Deborah “D.J.” Hamouris and I both got swept up in the California dulcimer revival of the 1970s. And while I left California and went a different direction, Deborah stayed in the Bay Area with its nurturing folk music community, involved with and for some time living in the mingled music/arts/Pagan semi-commune called Annwfn. Mostly she has lived in Berkeley, where she founded and directs the Berkeley Dulcimer Orchestra. Over the years she has, along with her partner Buffalo, written and performed some amazing dulcimer music, much of it captured on seven albums, the latest of which, “1 In 8” she wrote and recorded with her collaborator, guitarist Mimi Fox, to celebrate her passage through breast cancer and in honor of all the women – one in eight – who get it.
Indian Summer is a music book, but so much more. It’s a distillation of the life of a musician. Sure, it has both standard musical notation and dulcimer tablature for 23 songs plus – this is so cool! – links to recordings of most of them. You can listen to or download them to learn the songs if like me you can read the tablature but not the musical notation, or even if you play only by ear. Or if you read music but want to learn the nuances of Deborah’s version. But it also has several short essays – what they used to call “think pieces,” accompanied by photos, with such titles as “On Being a Late Bloomer” and “10 Practice Tips” (very good, those!) and “On Practice.” My favorite is “On Messing Around,” Deborah’s thoughts on the process of composing music.
Indian Summer is a lovely addition to the libraries of lovers of folk music, especially dulcimer music, whether or not you play. It took me back to a happier, gentler time in my life.
Thanks, D.J.!
Dulcet Publications © 2019 (some individual songs also © by their various composers)
8 ½ x 11, spiral-bound, 74 pages. https://djhamouris.com/
