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The musical group Idlewild
performs mainly Celtic music from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, and
the Isle of Man. You can hear them play early and traditional music from
various cultures mixed into their program, such as English and French
music.
David and Carol Sharp formed
Idlewild more than ten years ago. Dave plays flute, whistle, recorders, mountain
dulcimer, tenor banjo, mandolin/mandola, guitar, fiddle bodhran and sings
tenor vocals. Dave has played music with many ethnic groups from a wide
variety of cultural backgrounds and composes music in a variety of styles. He enjoys researching and playing all
kinds of ethnic and traditional tunes. He is also an animator (network
television for 16 years), and a woodcarver. Dave is also the Business Agent
for the American Federation of Musicians, Local 104.
Carol plays mainly the
Celtic harp, hammered dulcimer, and bowed psaltery for performances. She
specializes in the smaller lap harps and is a certified practitioner of
harp therapy by the International Harp Therapy Program. Carol plays and
works with children at Primary Children's Medical Center. Carol has received
a BS degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the
University of Utah in 2002. Carol specializes in musical activities and
therapy with children.
Dave and Carol are joined by
their friends Jody Duffy-Brings, Teresa Welch, Steve Keen Pat Leary
and Mark Jardine as additional members.
Pat Leary - Plays
Guitar for the group since January of 2006. Pat is a very gifted graphic
artist and a Master at Tai Chi and Kung Fu.
Jody Duffy-Brings sings traditional Irish
songs and ballads in a delightful natural style. She is a teacher and has a
background in theater and drama. Her singing is the exact style of the
female Celtic ballad singers.
Teresa Welch plays fiddle
for the group and is a full time member of the Ballet West Orchestra and
plays with the Mondavi string quartet.. Like Dave and Carol, she is a
member of the AFM, Local 104. She also holds the most number of upper level
degrees in the group.
Mark Jardine -
Plays the fiddle and is a long time member of "Yankee Clipper".
Mark has many Television and film score credits for his original
compositions and traditional playing, and has done recordings for several
well respected record labels. Mark has been a mentor to most of the areas
Celtic and Old time traditional musicians for many years.
Steve Keen plays the
button accordion, Steve is a well known jazz keyboard player in the area for
many years with a special interest in traditional music for the
accordion. Steve is an adjunct professor in keyboards at the University of
Utah, department of Music he plays with the Klezmer group, "Klezbros"
and with the Alpine group "The Bavarians".
Idlewild has several friends
that are accomplished musicians to help us with our work, when band members
are not available. Krista Baker play fiddle, Paul Rasmussen, Joe Farmer,
Dylan Schorer fill in on guitar.
Idlewild has performed
for the following local and regional events and festivals.
The Utah Arts Festival -
1999, 2000, 2001. The Park City Arts Festival - 1999. Music in the
Mountains (Park City) - 1993, 94, 95, 96. The Festival of the American West
- 1993, 94. Summerfest (Logan, Ut.) - 1994, 95. The Southern Utah Folk Life
Festival (Springville, Ut.) - 1993, 94, 95, 96, 97. The Southern Utah Renaissance
Faire (Cedar City) - 1993. Mayfest (Univ. of Ut.) - 1993, 94, 95.
International Multicultural Week & Tunes at Noon (Univ. of Ut.) 1993,
94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 00, 01. University of Utah's Health and Wellness
Festival 2001 and 2002, World Folk Fest (Ut. Arts Council) 1995.
Brown Bag Concert Series (Salt Lake Arts Council) 1995, 2001, 2002. Utah
Living Traditions 1998, 99. Saint Patrick's Day Siamsa (Gallivan Ctr. &
Hibernian Order) 1993, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03. Chase Home Concert
Series (Ut. Folk Arts Council) 1993, (with whom we had a masters/apprentice
grant from the State of Utah with Patty Richards). The Old English Festival
(SLC, Ut.) 1996, 98, 99, 00. Brigham City Concert Series 1998. Celtic
Seasons Concert Series (SLC, Logan, Orem, Ut.) 1999. The Timpanogoes
Storytelling Festival (Orem, Ut.) 1998. Educational programs for the Salt
Lake County Library System, The Recording Industries Music Performance
Trust Funds for various venues 2000 thru 2002, and the Davis, Granite and Salt Lake School
Districts. Magna Copperdays 2000, Tooele County Fair 2000. Gardner
Village's Archibald's birthday Labor day Weekend 2000. Anderson Foothill
Library Concerts 1999,2000, and 2001. Sugar house Library concert series
2002, Utah Board of Education's State
School District Tour (Arts inc.) for 2000 and 2001. Festival of
August at the Gallivan Center 2001 and 2002. South Salt Lake Concert series,
2001 and Harvest Festival 2002.
