Although the excitement of the recent Grammy Awards show has faded, Nancy Rumbel can testify that the effects of winning a Grammy linger.
Eric Tingstad and Rumbel won their Grammy for Best New Age Album last year for “Acoustic Garden.” They perform Feb. 18 in Edmonds.
Winning a Grammy has made a difference, Rumbel said.
“People are always impressed by the award itself. It’s an interesting calling card, an introduction or a labeling (and) it’s been wonderful. People who before have not taken the time to listen to us, but respect the award, now come to hear our music.
“We’ve always been an odd item to market. We don’t fit in any genre easily, so it’s been very helpful in terms of exposure.”
Both musicians are Washington state residents. Tingstad is a classical guitarist; Rumbel performs on English horn and oboe. Fans are familiar with the connection to their emotions that the instrument combination can evoke.
“A lot of people call the oboe and English horn very soulful instruments, even though they may not know what they love about the sound.
“The most tender parts of movies, love scenes or poignant moments, if you listen to the sound tracks, nine times out of 10 it’s the English horn or oboe playing the melody,” Rumbel said.
More singers seem to be covering other performers’ songs, often opting for more mellow tunes than they normally perform.
“Nora Jones’ Grammy last year really opened up the door,” she said. “There is an audience for music that is melodic. It’s not confrontational; that’s exactly what our music is like as well.
“It has a certain sweetness or very soulful sound. We tend to work with music that sounds beautiful in that way to enhance that style and that mood. We try to make the mood of the evening one of friendliness, of being relaxed, almost like you’re in your home.”
Anyone who has followed the environmentally conscious duo over the years knows of their commitment to the environment. Rumbel can trace her ethics to her South Texas childhood.
“My father spent a lot of time with me outdoors and I always knew about taking care of things. My grandmother was instrumental in teaching me how to garden.
“She spent her childhood in Mount Vernon and was raised by one of the first florists in Mount Vernon,” Rumbel said.
There are parallels between gardens and music, the need for rich soil as well as a solid foundation of musical techniques, a seed of an idea that grows in compositions, plants and songs that have individual personalities.
And at some point there’s a need to prune the weak and keep the strong, Rumbel said.
Just as a garden has many types of plants, “Acoustic Garden” presents several styles, the Celtic feel to “Shamrock,” smooth jazz with “Blue Martini,” a Cuban rhythm to “Havana.”
The one song that took root elsewhere is “Clear Moon, Quiet Winds,” a famous lullaby in China.
A garden with only one type of plant would be boring.
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