Mark Nelson's New CD – The Water is Wide

The Water is Wide transports you to a tranquil world where tropical winds carry the echoes of soft music and far-off lands.

For this, his eighth solo album, Mark explores music from islands real and imaginary, lovingly played on instruments from widely different parts of the world. The nahenahe strains of ki ho`alu meets the sweet sound of the dulcimer.

The twelve instrumentals explore music from places as far afield as the South Pacific, the Irish Sea and Alta California. Classic slack key standards such as Pua Sadinia and Sanoe are given new life through lush interplay of slack key guitar, Swedish hummel and Appalachian dulcimer. Timeless Celtic melodies shine in the reflected glow of warm tropical waters. Four stirring originals, including the classic Drizzle, first recorded with steel-pan virtuoso Andy Narel and now given a decidedly Pacific twist, and a not-to-be-missed slack key setting of Duke Ellington's Mood Indigo add to the fun – and wait until you hear Mark's bottle-neck interpretation of `Opihi Blues!

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Recorded in the spring of 2003, The Water is Wide brings together two of the world's most beautiful instrumental styles – the Hawaiian slack key guitar and Mark's ground-breaking Celtic dulcimer – to create an enchanting new sound as soothing as an island breeze.

1 The Water is Wide
2 The Road to Duke’s
3 Mood Indigo Slack
4 The Crossing
5 `Opihi Blues
6 Sí Bhean Locha Léin/Samhradh, Samhradh
7 Annie's Slack Key Lullaby
8 Sanoe
9 Las Blancas Flores
10 Auntie’s Christmas Goose
11 Drizzle
12 Pua Sadinia

Musicians –

Mark Nelson – slack key guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, Swedish hummel, 5-string dulcimer, electric dulcimer
Pat O'Scannell – viola da gamba, tenor recorder, whistle
Crystal Reeves – violin
Tom Freeman – drums
Jeff Adicott – acoustic bass
Uji `Oma`oma`o – `ukulele, Fender bass
Lew Newt – keyboard
Sum Dum Goi – percussion