Album Notes

Sheltering Sky is a trio of young musicians with a deep love and respect for the traditional music that is a fundamental part of their lives, who wish to allow the music to grow with them and for themselves to grow with the music. They bring a unique blend of solid folk, dance music traditions and classical performance expertise to their arrangements. The sweet simplicity of Amelia Hogan’s vocals combines with Angeline Le Leux’s lively and rhythmic fiddle playing, all expertly supported by William Bajzek’s intricate guitar accompaniment.

This is their first CD, consisting of the songs and tunes that have inspired them throughout their first years together. It consists of songs mostly about love and determination, learned from the Irish, Scottish, and English traditions, as well jigs, reels, polkas, and a hornpipe from Ireland.

Their second CD, "Long Night's Journey", is also available through CDBaby.


“Listening to Sheltering Sky, I am transported to another time and place.....a simpler time, a more peaceful and beautiful place. Do your spirit a favor and listen to their magical creations.” - Karen Taylor Good




Liner notes:
Siul a Run: A well-known Irish song that has many variants in both Ireland and America. We’ve given it a more up-tempo feel than is usually heard.

Band of Shearers: A Scottish song about shearing wheat at the harvest (rather than shearing sheep in springtime). We follow it with Loch Leven Castle, played as a slow reel.

Christy Barry’s Jigs: Originally titled “Sean Coughlin’s” and “The Butlers of Glen Avenue”. Kevin Crawford recorded these jigs on The “D” Flute Album and titled them after Christy Barry, the Munster flute player. Margaret Sloan joins us on flute.

Einini: An Irish lullaby, sung in Irish Gaelic. “Little birds, go to sleep beside the wall outside.”

Home Ruler/Fox on the Town: A hornpipe by Frank McCollum that was originally dedicated to his wife but has taken on a second, more political meaning over the years...followed by a reel attributed to Richard and Finbar Dwyer that we play in D major instead of the usual G.

Sally Sits Weeping: An English song that we learned from the singing of Niamh Parsons.

Dr. O’Neill’s: A five-part jig that we learned at local sessions, originally collected and published by Francis O’Neill but not named for him.

Cailín Deas Crúite na mBó (The Pretty Maid Milking Her Cow): A song that Amelia learned from the singing of Cathie Ryan and that Angeline learned as a waltz from playing at set dancing.

Wise Maid/The Heathery Cruach: Two reels often heard at sessions. We’re joined on this by Margaret Sloan on flute and Art Friedman on fiddle.

The Cohabitation Polka Set: Four polkas...Glen Cottage #2, Bill Sullivan’s, Glen Cottage #1, and Jessica’s.

I Can Hew: A coal mining song written by David Dodds from Hampshire, England. Amelia learned this from her friend Ray Frank at the San Francisco Folk Music Club.