by Marc Gunn

A few months ago, I received some CDs from Cantiga, the premiere Renaissance Festival jam band. I started listening, and I tell ye what, they’ve become one of my favorite bands out there. They also have a brand new CD called “Martha’s Dragon.”

Cantiga has played World, Celtic and Renaissance music at festivals since the 70s. The name Cantiga means ‘song’ in the language of Alfonso X, the 13th century Spanish king whose royal court was a haven for Christian, Muslim, and Jewish musicians. Their music is filled with the spirit of improvisation which has flourished among musicians in such cross cultural crossroads throughout history.

This is album isn’t much of a “Celtic” album per se. Rather, it’s filled with beautiful blend of tunes from throughout Europe from Spain to Bulgaria, France and Germany to the British Isles.

I think that word that best comes to mind with “Martha’s Dragon” is ‘joyous.’ That’s the spirit that they share with their music. It’s light-hearted, upbeat, and a lot of fun. I could so see this band performing a five hundred years ago or in a modern music hall. In both case, they will captivate their audiences like they do at the entrance of the Texas Renaissance Festival this year and at faires throughout the nation.

Artist: Cantiga

Buy the Album: “Martha’s Dragon”

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Bard Marc Gunn is an Irish and Scottish folk singer with strange a affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats. He hosts five podcasts including the Renaissance Festival Podcast and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. He also publishes several ezines including the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine and the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Tips Ezine. He is best know as the lead singer and autoharper for the Celtic MP3 supergroup, the Brobdingnagian Bard.