1 Ceol Si/Banish Misfortune/The Twins 8’04

Alesa Lajana/Traditional, arr. Alesa Lajana/James Earp

Ceol Si (Gaelic for Fairy Music) is a piece that I wrote for my dear friend Sophia in honour

of our mischievous childhood adventures. I first heard Banish Misfortune played by Jeff

Lang and fell in love with it. I found the music for The Twins in an old book that I bought

at the markets.

2 Heaven Rising/The Kerry Reel 3’40

Alesa Lajana/Traditional, arr. Alesa Lajana

Heaven Rising is the very first piece I ever composed. I wrote it one afternoon after school

when I was 16 while I was watching a beautiful sunset melt into the western sky.

Similarly, The Kerry Reel, a traditional Irish tune, was the first piece I arranged.

3 Work Song 4’22

Nat Adderley, arr. Alesa Lajana

Dheeraj Shrestha tabla

This is a very different take on the jazz standard that was made famous by Ella Fitzgerald.

I began experimenting with it one day while I was jamming with the highly regarded

Indian tabla player Dheeraj Shrestha. Soon after those sessions it was recorded.

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4 O’Carolan’s Welcome/Dr Gilbert 4’48

Turlough O’Carolan, arr. Alesa Lajana/Traditional, arr. Alesa Lajana

The first of these tunes was written by the famous blind Irish harpist Turlough O’Carolan,

whose fame was said not to have been due to his skill on the harp, but rather his talent

for composition and verse. Dr Gilbert is a reel I originally heard played by a band called

Lúnasa and soon went about arranging it for solo guitar.

5 Irene Meldrum’s Welcome to Bon Accord/Hecla/The Ramnee Ceilidh 5’49

W.G. Meldrum/Fred Morrison/Gordon Duncan

These three tunes – a march, strathspey and reel – were shown to me by the Scottish

guitarist Tony McManus. Hecla is named after a mountain on South Uist. The Ramnee

Ceilidh was written by the late Gordon Duncan for a friend‘s wedding.

6 Si Beg Si Mor 2’15

Turlough O’Carolan, arr. Alesa Lajana

The translation of this Gaelic title is Big Fairy, Little Fairy. This is another tune written by

the harpist/composer O’Carolan with the encouragement of his patron George Reynolds

of County Leitrim. It is said to be the first song he ever composed.

7 Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1 2’47

Johann Sebastian Bach

I learned this piece from my friend and teacher Gerard Mapstone. It was one of the first

classical pieces I learned and reminds me of afternoons spent sipping endless moon-sized

cups of tea while he very patiently taught me how to sight-read and clap bulerías.

8 Autumn Child 3’23

Brendan O’Regan, arr. Alesa Lajana

I once saw a busker playing a dobro lap steel in the Brisbane subway and I instantly fell in

love with the sound. I soon had one myself and went about trying to play Celtic tunes.

My early explorations of this led me to arrange a number of Irish and Scottish pieces for

acoustic lap steel. This is one of my favourite examples.

9 Breizh/The Seagull 6’12

Fred Morrison/D. MacLeod

These were some of my favourite tunes when growing up. Breizh is a beautiful example

of the music of Brittany. The Seagull is a popular piping tune. I first heard both of these

tunes played by Tony McManus and was later lucky enough to learn them from him.

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Alesa Lajana

Alesa Lajana is guitarist, singer and composer of remarkable talent. Aside from her instrumental

work, she blends her intricate guitar skills with soaring vocals, enchanting audiences with her

original compositions and the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland and Eastern Europe. She has

performed at many festivals around Australia including the Woodford, Yungaburra, Port Fairy and

National Folk Festivals. Alesa has composed music for short films such as Aeroplane Dreaming

directed by Tristan Pemberton, and has appeared in concert with such artists as Scottish guitar

virtuoso Tony McManus, Jeff Lang and ABC Radio National presenter Lucky Oceans.

Alesa grew up in Southern Queensland, and from an early age showed promise in visual arts,

dance and music. At 16 she took up the guitar, inspired by some of the outstanding performers

she had witnessed at folk music festivals in Australia. She went on to study classical guitar with

Antony Field at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Alesa has been influenced by a wide range of musicians, from Bob Dylan to Agustín Barrios.

Her enthusiasm was sparked after listening to folk artists such as Béla Fleck, Bob Dylan, Jeff

Lang, Lúnasa, Tony McManus and Ani DiFranco. This led her to explore the traditional music of

Scotland, Ireland, Eastern Europe and Spain, as well as jazz and bluegrass. She also has a deep

love of both Western and Indian classical music. Her greatest inspirations to date are artists

such as John McLaughlin, L. Shankar, Dusan Bogdanovic, John Coltrane, Mark O’Connor, Edgar

Meyer and Yo-Yo Ma.

Today, Alesa enjoys playing in concert both in Australia and overseas. She works extensively in

the arts industry not just as a performing artist, but also as manager of the infamous Shenzo’s

Electric Stunt Orchestra, as well as performing with violinist Shenton Gregory.

www.alesalajana.com.au

Executive Producers Martin Buzacott, Robert Patterson, Lyle Chan

Recording Producer and Mixing Engineer Ben Stewart

Mastering Dave Neil @ Modern Mastering

Editorial and Production Manager Hilary Shrubb, Katherine Kemp

Publications Editor Natalie Shea

Original Cover Concept Alesa Lajana

Booklet Design Imagecorp Pty Ltd

Photography David Collins at Blackbox Photography

Recorded at the Independent Music Academy and Massive Studios in Brisbane.

I would like to express much gratitude to Christopher Melville, Bear Creek Guitars and Lance Litchfield for building

me such exquisite instruments. Special thanks to Ben Stewart, Dheeraj Shrestha, David Collins, Lucky Oceans, Tony

McManus, James Houston, Henry Prokuda, Wayne Cocherin, and Paul Favell for supporting this project. I would like

to thank my teachers Dave McGuire, Leo McFadden, Gerard Mapstone, Shenton Gregory, Antony Field, Maggie

Noonan, Donna Coleman and all the amazing artists I have met on my travels, for inspiring me to work really hard.

Lots of love to my family: Dad and Glenys, Mum and Ray, as well as the Borsboom/Jobst/Gregory clans. To my dear

mates from way back, Sophia, Kylie, Halo, Elleanor and absolutely everyone else whose names would quadruple the

word count that I am permitted. Last but not least, infinite love and sunshine to my beautiful gypsy husband Shenzo

Gregorio (aka Shenton Gregory).

Thank you also to all my fans and heroes. This project would not have been possible without your support

and inspiration.

Alesa plays Christopher Melville, Bear Creek and Lance Litchfield guitars.

(Tracks 6 and 8 were recorded on a Cort Dobro set up as a lap steel.)

ABC Classics thanks Alexandra Alewood and Melissa Kennedy.

� 2008 Alesa Lajana. � 2008 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Universal Music Group,under exclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion, publicperformance or broadcast of this record without the authority of the copyright owner is prohibited.

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