A whiff of paradise
Add parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme for a stimulating brew
Julianne Petersen more than dazzles as she tours Europe with her band
A delightful reprise of the haunting tune "Scarborough Fair" is drawing listeners worldwide as the performers tour Europe. [Scroll down for tour dates.]
With Julianne Petersen singing lead vocal, her band the Petersens backs her up with their usual expertise.
Julianne's gentle, subtle style -- and her winning smile -- invariably hypnotizes audiences. Her rendition of the Simon and Garfunkel version of "Scarborough Fair" is no exception. A cellphone probably won’t do her gorgeous voice justice. Try to listen again on something with better audio.
In light of the group's gospel numbers, one may wonder whether Julianne's "Scarborough Fair" is symbolic of the promised land one hears so much about in gospel music. Well, that's how it is with art, including musical art. It is evocative. It touches you, but you're not sure why.
Yes, the phrase everyone remembers is “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,” which doesn’t seem to have much to do with paradise. But why not? Does anyone know the formula for that place?
Tho the band is based in the storied Ozarks region and can do any traditional Bluegrass number, the group is bringing discriminating listeners and viewers a "new wave": a blend of old and new such as they are unlikely to hear elsewhere. Terrific harmonies and wonderful musical craftsmanship are their hallmarks.
The band is composed of Petersen siblings Katie, Ellen, Matthew and Julianne; mother Karen; and friend Emmett Franz. The sisters sing most -- but by no means all -- the vocals. Any combination from two to four of the siblings makes for rare vocal harmonizing.
Katie plays a unique five-string fiddle, Emmett the dobro, Ellen the banjo, Matt the guitar, Julianne the mandolin and Karen the bass fiddle.
At musical director Katie's request, Emmett whipped up a Bluegrass instrumental with a bit of the flavor of an Irish reel called "Down to Donegal."
The band made a good choice of not leaving much of a gap between the end of "Scarborough" and "Donegal." That is because the instrumental works nicely as a hefty round-off to the vocals.
Fans of some "classic" Rock music will recall that bands would often follow vocals with an extended instrumental riff. Few wanted to hear the riff alone, but as a tack-on, it often worked well, even when it was as long as the vocal section.
And I quite appreciate the total length of "Scarborough Plus" at close to six minutes. Nearly all popular vocal songs are too short, rarely extending beyond three minutes. But if you make them longer, they get too repetitive. So the device of splicing in a long instrumental bridge or tacking on a long tail makes for a very pleasurable experience-- when done well.
The following background was obtained from internet sources:
["Scarborough Fair" is an English folk song that refers to a fair in Scarborough, Yorkshire. This fair drew traders and merchants from across Europe, and was officially sanctioned by a royal charter in 1253.
[The version popularized by Simon and Garfunkel, titled "Scarborough Fair/Canticle," emerged in the 1960s after Paul Simon was introduced to the song by British folk singer Martin Carthy. Simon and Garfunkel incorporated the traditional melody and paired it with new lyrics from Simon's earlier work, creating a haunting counterpoint that resonated with the antiwar sentiments of the time.
[Their rendition gained immense popularity, and was featured in the 1967 film The Graduate.]
The Petersens are in the midst of a European tour.
Tickets are available via the Petersens site.
Here are the remaining tour dates:
Cologne. (Stadthalle). Sat. Aug. 17.
Paris. Mon. Aug. 19. (Le Cabaret Sauvage).
Cork, Ireland. (St. Luke's). Thur. Aug. 22