Music
Press
The first thing you notice about Hank Cramer, whether in person or on record, is The Voice: a rich, warm bass-baritone that envelops you and invites you in. Northwest Seaport concert producer Dan Roberts likes to introduce Hank as "the man with the voice as big as all outdoors", and it's an apt description.
The crystal-clear sound is courtesy of engineer David Lange, who also contributes some tasty accordion to several tracks.
The vocal arrangements are attractive, and the instrumentals are pleasing. The heart of the recording, though, remains Hank Cramer's splendid singing and rock-solid guitar. This is a wonderful collection of songs and tunes, and adding it to your music library will not only provide you much listening pleasure, but will also help preserve a significant piece of US history. - David Mark Michaels
Hank Cramer has produced a marvelous album of sea songs and tavern sing-alongs, using the old full-sail warship of the disc’s title as a unifying theme. Arranged chronologically to follow the history of the ship (actually two ships) bearing the name Constellation, Cramer begins with songs from the American Revolution and works his way through US nautical history to the 1880’s. The result is one of the most beautiful and accomplished albums of sea music I’ve ever heard.
Cramer’s voice is a rich, mellifluous bass of superlative beauty – this guy was born to sing folk music. He handles these songs with masterful taste and restraint. Likewise, his many accompanists provide only what the songs need: there are no overblown instrumental tangents to distract from the elegance of the arrangements. As if that weren’t enough, Cramer has thoughtfully annotated all the pieces in the liner notes. It’s a rare disc that boasts both expert musical skill and careful academic attention to detail.
There are no bad tracks on Constellation, but a few stand out above the rest. “Man Of War” and “Truxtun’s Victory” are macho, bellicose odes to the strength of America’s fledgling navy. You might not like to take tea with the men who composed these lyrics, but they’re fun to sing along to – which, in the case of “Man Of War”, was exactly the point of the song. The gem of the disc, though, is “Pleasant and Delightful”, an aptly named sentimental tavern song of a sailor leaving his love on shore. The melody slides up and down arpeggios, then jumps up a major sixth: not an easy interval. Not only does Cramer nail every note without a quaver, but the whole company does the same in their several harmonies. The result is sublime.
- Dan Gilman, SING OUT!
Discography
Songs of USS Constellation (CD - 2003)
Back To Sea ( CD & DVD - 2006)
Soundtrack to the USS Constellation Visitor Center orientation video (2007)
Photos
Bio
Hank Cramer & Constellation's Crew is the official band of the famous sailing warship moored in Baltimore Harbor. It features both singers and instrumentalists, presenting a lively mix of rowdy sea-shanties, spirited jigs and reels on fiddle and concertina, and beautiful ballads. Although based in the Pacific Northwest, this maritime/celtic band has received international acclaim, and performed as far away as Nova Scotia, Hawaii, and the United Kingdom. The band roster reads like a whos who of Northwest shanty-singers and instrumentalists: Hank Cramer, Davey Hakala, Josie Solseng, Mark Iler, Jessie McKeegan, Burt & Di Meyer, Mike & Val James, Michelle Cameron, Brian & Rachel Maskew, and Steve Akerman.
The groups name originates from its close ties to the sailing warship USS Constellation, now a national historic site in Baltimores Inner Harbor. Originally launched in 1797, and totally rebuilt in 1854, it is one of Americas most historic ships. It earned fame not only for winning spectacular sea battles, but also for intercepting slave-traders off the coast of Africa and carrying food supplies to famine-stricken Ireland. Shantyman Hank Cramer first visited Constellation in drydock in 1996, as she was receiving an $11 million restoration, and gave several solo concerts aboard her after she was refloated.
The ships staff commissioned Hank to put together a CD of music which would highlight the ships history and help fund its preservation. Although Hank would have been happy to record an album of only sea shanties (work songs), his research showed that music aboard a man owar consisted largely of instrumental tunes and ballads ("forebitters"), with strong Irish influences. Hank formed the band by recruiting the finest sea-shanty singers and Celtic instrumentalists he knew; the result is "Constellation's Crew".
They released Songs of USS Constellation in January, 2003, and quickly received nationwide airplay and critical acclaim. Sing Out! Magazine called it the most beautiful and accomplished album of sea music we have ever heard. That recording was followed in 2006 by a combination CD and concert DVD titled "Back To Sea". At the Tucson Celtic Festival in 2006, Hank Cramer and Davy Hakala took first place in vocal and fiddle music competition (respectively), in the professional performers' category.
"Constellation's Crew" was selected to give the welcoming concerts for the Tall Ships' visits to the Pacific Northwest in both 2005 and 2008. They have performed as headliners for the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival in Nova Scotia, and have rung in St. Patrick's Day in Hawaii by playing every Irish pub in Honolulu in a single hectic week.
A "Constellation's Crew" concert promises a rousing session of boisterous sea shanties, with instrumental gusto to spare. In festival settings, the group is also ready and able to lead workshops and panel concerts on a variety of topics.
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