Ronn McFarlane, Carolyn Surrick & Jackie Moran - A Star in the East (2021)

Lutenist Ronn MacFarlane has a deliberate, meditative style that has long had a strong general appeal. But part of his genius is his ability to program pieces in a compelling sequence, and this aspect of his art seems only to be intensifying in his partnership with viola da gamba player Carolyn Surrick. This 2021 Christmas release, on the heels of their Fermi's Paradox album, offers an example, and it's an item that's likely to return successfully to the market in subsequent seasons. MacFarlane and Surrick begin with mostly traditional material, and the rest is so well integrated that the listener may not notice as the sources begin to diverge. There are original compositions by MacFarlane (including a couple of delightfully peppy ones) and Surrick, pieces with bodhran from Jackie Moran, familiar carols, an arrangement of a Samuel Barber Christmas song, and even Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. MacFarlane and Surrick are among the few players who could have pulled this tune off as a natural part of the program rather than an interpolated crossover item, and the program as a whole feels like a single gesture. Listeners' reaction to the sound will be individual; it is clear enough and has a pleasant holiday sheen, but it's a bit overresonant and clicky.