Dromedary (band)
Encyclopedia
Dromedary, also known as the Dromedary Quartet, is an American
world music
band originally based out of Athens, Georgia
but now with members on both coasts. The group formed as a duo consisting of Andrew Reissiger and Rob McMaken playing a variety of instruments from cultures across the globe. The group's most recent album "Sticks and Stones" features New Orleans-to-Athens transplant Louis Romanos (percussion) and Chris Enghauser (bass).
Instruments utilized include the Bolivian charango
, the Turkish cumbus
, the Appalachian dulcimer
, mandolin
, and guitar
.
The duo have also been frequent collaborators with North Carolina
-based singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd. Together they recorded The Sea and The Sky
, an album of songs Byrd wrote inspired by band.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
band originally based out of Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
but now with members on both coasts. The group formed as a duo consisting of Andrew Reissiger and Rob McMaken playing a variety of instruments from cultures across the globe. The group's most recent album "Sticks and Stones" features New Orleans-to-Athens transplant Louis Romanos (percussion) and Chris Enghauser (bass).
Instruments utilized include the Bolivian charango
Charango
The charango is a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, 66 cm long, traditionally made with the shell of the back of an armadillo. Primarily played in traditional Andean music, and is sometimes used by other Latin American musicians. Many contemporary charangos are now made with...
, the Turkish cumbus
Cümbüs
The cümbüş is a Turkish stringed instrument of relatively modern origin. Developed in the early 20th century by Zeynelabidin Cümbüş as an oud-like instrument that could be heard as part of a larger ensemble. In construction it resembles both the American banjo and the Middle Eastern oud. A...
, the Appalachian dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
.
The duo have also been frequent collaborators with North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
-based singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd. Together they recorded The Sea and The Sky
The Sea and the Sky
The Sea and the Sky is a 2004 collaborative album by North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd and Georgia-based world music duo, Dromedary .- Track listing :All songs written by Jonathan Byrd...
, an album of songs Byrd wrote inspired by band.
Discography
- Artifact (2001)
- Live from the Make Believe (2003)
- Dromedary Quartet (2006)
- Sticks and Stones (2008)
with Jonathan Byrd
- The Sea and The SkyThe Sea and the SkyThe Sea and the Sky is a 2004 collaborative album by North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd and Georgia-based world music duo, Dromedary .- Track listing :All songs written by Jonathan Byrd...
(2004, WaterbugWaterbug RecordsWaterbug Records is a small independent record label based in Glen Ellyn, Illinois specializing in singer-songwriters and traditional folk musicians who do original research. The label was founded as an artist cooperative label in 1992 by singer-songwriter Andrew Calhoun. Calhoun described the...
) - This Is The New ThatThis Is the New ThatThis Is the New That is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd. It was officially released March 21, 2007, although online availability began in late December 2006. While Byrd's earlier recordings have been in more of a traditional folk vein ranging at times from bluegrass...
(2007, Waterbug)
Further reading
- Budd Kopman, "Quartet", All About Jazz, August 15, 2006
- "Dromedary Expands to a Quartet and Presents New Album", World Music Central, August 12, 2006
- Mike Joyce, "Jonathan Byrd & Dromedary - The Sea & the Sky, (Waterbug), Andrew McKnight - Beyond Borders (Falling Mountain)" (reviews), The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, February 25, 2005, p.WE08 - Liz Carlisle, "The Best New Folk of Summer 2004: Part II: The intellectuals" (CD review), The Harvard IndependentThe Harvard IndependentThe Harvard Independent is a weekly newspaper produced by undergraduate students at Harvard University. It is one of many hard-news media outlets on the Harvard undergraduate campus.-Origin and history:...
, October 7, 2004 - Matt Watroba, "Jonathan Byrd & Dromedary: forces of nature", Sing Out!Sing Out!Sing Out! is a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that has been published since May 1950.-Background:Sing Out! is the primary publication of the tax exempt, not-for-profit, educational corporation of the same name...
, 48:3, Fall 2004 (link—requires subscription to highbeam.com) - Francois Couture, [ "Review: Live from the Make Believe], , Allmusic, 2003
- Francois Couture, [ "Review: Artifact], , Allmusic
- Matt Hutchinson, "We are not the world: Athens duo Dromedary breathes American life into international flavors", CreativeLoafing.com, October 30, 2003
- Daniel Arizona, "Splendid reviews: Dromedary - Artifact", Splendid, January 21, 2002
- Carool Kersten, "Review: Dromedary - Artifact", Rambles, January 25, 2003
External links
- Dromedary, official web site
- Dromedary at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- [ Dromedary] at Allmusic