 Clockwise: Robin Spielberg (seated), Susan McKeown and Cathie Ryan Photo Credit: Larry Kosson/Deja View, Inc Song List: 1. Mother of Mine (Susan McKeown) 2. Rock Me To Sleep Mother (Cathie Ryan) 3. Walk With Me (Robin Spielberg; cello/piano instrumental 4. Peata Beag do Mhathar (Cathie Ryan; sung in Irish and English) 5. Ancient Mother (Susan McKeown) 6. Circle of Life (Robin Spielberg; solo piano) 7. Baby's Lullaby (Robin Spielberg; sung by Cathie Ryan) 8. Jennie's Song (Susan McKeown) 9. Buiochas/Thanks (Susan McKeown; instrumental) 10. Grandma's Song (Cathie Ryan) 11. Mothers' Celebration (Robin Spielberg; ensemble instrumental) 12. Real Pretty Mama (Robin Spielberg) 13. A Song for Jennie (Robin Spielberg; solo piano) 14. Seothên Seo h-î (Susan McKeown & Cathie Ryan duet) Liner Notes
MOTHER OF MINE by Susan McKeown ©1998 Sheila-na-Gig Music (IMRO) My mother filled her garden with wild orange flowers and tall pampas grasses bordered with red rocks which we gathered from a quarry near Gorey. A liberated woman who built her own musical career, encouraged by my father, she wanted her five children to be independent, to use their talents, and to lead full, busy lives - as she had (SMK) Susan McKeown - vocals, Robin Spielberg - piano, Cathie Ryan -
backing vocals, Gerry Leonard - acoustic and electric guitars, Michelle
Kinney - cello, Jeff Allen - bass, Matt Johnson - drums. ROCK ME TO SLEEP, MOTHER When my mother returned from Ireland after burying her mother it was clear that there was nothing I could give to ease her pain. My mother was not a woman who cried easily, but on more than one occasion after that, I remember her sitting in the living room, in the dark, crying. Witnessing the depth of her loss was a powerful lesson to me as a daughter. I found the lyrics to this old song in author Tillie Olsen's collection, Mother to Daughter, Daughter to Mother . She writes that it was written in 1860 and was "sung, recited over and over, the last decades of the last century." (CR) Cathie Ryan - vocals, Gerry O'Beirne - guitar, slide guitar; Greg
Anderson - bouzouki, Johnny Cunningham - fiddles, Michael Aharon
- accordion, Chico Huff - fretless bass, Steve Holloway - drums. WALK WITH ME My mother is an avid walker. For years she has eaten lunch at her desk so that her lunch hour could be spent walking a loop that refreshes her body, mind and spirit. When giving concerts was a novelty for me, my mother came to my house to take me for a walk in the woods to calm , soothe and center me prior to the performance. It worked of course, and now a walk in the woods has become one of my favorite pasttimes. This song was inspired by the walk I took that day with my mother; we didn't say much, we didn't need to. Our spirits and minds were very much connected as we held hands and walked down a wooded path. (RS) Robin Spielberg - piano, Jennifer Langham - cello
PEATA BEAG DO MHATHAR (Mother's
Little Pet) Thanks to Dermot Henry and Padraig O Cearuil for recommending this Irish song from A Stor's A Stoirin by Padraigin Ni Uallachain and Garry O'Briain. In translating it I have taken certain liberties to maintain the meter. (CR) Cathie Ryan - vocals, bodrhan, Susan McKeown - backing vocals,
Gerry O'Beirne - guitar, Greg Anderson - bouzouki, Joannie Madden
-low whistle, tin whistle; Chico Huff - fretless bass, Steve Holloway
- conga, shakers; John Anthony - djembe, tandeiro, triangle. ANCIENT MOTHER This is a traditional Native American poem. In Dublin in 1984 a man told me that the sound made by the earth as it revolves is a musical note, a low G. So that is the key in which this song is written (SMK) Susan McKeown - vocals, harmonium, Cillian Vallely - low whistle,
Jeff Allen - bass, Jeff Berman - shakers, udu, triangle, dulcimer,
