With the Covid pandemic finally easing across the country, Jill Haley has been freed from the bonds of its restrictions and returns to her artist-in-residence series of albums dedicated to painting musical portraits of America’s greatest treasures – our National Park System. Her path this time took her to the far northeastern part of our country, just outside the quaint city of Bar Harbor, Maine, to an under-appreciated gem of the system, Acadia.
Press release by Lazz Promotions
Unlike many other National Parks, Acadia’s beauty and charm are relatively understated, and Haley’s melodies reflect this. The Forests and Shores of Acadia flows gently with subdued tunes for the most part, with an occasional foray into gentle playfulness, such as the mildly jubilant “Bursts of Color,” which features outstanding guitar playing by Jill’s husband, David Cullen. Besides David, son Graham Cullen also contributes on cello, as on the next track, “Schoodic Pines” (the name refers to a location in the park, Schoodic Peninsula, not a type of tree).
Besides her characteristic lovely woodwind playing, Haley continues to feature her ever-developing talent on piano as well, as the ivories take turns playing lead melody with oboe and English horn. “Treading Softly” showcases the artist’s carefully nuanced control of tone and tempo, a talent that seems to increase with each recording.
With many more National Parks to visit and to serve as artist-in-residence within, it’s safe to say that Jill Haley will be busy for a long, long time…and isn’t that a comforting thought?
For more information and music samples, visit jillhaley.com.
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