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Dee's chosen instrument-an 85-pound, 47-stringed electric harp-is rarely seen in a contemporary pop setting or heard outside of stuffy chamber music halls or New Age environs. Dee uses it in a guitar-like way-to stunning effect. "I consider myself a singer/songwriter foremost," Dee admits, "though the harp is such an integral part of me that I guess I should say singer/songwriter/harpist. I often write at the piano," Dee explains, "and then go over to the harp to see how it sounds. The harp is like an upright piano without the black keys and I work those pedals with my feet. The challenge, because I was classically trained with all those glissandos and arpeggios, is to give the harp a rhythmic quality. It's a never-ending lesson, and I keep stretching it." These days she describes her harp as "a sexy instrument. There are seven pedals, very close together, and it's very easy to get them mixed up. I feel a lot safer, especially in live performance, in my bare feet. Plus, I feel more comfortable, as if I was playing in my living room," she admits.
$ 12.99 + s/h
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1. Cocoon
2. Fly Away
3. Patch of Blue
4. Parking Lot
5. The Bravest Thing
6. Details
7. Eviction
8. Do You Still Want This Dance
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Ensemble
Vocals & Harp: Dee Carstensen
Vibes, Marimba, Piano: Mike Mainieri
Acoustic Bass: Ed Howard
Percussion: Manolo Badrena
String and wind arrangements: Stephen Barber
Violins: Leigh Mahoney
Viola: Ames Asbell
Cello: Sarah Nelson
Oboe & English Horn: Ian Davidson
On Eviction; arranged by Mike Mainieri
Bass Clarinet, Clarinet, Flute: John Mills
On Bravest Thing; arranged by Mike Mainieri
Oboe: Rebecca Henderson
Produced by Mike Mainieri, Stephen Barber, and Dee Carstensen
Design by Peter Lieberom |