çine Minogue - harp. CIRCLE OF LIFE Life and death, birth and renewal--this is the circle that touches each and every one of us as we make our journey through the world. I composed this piece shortly after my dear friend Lisa lost her brother to a hit-and-run accident on November 14, 1997. Peter Indovino was a smart, fun, courageous man and a good soul; he is missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him. A few month's after Peter's death, his brother's wife gave birth to a baby boy who is Peter's namesake. And while one life cannot replace another, this is life's way of showing us that there is no end and no beginning, only a circle that continues to move around us and through us--a circle that continues with us and without us.(RS) Robin Spielberg - piano BABY'S LULLABY I wrote this song as an instrumental when my niece Amy was born in 1992. (It appears as a solo piano piece on Heal of the Hand) I began setting it to words during a workshop for this recording just prior to becoming pregnant myself in January 1998. This song was the first song my daughter heard while being brought into the world; my husband had it playing in the delivery room in a continuous loop and we think it will be one of her bedtime favorites for a long time to come. (RS) Cathie Ryan - vocals, çine Minogue - celtic harp, Charae
Krueger - cello JENNIE'S SONG We spent several days in New Hampshire working on Mother music in January 1998. One evening as we watched the snow fall heavily and silently Robin told us the story of her grandmother, Jennie Spielberg. Born in Russia in 1903, tragic circumstances placed demands on her as a mother. Jennie's is a tale of incredible strength, courage, and faith. (SMK) Cathie Ryan - vocals, çine Minogue - celtic harp, Charae
Krueger - cello BUI'OCHAS/THANKS Boundless are a mother's gifts to her children (SMK) Gerry Leonard - guitars, harmonium, Gerry O'Beirne - guitar, slide
guitar, ukelele, Johnny Cunningham - fiddle. GRANDMA'S SONG I wrote this children's song after my last visit with my paternal grandmother. She gave me my name and my love of singing. She died of Alzheimers disease in 1991. On that last visit she didn't know or remember me. She was lost in her own mind . My Aunt Bridie suggested that I sing to her. I knelt at her feet and began singing an old jig that she used to like. Slowly she began to tap her foot and slowly her eyes began to come alive. They were full of the same light she always had when she sang or heard music. For those moments I knew she knew me. For that brief time she was the woman I remembered - all love and music. (CR) Cathie Ryan - vocals and bodhran, Gerry O'Beirne - ukelele, Johnny
Cunningham - fiddle, Steve Holloway - djembe, John Anthony - djembe,
caxixi, shakers; Greg Anderson - bouzouki. MOTHERS' CELEBRATION One day I had a daydream about a celebration--it was about a festival that was held by an entire village to welcome the newest members of the village. Amid the dancing and festivities, mothers held up their newborns for all to see in a march that took them down all the streets of town. Gifts were exchanged and good wishes bestowed upon the newest members of the village. It was out of this daydream, Mothers' Celebration was born. (RS) Robin Spielberg - piano, Cathie Ryan - bodrhan, Susan McKeown -
dumbek, Joanie Madden - whistles, Johnny Cunningham - fiddle, Gerry
O'Beirne - guitar, Cillian Vallely - uillean pipes. REAL PRETTY MAMA A SONG FOR JENNIE (We're Almost
There) Jennie is my 95 year-old grandmother who came to this country from Russia in 1929 with her young son, Martin. A young woman and her son set sail for America with no knowledge of what the future would hold. And while Jennie daydreamed about her new life, Martin would ask, "Are we there yet? Are we almost there?" And Jennie would respond that yes indeed, they were almost there. My grandfather had waited six long years for his wife and son to be allowed passage to America. This song is about Jennie's journey to her new home. Robin Spielberg - piano SEOTHêN SEO h-î
This is a lullaby which I learned as a child in school in Dublin (SMK) Susan McKeown & Cathie Ryan - vocals, Gerry Leonard - guitar, harmonium, Gerry O'Beirne -guitar, Cillian Vallely - low whistle. fan mail/inquiries: Spobs Music Inc.
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