Music for the Motherless Child

rdf:langString Music for the Motherless Child

rdf:langString Music for the Motherless Child

rdf:langString Martin Simpson and Wu Man

rdf:langString MusicForTheMotherlessChild.jpg

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Band of Angels

rdf:langString Smoke and Mirrors

rdf:langString April 1995

rdf:langString March 1996

rdf:langString Christ the King Chapel, St. Anthony Seminary, Santa Barbara, California

rdf:langString Music for the Motherless Child is a collaboration album between English folk guitarist Martin Simpson and Chinese pipa player Wu Man, released by Water Lily Records in 1996. As with the other album's released on the label, it was recorded at Christ the King Chapel, St. Anthony Seminary, Santa Barbara, by Tamil producer and label owner Kavichandran Alexander, who, also similarly to the label's other releases, curated and oversaw the project as a fusion between the music of two disparate cultures. Neither Simpson or Man had met before the recording of the album, which was done in only a single session that lasted seven hours. Alexander employed vacuum tube recording and took advantage of the church's natural acoustics. The album features five traditional pieces, mostly drawn from American and European folk music, as well as one written by Simpson. A conspicuous blues influence and style is evident throughout the album. The duo claim that Music for the Motherless Child is dedicated to "the alchemists of both East and West." Upon the release, the album received mainly positive reviews from music critics, who largely complimented the blend of Simpson and Pipa's disparate musical styles. The album has since been re-released as a SACD.