She has been exploring techniques with clay for many years and has developed a style that is both earthy and charming.
This year we feature her porcelain wares, and salt-fired pieces. We will also have her elegant hand-made embossed greeting cards and holiday tree ornaments.
Kristina Williams is our beloved beekeeping specialist, an entomologist with more than 35 years of beekeeping experience, and an amazing wealth of knowledge. She tends hives in diverse gardens at several locations around Boulder County, where the bees collect from alfalfa, Russian olive, sunflower, apple and many other plants surrounding the small farm where she lives just off the Diagonal in Longmont.
This year she’s bottling up some of her liquid gold to sell exclusively at our Holiday Gift Market! It tastes divine!
We’ve been looking for a really great chocolate company in Boulder, and last year we found Moksha, which exceeds our high standards not only for the quality of their delicious, handmade, small-batch chocolate, but also for their ‘Regenerative Trade’ farm-to-bar business model.
They launched their line of fine dark chocolate bars about 2 years ago. The prized Criollo beans give them a rich, fruity, nuanced flavor that stands alone and also goes well with the coconut, dried raspberry and other toppings they use in their ‘inclusion’ bars. Their line of CBD-infused chocolates are equally delicious.
Trish Kurnik is a Longmont neighbor and friend of ours, who in 2005, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. She had to learn how to cook, bake and live without gluten. But she was up to the challenge, and not only felt 500% better after 2 gluten-free weeks, but laid the foundation for later launching into her handmade, artisan cracker business – Beat Foods. These crackers are fabulous!
Based on quinoa flour (complete protein, packed with fiber and gluten-free), New Beat crackers are thin and crispy, local, organic, nutritious, gluten-free, versatile and absolutely delicious! We are offering their Sesame Swing, Trio, and Play it Straight flavors.
Over 30 years old, The Boulder Irish Session is a Boulder ‘institution’ and is still going strong. They are an informal, dynamic gathering of top-notch Front Range musicians who, until Covid, came together on Sunday evenings at License No. 1 in the Boulderado Hotel to share tunes and songs of the Celtic tradition.
Over the years, the Session has gained many loyal followers who know they will always hear some of the best, most spirited live traditional Irish and Celtic music in the region on any given Sunday. Harlequin’s Gardens co-owner Eve Brawner is one of the founding members of the Boulder Irish Session and is still a ‘regular’ there, playing English concertina, and singing. We offer both of their excellent CDs, Sunday at Conor’s and the sequel, Next Sunday at Conor’s.
Jonathan Sousa (guitar/banjo) and Adam Agee (fiddle), both members of local Celtic band Take Down the Door, are Colorado’s rising stars in the Celtic music world, with two duet albums plus several other CDs Jon has made.
They have toured extensively in Europe, the UK and North America to enthusiastic reviews. Ceol na gCarad is their latest duo CD, preceded by their Suantrai album. Twilight is Jon Sousa’s solo album, featuring many of his original compositions, and Canyon Sunrise is a duet recording with fabulous fiddler, Andy Reiner.
Margot is one of the region’s finest and most versatile harpists. Her fresh, innovative approach, passion and virtuosity have won her numerous awards. Her most recent CD, ‘Ever the New time Comes’, features Margot’s original compositions on solo harp, impeccably played and perfectly recorded at Cinder Sound Studio.
Krimmel’s sense of creating space ignites imagination and heart. “My goal, to have the instrument (harp) disappear so the listener hears just the music, not bound by preconceived notions about harp music.”
There aren’t many Reshetniks left in the US, and yes – you guessed it – this one is my beloved big brother. And I couldn’t be more proud of him for this exquisite recording, a true labor of love, which I love to listen to, repeatedly. I believe you will, too!
Originally inspired by the singing TV cowboys, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, Michael started guitar lessons at a tender age, and quickly moved on to studying classical guitar. Hearing him practice was actually a pleasure. Later came Folk and Blues, and eventually my bro joined me in playing Irish and other Celtic traditional tunes with the Boulder Irish Session. The selections on this album are all his original transcriptions and arrangements.
“This album draws from the last 20 years of listening, arranging, playing and passionate involvement with the guitar. The seeds for Bach transcriptions were sown by the music of Andres Segovia and Julian Bream, both of whom were performing in NYC when I was a kid. The ‘traditional’ tunes are a selection from music heard much later on at music camps and at the Boulder Irish Music Session, played on other instruments. All of these pieces have an elegance, an emotional richness, something beautiful, that I hope speaks to you.”
