Jacquelyn Brown

Earth Air Fire Water, released in September 1995, is an exploration of Jacquelyn’s roots within the Celtic and Indigenous traditions. Many requested favourites, such as Greensleeves, Lauda, March of King Laois, O Great Spirit, Star Of The County Down, The Skye Boat Song, and (S)he Moved Through The Fair, ring true to the Celtic spirit through the strings of the harp and Jacquelyn’s voice.

Juno-nominated fiddler Oliver Schroer and hand drummer Denise Raven Cunningham brought a new dimension to Jacquelyn’s sound on the recording and on concert and festival stages. Commissioned by Jacquelyn, Canadian Celtic artist David Rankine painted the unique meaningful and colourful cover to this recording.

Original songs such as Earth, Air, Fire & Water, The Winds Of Love and others like Water Spirit, call us into harmony with Mother Nature. Into Darkness, Black Lagoon, Voices In The Dark and One Last Cold Kiss explore the realms of love, loss and the spirit world.

Earth Air Fire Water was recorded digitally at Soundworks in London, Canada, with Will Meadows as recording engineer and mixer, and Mark McDonald as assistant engineer. Meadows, a graduate of OIART, went on to start MCreative Sound, a sound design and music contractor, as well as teach post production at Vancouver Film School.

A 38-string Italian Salvi non-pedal harp is the featured instrument, along with Jacquelyn’s vocals and original compositions. But this recording was created with Celtic listeners in mind. Accompanying the harp and voice are electric violin, fiddle, bodhran, and ashiko drums, tin whistle, nature sounds and the bells of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, Canada. Both piano selections and the bells were recorded on site at the Cathedral, where Jacquelyn Brown was artist-in-residence. Jacquelyn’s London début concert was held in this 150-year-old Anglican Cathedral, where the bells were played live for her song, Into Darkness.

The album features Oliver Schroer on electric and acoustic fiddles, Denise Raven Cunningham on bodhran and ashiko drums, Scott Henderson on tin whistle, John Hartil Allen on cathedral bells and Will Meadows on rain stick.

The track list:

1. One Last Cold Kiss
2. The Winds of Love
3. Star of the County Down
4. As the Deer / In My Life, Lord
5. Water Spirit
6. Lauda / March of King Laois
7. Earth, Air, Fire & Water
8. (S)he Moved Through the Fair
9. Greensleeves
10. Black Lagoon
11. O Great Spirit
12. Voices in the Dark
13. The Skye Boat Song
14. Into Darkness