Monthly Irish Dance or Ceili for 2000, thru 2002. Old Time Pioneer Dances
funded in part by the Utah Folk Arts Council 2001. Red Butte Gardens Winter
Solstice, 2001, 2002 and Saturnalia night, 2001. Benefit concert at the Capitol Theater
for the Afghan children's relief, 2001. The Downtown Festival during the
2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Main stage and cultural areas at
Washington Square. Midsummer Renaissance Fair and Cedar Outlands Medieval
Experience, 2003 in Cedar City, Utah. Young Family Heritage Farm Medieval
Festival, The Age of Chivalry Renaissance fair in Las Vegas, Nevada 2003.
Timpanogas Storytelling festival as storytellers and musicians in 2004 and
2005, Pioneer trails Park for Pioneer Day 2004 and 2005. We have also held and been successful with a number of
our own concerts we have produced.
Idlewild opened for the
following performers on tour.
L. Shankar and Zakhir
Hussien (Kingsbury Hall, U. of U.) Norman Kennedy (Concert Hall, Utah State
Univ.) The Wind Machine (Logan Summerfest) The Black Family (Galivan Ctr.
SLC, Ut) The Costello Family (Galivan Ctr. SLC, Ut) all Ireland celdhi
champions.
Idlewild makes the majority
of its income from weddings and corporate parties. Idlewild has had three
live performances on KRCL Radio in Utah and performs on regular basis at
public and private events in the intermountain area. We also have played for
a monthly
dance or ceili (kay-lee) through the Hibernians Society of Utah, as well as
our own multi-cultural dance with our caller Laraine Miner. Idlewild
has received reviews for their performances and albums in the Tribune,
Catalyst and City Weekly, as well as National Publications like The
Dulcimer Player News and Irish Music Magazine. (see summer 2000 and March
issues respectively) Idlewild also sells its music for audio books through
Deseret Books. Idlewild plays music and sound effects for Irish storytellers Mark Gollagher
and M'lisa Hansen in a "Bit O Blarney"
Our current CD's are
- "Idlewild" a
band album
- "The Song of
Fionula" Dave and Carol duo
- "Blarney
Pilgrim" a band album
- "The Wild Geese" by Dal Riada duo with Scott and Dave on
Harp and Flute
- "Black Oak" Dave solo mountain dulcimer
- "The Birds of Rhiannon" Carol and Dave duo
- "The Grand Ceidhli" (Kay-lee) an Irish band album
- "The Chalice Well" an English Album
- "Hindeg" (heen-deeg) a Welsh Album
- "Dans de les Marionettes" French and central European Music
for Mountain Dulcimer and other instruments.
- "The Callinish Stones" - Scottish airs and highland dances with Dave on
solo Celtic Flute.
- "Glastonbury" by the Glastonbury duo (Storytelling and
Renaissance, early music)
Idlewild is currently working on
four new CD projects: 1. The Glashan's Flute by the Glastonbury duo Stories
and Renaissance music, 2. The River Roe by the Dal Riada duo of Harp and
Flute instrumentals, 3. Dongxaio Rain an album of music for Tai chi long
form and warm ups on the Dongxaio flute, 4. A Manx solo instrumental flute
album. We will update our website as they become available. 5. An album of
original music and stories by Glastonbury called the "Jackdaw's
Ring".
Idlewild has appeared
playing their own music, on an episode of the CBS show "Promised
Land" and has eight CD's available through their own label Idlewild
Recordings. For more information contact us, Dave and Carol Sharp at 801-268-4789
or email idlewild@
idlewildrecordings.com.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
David S. Sharp
The following is a
Biography for solo work (David Sharp)
On the Mountain Dulcimer Dave performs European traditional music.
Although mainly an ensemble player, Dave has played many solo jobs as well
as solos within the group performances he has played. Dave currently plays
in the group Idlewild with his wife Carol, in which he also plays flute,
whistle, recorders, guitar, tenor banjo, mandolin, bodhran, and tenor
vocals. Dave has played music in various ethnic and traditional groups.
Prior to becoming a full time musician Dave has several degrees in
drawing, painting and sculpture having worked as a network animator, aerospace
illustrator, graphics artist and wood carver. Idlewild makes the majority
of its income at weddings and corporate parties. David is a contractor and
member of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 104.
David has two solo albums for mountain dulcimer entitled "Black
Oak" and "The Chalice Well", produced by
our own company Idlewild Recordings. Dave also teaches and writes tab
articles for some of the people and groups in the region and country. Dave
plays much of the groups music but has a separate repertoire of traditional
music from England, France, Breton, Scottish, Welsh, Manx, and many tunes
from all over central Europe. Some of the ideas for the material played on
this instrument come from previous experience.
