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1.
Tam Lin 26:04
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about

Tam Lin is a 17th century ballad from the Scottish Borders, newly told in original music by Elliot Cole and Fiona Gillespie. It tells the story of Jenny, a girl with an unplanned pregnancy who defies social pressures to turn a bad situation good, pursue an unconventional love, and then perform a daring rescue of her beloved from the hidden world.

"Growing up in the Celtic music tradition, one of my favorite stories was the Ballad of Tam Lin. Like countless singers and storytellers before me, I'm pulled in by the weave of elements in this story. As a child, I loved the evil fairies, animalistic transformations, and a heroine in a plaid. As an adult, I’m also drawn to the rich symbolism, cultural history, the issues around societal standards and pressures that still resonate… and a heroine in a plaid! The more I understood everything contained in its 43 verses, the more complex it became to interpret easily. It challenges me, as I think it has - and as the best fairy tales do - all of us who have been sharing it for centuries.

I asked my dear friend Elliot to join me (and guide me!) in setting this ballad as a cantata-style dramatic piece. We composed it together, weaving our tunes, chords and concepts into one, and then brought it to our friends, the great medieval, baroque and folk musicians of Makaris, to bring it to life.
- Fiona

credits

released October 31, 2022

Performed by Makaris, featuring:
Fiona Gillespie: Jenny, Irish whistle
Bradley King: Tam Lin, piano
Molly Netter: Narrator
Alyssa Weathersby: Narrator [video]
Tracy Cowart: Fairy Queen, harp, chorus
Elliot Cole: Old Grey Knight, guitar, harmonium, chorus
Kivie Cahn-Lipman: Father, cello, lirone, chorus
Sian Ricketts: recorder, douçaine, chorus
Ben Matus: bassoon, chorus
Caitlin Hedge: violin, chorus
Loren Ludwig: viola da gamba, colascione, chorus
Paul Morton: theorbo, baroque guitar, chorus
Dylan Greene: percussion
Karl Ronneburg: percussion [video]

Art by A.R. Welm

Recorded by Ryan Streber at Oktaven Audio. Mastered by Christopher Botta. Video by Kevin Eikenburg and Four Ten Media. Filmed at St. Mary's on Grand in NYC.

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Elliot Cole New York, New York

"a charismatic contemporary bard" (NY Times)

"sparkling icicles of sound" (Rolling Stone)

"music of endless discovery" (A Closer Listen)

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