Ronroco Dreaming is a rich acoustic tapestry bursting with Latin textures, vibrant percussive rhythms and bittersweet melodies. Each track is layered with melodic depth, inviting the listener to sit, listen and let the mind revel in its exotic tones and textures.

The album features the Bolivian/Andean Ronroco, a ten-stringed instrument from the lute family popularised in recent years through the work of Gustavo Santaolalla (Babel, Brokeback Mountain, Motorcycle Diaries, The Last of Us). Cousin to the Charango (a smaller instrument whose rounded body was traditionally built from the shell of an armadillo) the Ronroco is a ten stringed instrument (5 pairs of 2 strings) which produces a warm, mellow tone that sits beneath and between the mandolin and ukulele.

Jean-Baptiste Besard (c.1567-c.1620) published the Thesaurus Harmonicus in Cologne in 1603. It is an almost encyclopaedic collation of early 17th century lute music containing pieces by twenty-one credited composers from throughout Europe, along with many un-credited and anonymous works. These are organised into ten books, according to genre, and there is also a manual on lute playing, suggesting the publication had a didactic purpose. Most of the music is for solo lute, though there are also pieces for lute and voice and lute ensemble.

Although he composed roughly one tenth of the pieces in the Thesaurus Harmonicus, Besard was not a professional musician. Educated in law and medicine at the Universities of Dôle and Heidelberg, by around 1600 he had established himself as a lute teacher in Cologne, while continuing to practice as a lawyer and doctor. It has been suggested that he paid for the publication of the Thesaurus by working as an editor of legal texts for his publisher Grevenbruch. Besard later moved to Augsburg where in 1617 he published a second book of lute music, Novus partus, and an expanded edition of his lute tutor in German. Nothing further is known of Besard after this date.

Attempting to condense a collection of music as vast as the Thesaurus Harmonicus into a one hour length recording is a seemingly quixotic endeavour and this in no way claims to be a comprehensive survey of the text. The pieces were chosen for purely personal reasons as being the most interesting, moving and outstanding works I discovered while exploring the book. Much more has been left out than is included in this collection, my intention being to create an expressive musical programme rather than an academic overview.

The Thesaurus Harmonicus contains some of the best-known lute music along with some of the most obscure. Both are presented here. The pieces by Dowland are probably the most famous works for lute, though they contain subtle variations that should make them interesting to even the most experienced listener. Many of the pieces in the collection are extremely short, especially the dance tunes. Tracks 2 and 14 are both formed of three shorter pieces put together to create a longer structure, using one of the dances as the theme in a rondo-esque structure.

Nine songs that celebrate the beauty and mystery of the Great Lakes. Timeless arrangements for cello, voice, piano, guitar and traditional folk instruments.

Several unusual instruments were used on this record: A Swedish bowed string instrument called a Nyckelharpa, where wooden keys are played to alter the pitch; an Indian bowed instrument with 36 strings called a Sarangi; and a small Indian keyboard with a bellows and reeds called a Harmonium.

This music was recorded in late September in a cabin on the shores of Lake Michigan. We sifted through a number of traditional folk songs and shanties looking for music that reflected the beauty and mystery of the Lake. In the end, three original songs were also included. We would play a melody, share arrangement ideas and then perform the songs together, recording as we went.

Chill, Lounge and funky sound.
Melodies played on the trombone by Evelin Auger and backed by the rhythm of the drums of Denis Pouliot.

The music of The Bell Hours is an eclectic and sentimental take on modern Rock and Roll. Taking lyrical themes from more modern times and ideas with our impressions of love, compassion, and mindfulness (not to mention anger and jealousy) and combining them with musical themes stretching from Folk, Rock and Roll, Indie, Hip Hop, and Jazz, it culminates in a rich pop music experience with amazing replay value.

The group of talented musicians inspired by the music that came together to tour the album have done an astounding job in translating the dynamics and moods live that the album captured in its recordings.