Post on 18-Feb-2018
1 Ceol Si/Banish Misfortune/The Twins 8’04
Alesa Lajana/Traditional, arr. Alesa Lajana/James Earp
Ceol Si (Gaelic for Fairy Music) is a piece that I wrote for my dear friend Sophia in honour
of our mischievous childhood adventures. I first heard Banish Misfortune played by Jeff
Lang and fell in love with it. I found the music for The Twins in an old book that I bought
at the markets.
2 Heaven Rising/The Kerry Reel 3’40
Alesa Lajana/Traditional, arr. Alesa Lajana
Heaven Rising is the very first piece I ever composed. I wrote it one afternoon after school
when I was 16 while I was watching a beautiful sunset melt into the western sky.
Similarly, The Kerry Reel, a traditional Irish tune, was the first piece I arranged.
3 Work Song 4’22
Nat Adderley, arr. Alesa Lajana
Dheeraj Shrestha tabla
This is a very different take on the jazz standard that was made famous by Ella Fitzgerald.
I began experimenting with it one day while I was jamming with the highly regarded
Indian tabla player Dheeraj Shrestha. Soon after those sessions it was recorded.
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4 O’Carolan’s Welcome/Dr Gilbert 4’48
Turlough O’Carolan, arr. Alesa Lajana/Traditional, arr. Alesa Lajana
The first of these tunes was written by the famous blind Irish harpist Turlough O’Carolan,
whose fame was said not to have been due to his skill on the harp, but rather his talent
for composition and verse. Dr Gilbert is a reel I originally heard played by a band called
Lúnasa and soon went about arranging it for solo guitar.
5 Irene Meldrum’s Welcome to Bon Accord/Hecla/The Ramnee Ceilidh 5’49
W.G. Meldrum/Fred Morrison/Gordon Duncan
These three tunes – a march, strathspey and reel – were shown to me by the Scottish
guitarist Tony McManus. Hecla is named after a mountain on South Uist. The Ramnee
Ceilidh was written by the late Gordon Duncan for a friend‘s wedding.
6 Si Beg Si Mor 2’15
Turlough O’Carolan, arr. Alesa Lajana
The translation of this Gaelic title is Big Fairy, Little Fairy. This is another tune written by
the harpist/composer O’Carolan with the encouragement of his patron George Reynolds
of County Leitrim. It is said to be the first song he ever composed.
7 Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 2’47
Johann Sebastian Bach
I learned this piece from my friend and teacher Gerard Mapstone. It was one of the first
classical pieces I learned and reminds me of afternoons spent sipping endless moon-sized
cups of tea while he very patiently taught me how to sight-read and clap bulerías.
8 Autumn Child 3’23
Brendan O’Regan, arr. Alesa Lajana
I once saw a busker playing a dobro lap steel in the Brisbane subway and I instantly fell in
love with the sound. I soon had one myself and went about trying to play Celtic tunes.
My early explorations of this led me to arrange a number of Irish and Scottish pieces for
acoustic lap steel. This is one of my favourite examples.
9 Breizh/The Seagull 6’12
Fred Morrison/D. MacLeod
These were some of my favourite tunes when growing up. Breizh is a beautiful example
of the music of Brittany. The Seagull is a popular piping tune. I first heard both of these
tunes played by Tony McManus and was later lucky enough to learn them from him.
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Alesa Lajana
Alesa Lajana is guitarist, singer and composer of remarkable talent. Aside from her instrumental
work, she blends her intricate guitar skills with soaring vocals, enchanting audiences with her
original compositions and the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland and Eastern Europe. She has
performed at many festivals around Australia including the Woodford, Yungaburra, Port Fairy and
National Folk Festivals. Alesa has composed music for short films such as Aeroplane Dreaming
directed by Tristan Pemberton, and has appeared in concert with such artists as Scottish guitar
virtuoso Tony McManus, Jeff Lang and ABC Radio National presenter Lucky Oceans.
Alesa grew up in Southern Queensland, and from an early age showed promise in visual arts,
dance and music. At 16 she took up the guitar, inspired by some of the outstanding performers
she had witnessed at folk music festivals in Australia. She went on to study classical guitar with
Antony Field at the Victorian College of the Arts.
Alesa has been influenced by a wide range of musicians, from Bob Dylan to Agustín Barrios.
Her enthusiasm was sparked after listening to folk artists such as Béla Fleck, Bob Dylan, Jeff
Lang, Lúnasa, Tony McManus and Ani DiFranco. This led her to explore the traditional music of
Scotland, Ireland, Eastern Europe and Spain, as well as jazz and bluegrass. She also has a deep
love of both Western and Indian classical music. Her greatest inspirations to date are artists
such as John McLaughlin, L. Shankar, Dusan Bogdanovic, John Coltrane, Mark O’Connor, Edgar
Meyer and Yo-Yo Ma.
Today, Alesa enjoys playing in concert both in Australia and overseas. She works extensively in
the arts industry not just as a performing artist, but also as manager of the infamous Shenzo’s
Electric Stunt Orchestra, as well as performing with violinist Shenton Gregory.
www.alesalajana.com.au
Executive Producers Martin Buzacott, Robert Patterson, Lyle Chan
Recording Producer and Mixing Engineer Ben Stewart
Mastering Dave Neil @ Modern Mastering
Editorial and Production Manager Hilary Shrubb, Katherine Kemp
Publications Editor Natalie Shea
Original Cover Concept Alesa Lajana
Booklet Design Imagecorp Pty Ltd
Photography David Collins at Blackbox Photography
Recorded at the Independent Music Academy and Massive Studios in Brisbane.
I would like to express much gratitude to Christopher Melville, Bear Creek Guitars and Lance Litchfield for building
me such exquisite instruments. Special thanks to Ben Stewart, Dheeraj Shrestha, David Collins, Lucky Oceans, Tony
McManus, James Houston, Henry Prokuda, Wayne Cocherin, and Paul Favell for supporting this project. I would like
to thank my teachers Dave McGuire, Leo McFadden, Gerard Mapstone, Shenton Gregory, Antony Field, Maggie
Noonan, Donna Coleman and all the amazing artists I have met on my travels, for inspiring me to work really hard.
Lots of love to my family: Dad and Glenys, Mum and Ray, as well as the Borsboom/Jobst/Gregory clans. To my dear
mates from way back, Sophia, Kylie, Halo, Elleanor and absolutely everyone else whose names would quadruple the
word count that I am permitted. Last but not least, infinite love and sunshine to my beautiful gypsy husband Shenzo
Gregorio (aka Shenton Gregory).
Thank you also to all my fans and heroes. This project would not have been possible without your support
and inspiration.
Alesa plays Christopher Melville, Bear Creek and Lance Litchfield guitars.
(Tracks 6 and 8 were recorded on a Cort Dobro set up as a lap steel.)
ABC Classics thanks Alexandra Alewood and Melissa Kennedy.
� 2008 Alesa Lajana. � 2008 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Universal Music Group,under exclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion, publicperformance or broadcast of this record without the authority of the copyright owner is prohibited.
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