Tamie Jensen
interview
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Northwind Crossing is a performing quintet of northern Minnesota
musicians drawn together by their common love for performing
traditional and folk Celtic music. The bulk of Northwind
Crossing’s music comes from the past and is of some
Irish and Scottish antiquity. Much of their repertoire
is known to have been current in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries and some is of even earlier origin. Their performances
include "story telling" that presents the historical
contexts for many of the tunes and songs performed by
Northwind Crossing. The stories provide brief glimpses
into the rich cultural heritage of this art that is Celtic
music. |
Jake Giese
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Northwind Crossing was formed in 1999 and has performed throughout northern Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin at theaters, clubs, resorts,
conventions, trade shows, ethnic and community celebrations, county fairs, coffeehouses, churches, weddings and parties. Northwind Crossing also enjoyed three successful summer seasons performing regularly at the Woodtick Musical Theater in Akeley Minnesota.
American folk music has been greatly influenced by this haunting ancient music that has roots not only in Ireland and Scotland but also Brittany, Galacia, and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. American "Blue Grass" is clearly an offshoot of this ancient musical style. |
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Elijah Jensen
interview
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Northwind Crossing has researched and rediscovered two and three
hundred year old tunes and songs that were played in
the Irish and Scottish countryside on fiddle, harp,
pipes and tin whistles in the 18th and 19th centuries
with some harp airs written by O’carolan dating
as far back as the 17th century.
History of Celtic Music Northwind
Crossing preserves some of the ancient sounds of Celtic
music with traditional instruments of fiddle, tin whistles,
harp, accordion and bodhran drum
(a shallow one-sided
celtic drum that traces its origin to Celtic warriors
who rhythmically beat their spears on their shields
to intimidate their enemy as they marched into battle.)
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Northwind Crossing augments the Celtic instruments with guitar,
mandolin and bass, adding something of their own American
flavor to the traditional sounds..
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