Music
Press
"Al Petteway and Amy White are not only really and truly in love with each other - an energy that ricochets between them during their performances - they're also in love with creating their caffeinated, jazz-spiked acoustic brew." - None
"the duo weave(s) a sonorous and often sensual spell which is impossible to shake off. Technically confident and melodically assured - a musical odyssey worth investigating." - None
"Al Petteway is quickly building a catalogue of some of the most beautiful instrumental guitar work ever recorded." - None
"An innovative instrumentalist known for his open tunings, Petteway offers a rich, dulcet sound that features a fusion of old and new." - None
"His articulate flawless fingering and lyrical phrasing do not just engage the heart, but they invite the consciousness to open." - None
"...music of transporting power and beauty." "-shaped not only by a keen sense of lyricism and dynamics, but also a quiet soulfulness that continually draws in the listener." - None
"Mesmerizing tone poems...just pure music...White continues to paint sumptuous portraits of life situations with a remarkable measure of clarity and color." - None
Al Petteway & Amy White, "Winter Tidings" (Maggie's Music). It's not just marriage that makes Petteway and White so sympatico, it's mutual musicality grounded in their supple acoustic meld of contemporary folk, Celtic, New Age and Appalachian strains. The latter influence is most evident on the lovely waltz-like "Cherry Tree Carol" and a medley that finds "A New Year Carol/Sussex Carol" segueing into "Tomorrow Will Be My Dancing Day." Dancing spirits are also evident on "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" (which slowly escalates from baroque elegance to bustling energy) and "Star in the East/Born in Beth'ny," with its decidedly Renaissance evocation. The album is mostly instrumental, deftly powered by engaging, multi-layered interplay between Petteway's virtuosic guitars, bouzouki and banjo and White's elegant piano, mountain dulcimer and Celtic harp (on the inspiring "Into the Light"). White's vocals are ethereal on the pump-organ cushioned Gaelic-carol "Christ Child's Lullaby," but the most inviting vocals come when the couple gently harmonizes on the Robert Burns-inspired "Roving on a Winter's Night," Scotland and Appalachia meeting in a mesmerizing snowscape. Appearing Monday at St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Rockville. - The Washington Post, December 1, 2006
"Al and Amy enrapture audiences with elegant musicianship. Their rich melodies and intricately textured arrangements evoke magic and mystery." - Garth Ross, KENNEDY CENTER MILLENNIUM STAGE
Al Petteway & Amy White
Winter Tidings
Maggie's Music MM234 (2006)
Quiet reflection is the tone of this mostly instrumental recording. It's an intricate and enveloping quiet, much like a walk in the winter woods at dawn, full of detail and dimension and unexpected falls of light and shadow. The 13 tracks are, for the most part, traditional tunes, both sacred and secular, with Petteway on guitars, Irish bouzouki, banjo, fretless bass, vocals and percussion and White on Celtic harp, mandolin, piano, mountain dulcimer, guitar, fiddle, whistle, vocals, and percussion. The original arrangements have both Celtic and Appalachian flavors, in keeping with the couple's musical backgrounds and current residence in the mountains of North Carolina. Outstanding cuts include the opener, "Breakin' Up Christmas," one of the few sung pieces, "While Roving on a Winter's Night," White's original "Aerial," and the Advent carol "People Look East."
-- Kerry Dexter (Tallahassee, FL) - Dirty Linen
Discography
Winter Tidings - September, 2006 (Maggie's Music)
Land of the Sky - 2005 (Maggie's Music)
Acoustic Journey - 2004 (Maggie's Music)
Gratitude - 2001 (Solid Air Records)
Racing Hearts - 1999 (Fairewood)
Golden Wing - 2004 (Maggie's Music)
Bittersweet - An American Romance - 1998 (Fairewood)
Piano Diaries & Other Entries - 1995 (Fairewood)
Shades of Blue - 2003 (Solid Air Records)
Whispering Stones - 1994 (Maggie's Music)
The Waters and the Wild - 1993 (Maggie's Music)
Midsummer Moon - 1995 (Maggie's Music)
A Scottish Christmas - 1996 (Maggie's Music)
Caledon Wood - 1997 (Maggie's Music)
VIDEOS
Al Petteway Instructional Videos (DVD on Homespun Tapes
Celtic Instrumentals For Fingerstyle Guitar Vol. I (DADGAD)
Celtic Instrumentals For Fingerstyle Guitar Vol. II (Alternate Tunings)
Al Petteway Instructional DVD on Solid Air Records/Warner Bros.
