Album Notes

Merrily Greet the Time features 4- time Scottish harp champion Sue Richards on Celtic harp and Maggie Sansone on hammered dulcimer with special guest musician appearances on tracks 3,9,15,19 that includes Connie McKenna-Irish & English vocals; Karen Ashbrook-Irish flute, hammered dulcimer;Ralph Gordon-cello performing seasonal music from Autumn Equinox to the Celtic New Year ( Samhain), the Winter Solstice, 12 days of Christmas and the New Year from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and other lands where Celtic people settled. Through harvest time, to the old Celtic new year called Samhain (now called "Hallowe'en"), the time of the Winter Solstice and the longest nights, and on to the coming promised light of Christmas and the New Year, our ancestors braced for the cold with the warmth that the winter hearth (and a good pint) could bring. Recorded live at the studios of XM Satellite Radio.more...A music fan from Washington D.C.
Its the first CD produced, recorded at the XM Radio studios which are state-of-the -art recording facilities and with Robert Aubrey Davis's liner notes- a grammy award winner himself and well known radio and tv host and personality in the Washington D.C. area - the notes are very informative and historically accurate and give a good picture of the overall content of the music. Grouping the music in sections that highlight music for Samhain- our modern day Halloween, Winter Solstice is very informative and the music is engaging. It's a treat to hear Irish- American singer Connie McKenna's vocals on 3 songs including a sean nos Irish-Gaelic. The interplay between Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer is a lovely sound for Christmas or any time of the year.Maggie's Music, record label with its home in the Washington D.C. area is highly regarded worldwide for its Holiday offerings ( Scottish Christmas featuring Bonnie Rideout and A Winter's Night with Ensemble Galilei, to name a few) and this one hits the mark for many reasons.