Heliotrope Bouquet Review
by KD of Dirty Linen
Number 54 – October/November 1994
Sue Carpenter plays the Appalachian dulcimer, and like her contemporaries David Schnaufer and Jan Milner, she’s chosen to stretch the boundaries of music performed on this instrument. The title cut is a Scott Joplin tune, and you will find music by Jay Ungar (“Ashokan Farewell” paired in a medley with “Dixie”) and Stephen Foster (“Oh Susannah”) as well as renditions of “Under the Boardwalk” and Tony Hatch’s 1960’s hit for Petula Clark, “Downtown.” Carpenter also includes several trational tunes and a few of her original pieces, which stand up well in this company-but watch out for the vocals supplied by a Siamese cat on one cut! Fine technique, well presented with an interesting choice of material.