Terry McKenna: Throw the House Out of the Windowe!

Throw the House 0ut of the Windowe (and other damn fine dancing tunes!) is lutenist and guitarist Terry McKenna's first-ever feature recording. The CD offers a wide-ranging selection of lively dance tunes from the 16th to 18th centuries that constituted the pop music of their day. McKenna's imaginative arrangements often take these toe-tapping songs on a sonic detour from their original course, resulting in performances that feel fresh and improvised, and which cross boundaries of genre as well as geography.

The program derives from McKenna's own list of personal favourites. These include traditional tunes from England, Scotland and Ireland, songs from Playford's Dancing Master, and an original composition penned by McKenna as a tribute to the family dog, entitled Belinda's Waltz and Chase.

McKenna is joined by a number of his musical mates - Ben Grossman, John Edwards, Sharon Kahan, Chris Verrette and Eugene Lascewicz - who contribute their expertise on both period and modern instruments, including renaissance lute, baroque guitar, cittern, hurdy-gurdy, Jew's harp, wooden flute, baroque violin, accordion, and an array of percussion instruments including bodhran. Catalog: MAR 277