I highly recommend it! author: Lucy Webster/SongRamp.com Reviewer    Ann Mayo Muir ~ Extraordinary (very unusual or remarkable.) The above could be the title of Ann’s latest CD but it’s not... it’s titled, ~ Notes From Across The Sea ~ Ensemble Galilei ~ Original Melodic Instrumentals ~ In my opinion....these are original instrumental songs to soothe and enrich your day, night...life.    Annie, has displayed nothing but the finest in what I call "True Folk" music. She has been creating it for quite some time...her music is evergreen...ageless! Professional in all regards, Annie has worked and studied with some of the best in their field (fantastic fiddler Martin Hayes for example) and she has honored some of those friends on this latest endeavor.    Except for "Hear My Heart" arranged by C.A. Surrick - http://www.EGMusic.com - Ensemble Galilei arranged and played all of Ann's music. Danny Mallon - percussion, Kathryn Montoya - recorders, oboes, whistles, Hanneke Cassel - fiddle, Sue Richards - Celtic harp, Carolyn Anderson Surrick - viola da gamba, with guest musician Tom Mitchell - guitar, mandolin. Each piece is played with perfect precision from the opening, "Twist The Devil’s Tail" to the last, "Gypsy’s Bow" - Both lively and upbeat.  There are 13 gem songs on this disc. I liked the brief story telling about the meaning for each one. Insightful. My personal favorite’s..... "Lament For Andrea". This is a powerful song done so gracefully. A tribute to a daughter who passed too soon. Other favorites, "Mother To Son", "Fire Up The Kiln Love" and "A Love Song For My Sailor"... a song Ann wrote for her talented husband Claude Graf who is among many things a designer and builder of sailboats. As Ann states in the liner notes... "the melody says....I LOVE YOU!" Touching!    What I also liked about this CD is the way it ebbs an flows. You can put it on and leave it alone. It will do the rest. It will entertain but it will also stir you. It will bring back memories of days past. Good days, tender days. It paints pictures of simple times with family, a friend, a love. Not many CD’s can woo you AND win you.... but this one did me!    Christina Muir, Ann’s daughter, had a hand in the making of the CD also. Great job to EVERYONE involved btw! All in all the disc is a work of art! If you’re looking for relaxing, reflective, peaceful, promising, yes even dancing music, you need not look any further. Thank you Ann for "Notes From Across The Sea" I highly recommend it!” - Lucy Webster

www.SongRamp.com Review

*Ann Mayo Muir & Grammy-Nominated Ensemble Galilei  Celebrate The Release of Their New CD:      A traveler, sailor and lifelong musician, Ann Mayo Muir has composed original music that emerges from a deep well of connection with the people and places she has known. Smitten by the beauty of the tunes, Ann's daughter, Christina Muir, who performs with the Wammy-winning vocal trio, Hot Soup, suggested that Ensemble Galilei arrange and record the pieces. Fellow adventurers, Ensemble Galilei jumped on board, eager to sail into new waters with Carolyn Surrick at the helm, co-producing the recording with Bob Dawson at the renowned Bias Studios. The result is a sinuous, snappy, energetic delight of interpretations, with some pieces feeling American, many with a European twist, and a few that have run off with the Gypsies! The CD features thirteen tunes woven together with Celtic harp, fiddle, recorder, whistle, oboe, guitar, percussion and viola da gamba (an early cello-like instrument) creating “a feast for the musical gourmet!” - Gordon Bok (Bok, Muir & Trickett)    At the CD Release Concert in Annapolis, Maryland, Ensemble Galilei performed most of the pieces from the CD. The music tells a story full of wisdom, sorrow, whimsy and love. Mischievously-spirited tunes like Twist the Devil’s Tail, Fire up the Kiln, Love and Gypsy's Bow incite us to raise our arms and kick up our heels, while the melancholy, deeply moving tales, told through Lament for Andrea, Winter's Blanket and The Deepening, reveal the tender, quieter places within that call for stillness and compassion. Connie's Garden, Mother To Son, Hear My Heart and A Love Song For My Sailor speak of family, while Hanko Panko and Merlin's Forest take us to an old world where magic dances. The audience was taken on a journey full of twists and turns, and in the inspired hands of Ensemble Galilei, found its heart pounding with pleasure. Ann also appeared as a special guest, performing a few of her favorite songs, and her daughter, Christina Muir, joined in to add a few scrumptious harmonies.    Grammy-nominated Ensemble Galilei is a brilliant “Crossover Group,” blending Early Music with Celtic and Classical emphasis. The arrangements of Ann Mayo Muir’s instrumentals are created by the members of Ensemble Galilei: Carolyn Anderson Surrick (viola da gamba), Sue Richards (harp), Kathryn Montoya (recorders, oboes, whistles), Hanneke Cassel (fiddle), Danny Mallon (percussion), and guest musician Tom Mitchell (guitar, mandolin). These musicians were specifically gathered for this project, as the winning combination that had the right mix of ingredients to showcase Ann’s music. Additional members of the group do not appear on this CD, but to learn more about Ensemble Galilei, visit their website: www.EGMusic.com. Their impressive discography includes at least nine albums, and their national tours fill renowned theaters from coast-to-coast. NPR’s Neal Conan first read poetry and stories to the music of Ensemble Galilei in 2000 and worked with the group to put together both "A Universe of Dreams," which debuted in 2004, and "First Person: Stories from the Edge of the World," which had its premiere at the National Geographic Society in 2007. He joins Ensemble Galilei again in it's newest project, "First Person: Seeing America." With images by some of America’s finest photographers from the Photographic Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the poetry and prose of some of America’s greatest writers, the show debuts in New York City on Oct. 16th. To sample and buy CDs click this link for CDbaby.com. ” - Christina Muir