A Waltz Through The Woods
Dan Evans (dulcimers, acoustic guitar)
Rebecca Hallworth (vocals), Andy Crowdy (bass, percussion, guitar), Sharon Sullivan (violin)
rec. Far Heath Studio, UK, no date given
Reviewed as a mp3 download
Divine Art DSM20008 [52]

Let me begin with an explanation of what a dulcimer is: a stringed instrument with the strings stretched over a resonance box, like a zither, which can be played with “hammers”, like the Hungarian cimbalom or plucked with the fingers. The Appalachian dulcimer that Dan Evans plays is almost exclusively played fingerstyle. He also plays an electric dulcimer in some of the songs. Together with his friends, he performs a mix of Folk, Pop, Classical and Jazz. The album title is A Waltz Through The Woods – but not everything is in 3/4-time – and tells us that Nature is omnipresent. It is also a walk through the four seasons, from Spring’s Promise, via Summer Storms and Autumn Melancholy to end up in Winter Celebrations. Half a dozen of the melodies are traditional – some well-known, some rarities; five are composed by Dan Evans himself, and then there are evergreens like Harold Arlen’s Over the Rainbow and Gruber’s Christmas waltz Silent Night, not forgetting the more recent ABBA classic I have a Dream, which makes this reviewer happy, my being Swedish myself and roughly of the same age as the originators of the song, which here is performed instrumentally. 

This is throughout a very attractive programme with beautiful melodies and tasteful arrangements. As is proper, it is dominated by the dulcimer, which is a treat in itself, since the instrument is rarely heard. The sound is delicious and slightly exotic and blends well with Andy Crowdy’s acoustic guitar, occasionally also with Sharon Sullivan’s violin. The fourth member of the group, Rebecca Hallworth, is a classically trained singer, but here she employs her “natural” voice as a folk singer, expressively and simply. She appears in five of the songs, sprinkled in between the instrumental pieces. The general atmosphere is relaxed, laid back and “feel-good “. The sky is clear, the sun is shining. Only in Tumbling Skies (track 11) clouds darken the sky, “inspired by the dramatic weather that can happen in the Lake District” as Dan writes in the brief commentaries to each piece, where Andy’s percussion conjures forth thunderstorms in the background – not too dramatic, though; there is no lightning.

Some melancholy is unavoidable during the autumn, but this is wiped away during the winter celebrations with New Year’s festivities and crossing arms to Auld Lang Syne. As an appendix, we are offered – with a nod to the traditional New Year’s Day concert on TV with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra – a genuine Vienna waltz. 

If you like this mix, there is a good chance that this is a disc for you. At any rate, it is light music at its best: entertaining, melodic, charming – and performed with the utmost professionalism. Maybe one shouldn’t listen to the whole disc at one sitting – there is a risk of a certain sameness of mood – but I am happy to take the risk and enjoy every minute of it. 

Göran Forsling

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Contents
Wind in the Willows (A Bell))
I have a dream (B Andersson & B Ulvaeus)
If I were a Carpenter (T Hardin)
April Day (D Evans)
Mary (D Evans)
Banks of the Lee (trad)
The Water is Wide (trad)
The Pixie’s Waltz (D Evans)
Si Beag Si Mhór (T O’ Carolan)
Wings (B Bedford)
Tumbling Skies (D Evans)
Over the Rainbow (H Arlen)
Like an Old Fashioned Waltz (S Denny)
Dance of the Falling Leaves (D Evans)
Johnny I hardly Knew Ya (trad)
Live Not Where I Love (trad)
Silent Night (FX Gruber)
Auld Lang Syne (trad)
Varsoviana (trad)