The Itinerant Band ~ News
December 2006 ~ In January and February of 2007 we wil be doing a series of collaborative concerts with the Schola Cantorum, a local a capella vocal ensemble. The program is being geared towards the Jamestown 2007 events and much of the repertoire is from the works of Henry Purcell, arguably the preeminent and most versatile composer of his time. The concerts will feature and features catches and rounds, dance tunes, and sacred music from the 17th century. We will be presenting five concerts in different cities throughout Hampton Roads, please see our schedule for details.
November 2006 ~ Finally. We have the new CD. Our long awaited third album, Apples in Winter is a compilation of music from various times and cultures in a celebration of traditions of Christmas and the Winter season. Full details are on the Albums page.
June 2005 ~ I haven't updated this page in a couple years, so I suppose I ought to think of something. We're planning to go into the studio again in a couple months. We'll be producing a Christmas album, the working title of which is Apples in Winter. As one would expect, it's a collection of Christmas and winter themed music. We've stretched out a bit and are including music dating from the 15th through the 19th centuries.
June 2003 ~ The new CD is finally here! Titled The Road Out of Town, it is another collection of 18th century tunes and songs, plus a couple original tunes by band members. We hope to be getting it into the same stores that carry Jefferson and Liberty soon. In the meantime, you can order from us here. Tune list: Swallow's Tail Reel / Paddy on the Turnpike Down In My Sally's Garden Childgrove / Campbell's Farewell to Redcastle The Blackest Crow / Star of the County Down Boys of Bluehill / Old French (Rambler's Hornpipe) Red Joke (Lads of Dunse) / Black Joke / Young Widow Southwind Miss McLeod's Reel / I Will Go (Roddy McMillan) MacPherson's Farewell to Creag Dhubh (Bob Clark) White Cockade / Cuckoo's Nest / Forked Deer A Man's a Man for 'A That (Robert Burns) Eighth of August (Susan Lawlor) / O'Farrell's Welcome to Limerick / Musical Priest Rose Tree / The Kangaroo / Morpeth Rant Castle Kelly / The Road Out of Town (Bob Clark)
November 2002 ~ Hey! We finally got a review! From a recent issue of Dirty Linen (#103 - Dec 2002 / Jan 2003).       "The music of colonial America is the specialty of The Itinerant Band, a seven-piece group from Virginia. On Jefferson and Liberty [Southern Branch Music SBM-2001CD(2001)], the repertoire largely dates from the 18th century or earlier, with familiar British import dance tunes like "Fisher's Hornpipe" and "Flowers of Edinburgh," and contemporaneous vocal pieces like the sea chantey "John Cherokee" and an obscure love song called "O! Say Bonnie Lass" from the notebook of a Revolutionary War officer. This group wisely avoids the obsession with historical authenticity that makes some similar groups unlistenably precious. The members add a few contemporary instruments like guitars and octave mandolins to the fiddles and flutes that would have been used back then, and they clearly enjoy what they're doing, playing with feeling rather than academic dryness. The resonating hammered-dulcimer leads on many of the instrumental tracks are especially lovely." Tom Nelligan The Reel World: Small-Label Celtic & English Music
Read more reviews of both albums on the Reviews Page
June 2002 ~ Selections from Jefferson and Liberty are being used as part of a new History Book Club. The book club is a special feature of the daily show "Hearsay with Cathy Lewis" and will be aired once a month from noon to 1 pm at 89.5 FM and online at WHRO/WHRV Listen Live.
April 2002 ~ For those who have been asking, we are back in the studio working on a second album, tentatively titled The Road Out of Town. It will be another collection of 18th century tunes and songs, plus a couple original tunes by our prolifically composing hammered dulcimer player, Bob Clark. We really hope to have it finished by Spring of 2003, keep you fingers crossed.
November 2001 ~ Music from Jefferson and Liberty has been included on a CD issued by Clay Jenkinson of "The Jefferson Hour". On the recording "Sacagawea: Fact or Fiction" Jenkinson takes an interesting look at the cultural construct Sacagawea has become. www.empirecatalog.com
July 2001 ~ Music from Jefferson and Liberty will be incorporated into a TV documentary being produced by Lance Manning in Jonestown, NY.
September 2000 ~ Excerpts Jefferson and Liberty have been featured on a new CD by Norfolk based storyteller Lynn Ruehlmann. Spy! The Story of Civil War Spy Elizabeth Van Lew was written and is peformed by Lynn on the CD. It tells the story of a Richmond woman whose dedication to abolishing slavery led her to become a spy for the Union during the Civil War. The recording is available through Cascade Productions / 621 New Hampshire Ave. / Norfolk, VA 23508 / 757-625-6742, or online from CD Baby