RESUME'
1. The Hay Wire Band (Old-time and pioneer music)-1988-1999
2. The Zivio Arts Ensemble (Pan-Balkan and American Old-time and swing.)
1987 to 1990 Utah Slavia Festivals, the Utah Performing Arts Tour 1989, The
Salt Lake Brown Bag Concert Series 1989. Spring Concerts at Kingsbury Hall
1988,89,90 - European Tour of Hungry 1989 at the Szentendre and Seged
International Music Festivals.
3. International Dance Theater and Eastern Arts 1989 to 1993 (Afghani,
mid-east, Chinese Tadjik music for dancers and concert) Lloyd Miller and
Katherine St. John.
4. Southwind (Celtic ensemble) 1988 to 1991. Utah and Park City Arts
Festivals 1988 thru 90, Festival of the American West 1988 thru 1990.
5. Loose Shoes (Celtic and New England, Old-time music for contra-dances)
Monthly dance 1986 thru 1992.
6.The Hiro Chattpar Ensemble (Classical Indian music) 1992 and 1993. Utah
Living Traditions Festivals 1992 and 1993
7. The Westminster College Choir (Tenor) 1997 to 1998.
8. The Wood and the Winds (Senior citizens quartet) (Old-time and swing
music) for Senior Centers and therapy for Alzheimer's and Recovery Units.
9. The New World Mummers (European Mummers Plays-music and dance 1992-1993)
Tracy Aviary's Children's Festival 1992, Utah Arts Festival 1993, Wey-en
concert Pioneer Trails Amphitheater 1992, First Night, Salt Lake City 1993.
10. Idlewild (Celtic and Early Music Ensemble) 1991 to the Present.
Please see the bands biography for all of this information. The intent
of this biography is for solo work on the mountain dulcimer, and to show
that my background is large and varied. I write many original works as
well, which I have published on the solo albums.
Thank you, for your interest, contact us at home 801-268-4789, or work
801-270-8087, or email at
idlewild@idlewildrecordings.com
David S. Sharp
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Album Reviews
Dans de les Marionettes -
February/April 2005
For something completely
different, Idlewild’s new recording is ultra-traditional, albeit the
tradition in question is from
France
and
Central Europe
. David Sharp is the band’s central focus on mountain dulcimers,
recorders, whistle, flute and mandolin. Carol Sharp adds hammered dulcimer,
Celtic harp, Gothic Bray harp, bowed psaltery, whistle and tambourine while
friends of the band contribute button accordion, guitar, hurdy gurdy, tenor
recorder, clarinet, piano accordion and piccolo trumpet. There are a
generous thirty-one cuts on “Dans de les Marionettes” and they are described as Breton, French,
Italian, Dutch, Belgian, and German. This is courtly music, but it has a
definite pulse to it as well. “Renaissance music with soul” is as good a
description as any. Idlewild does a great job in playing all of the tunes
with sprightly grace and imaginative arrangements.
Neal Walters
Dulcimer Player News
Volume 31, No. 1 – Feb.
2005-April 2005
This is a review of the article
written on the album "Black Oak" in the Summer 2000 issue of
"The Dulcimer Player News." It is a national periodical for
mountain and hammer dulcimer players. The article is by Neal Walters.
David Sharp specializes in
early music played on the mountain dulcimer. Black Oak contains mostly rare
and unusual (to me at least) tunes from various European traditions
including Ireland, Scotland, Croatia, France, England, Wales and the Isle
of Man with the odd tune from Afghanistan and Shaker America thrown in for
good measure, David also plays flute, whistle, bodhran, mandola, mandolin,
tenor banjo, fiddle, guitar and bones with Carol Sharp on bowed psaltery,
zils (before you ask, I have no idea but it sounds good!), and tambourine.
That sounds like it could be a bit muddy but this is not the case. The
mountain dulcimer is out front and the arrangements are, in fact, somewhat
spare as you might expect a wandering minstrel to perform them. David's
playing is straightforward and thoroughly evokes the feeling of the
original settings of these tunes. This is clearly a labor of love and there
is definitely a lot of good material here. There are several originals that
fit nicely with the ultra-traditional material. Includes Garcons de la
Montagne, Black Oak, The Helston Furry, Orientus Partibus, The Tight Little
Island.
Neal Walters
Black Oak -
David Sharp,
Idlewild Recordings,
PO Box 65702,
Salt Lake City,
UT 84165-0702,
1-801-268-4789
This is the review in the
"Salt Lake Weekly" for the year 2000 top 40 local album picks.
Dal Riada - The Wild Geese
It isn't quite Riverdance
and it isn't even Lord of the Dance, so what's up with the subtitle
"Celtic music by Dal Riada"? It's traditional Celtic music played
on traditional instruments. For the most part, 'The Wild Geese' is a
peaceful affair. The duo making up Dal Riada can cut loose with a jig if
the mood strikes - incidentally, creating a mood is a major reason to seek
out Wild Geese, one of the area's loveliest discs. ----William Athey
Dave Sharp with Mountain
Dulcimer
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