Celtic, Blues & Beyond
Al Petteway Music Folio and Instructional CD from Solid Air Records/Warner Bros.
Celtic, Blues & Beyond
BOOKS
Al Petteway Music Books from Mel Bay Publications
The Waters and The Wild
Whispering Stones
Midsummer Moon
Caledon Wood
A Scottish Christmas for Guitar
A Holiday Sampler w/ Robin Bullock - 2002 (Fairewood)
A Midnight Clear w/ Robin Bullock - 2003 (Dorian)
Photos
Bio
Award-winning, critically acclaimed, passionate & playful.
Al Petteway & Amy White are an acoustic performing arts team committed to creating an intensely personal yet universal sound. They draw inspiration from musical traditions across the globe and distill these myriad styles into a rich and unique voice a timeless recipe for healing, heartfelt music. During their live shows, Al & Amy capture the hearts of their audiences with the love they have for one another and the colorful stories about the places, history and events that inspire their music. They invite their listeners to celebrate beauty and joy in all aspects of life.
Al & Amy are heard often on NPR, in independent films, and on radio shows across the globe. Their music will be used by Ken Burns of Florentine Films for his new 6-part documentary on the National Parks, scheduled for release next fall. Al & Amy's many accolades include a coveted INDIE Award in the acoustic instrumental category for their album Gratitude, and in 2005, Al received a Grammy award for his solo fingerstyle guitar contribution to the pop instrumental compilation, Pink Guitar. The rich cultural and natural history of Al & Amy's home in the Blue Ridge Mountains has been a large influence on their recent recordings Winter Tidings, Golden Wing, Acoustic Journey and Land of the Sky.
Al & Amy first began performing and recording together as a duo in early 1995. Their sound is an exciting blend of original, traditional, contemporary Celtic- and Appalachian-influenced music. Their repertoire offers extensive instrumental work as well as a fine touch of vocals and features acoustic guitars, mandolin, Celtic harp, banjo, Irish bouzouki, piano and world percussion. They are among the most respected and well-loved acts in the acoustic music scene. They have been Artists in Residence at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and perform at some of the finest concert venues in the country. While living in the Washington, D.C. area, Al & Amy won a grand total of 50 WAMMIES from the Washington Area Music Association in the Folk, Celtic and New Age categories as well as 5 separate grants from the Maryland State Arts Council for both composition and instrumental performance.
Al & Amy completed a two-year residency at Warren Wilson College, funded by a grant from the Susanne Marcus-Collins Foundation of Asheville, NC. This grant also supported their the creation of their Land of the Sky" multimedia presentation, which combines live music with projections of Al & Amy's nature photography of the Southern Appalachians. Al worked at the National Geographic Society for eighteen years, and both his and Amys photographs are part of the archives of the National Geographic (their work is represented world-wide by the National Geographic Image Collection). Land of the Sky debuted at the National Geographics Grosvenor Auditorium in the spring of 2005 and continues to be a very popular presentation.
About Al
A Grammy Award-winning recording artist and performer, Al Petteway has played nearly every type of popular, folk and classical music. Though his primary instrument has always been the guitar, he has also studied lute, string bass, percussion and music composition. His compositions for acoustic fingerstyle guitar are strongly influenced by his love of Celtic music and his own roots in folk, rock and blues. His recordings, music books, and instructional videos have helped to win him international acclaim and appearances on National Radio and Television Programs. Al has been awarded FORTY FIVE"Wammies" by the Washington Area Music Association including the top honors of "ARTIST OF THE YEAR" and "MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR". He was the recipient of two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards for Music Composition and has performed at the Vice President's House and The White House. His playing is featured on more than sixty recordings by some of the World's best known Folk and Celtic musicians. In 2005, he was voted one of the top fifty acoustic guitarists of all time by the readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine. He performs exclusively with his wife, Amy White. In addition to his concerts and workshops, Al records and teaches private lessons in their home studio in Fairview, NC and is the Guitar Week coordinator for the world famous "Swannanoa Gathering" music camp at Warren Wilson College near Asheville, N.C.
About Amy
Amy White was born to professional classical musicians and is the youngest of three children. As a result, she was nurtured and surrounded by several genres and generations of music. Despite this semi-classical upbringing, Amy never mastered sight reading and composes and plays music solely by ear. She has a unique approach to composition and her work reflects this serendipitous combination of classical, jazz, folk, world and environmental influences. Amy won her first award for music composition at the age of eleven. Her debut release, PIANO
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