Album Notes

"Jory's Ladder" is a pleasing and well-conceived recording featuring award-winning mountain dulcimer player, Jeff Furman. This is a collection of Traditional fiddle tunes and songs, beautiful Irish airs, and two original compositions, all of which are beautifully arranged and presented.

Jeff, a multi-instrumentalist, plays his mountain dulcimers with a uniquely expressive and creative flair. His characteristic rhythms have been strongly influenced by his twenty-plus years of playing melodic clawhammer banjo, which he plays on four of the tracks on this recording. Jeff is joined on this CD by three talented musicians. Janet Furman, known for her beautiful vocals and sweet touch on melody and harmony fiddle, also adds a driving energy to fiddle tunes. Norm Boggs is a well-known and renowned old-time fiddler and guitar player. He displays his talents on both instruments throughout this recording. Gordon Arnold is a marvelous cellist who is capable of playing all kinds of music. In addition to bowing tasteful countermelodies and playing up-tempo fiddle tunes, Gordon also "frails" the cello giving a unique and supportive low rhythmic sound to fiddle tunes.

The mountain dulcimer, in the right hands, is capable of producing an amazing array of sounds, rhythms, emotions, and styles. On "Jory's Ladder" Jeff Furman uses his dulcimers to showcase this wonderful instrument and create a wide variety of sounds and feelings. These sounds range from a lute-like quality on airs and an Italian "lauda" (song of praise), guitar-like leads on waltzes, droning bagpipe sounds on Celtic tunes, flat-picked leads on up-tempo fiddle tunes, mandolin-like rhythms, and traditional mountain strumming to backing up singing. The vocals on this recording are sweet and heartfelt renditions of beautiful songs.

"Jory's Ladder" is a recording with wide appeal for its musical taste and quality, and for its palpable energy and emotion. This CD is not just for lovers of the mountain dulcimer, but for all lovers of wonderful music.