Jingalo Gypsy is a warm, enveloping, well-thought-out recording of four traditional and nine contemporary compositions rooted in the folk tradition. Seven of the cuts are instrumentals and range from a delicate, sparkling guitar solo, “Emerald Necklace”, penned and performed by Bennett Hammond, to a fine guitar/harp/mandolin/whistle rendition of Turlough O’Carolon’s “She Beag She Mor” to a solid, fiddle-free duet interpretation of the fiddle tune “Rye Whiskey”, spotlighting the Hammonds playing their primary instruments, Bennett on guitar and Lorraine on Appalachian dulcimer.
Songs include Bennett’s cowboy version of “Gypsy Davy”, here titled “Her Husband, Gypsy Dave.” and Lorraine’s title track, which is her take on the same classic. It’s a lengthy and intriguing chronicle sporting a full but not busy accompaniment with Lorraine playing both banjo and harp, plus three backing vocalists, fiddle, whistle and mandolin.
Most selections feature two to five instrumentalists. Two other original songs, “My Mother’s Face” by Lorraine and Bennett’s “No Eyes So Clear”, both about parents and generations, are of a more contemporary nature, yet fit hand-in-glove within the traditional folk setting of this beautiful CD.
-Al Reiss, Buffalo, NY