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Our Review

What fun! Layne brothers Josh (harp) and Robin (percussion) make beautiful music together on "Christmas Time: Harp and Marimba." Although the harp is a relatively common instrument on Christmas albums, the marimba presents the odd, but welcome, twist on this disc. Josh is a well-established recording artist as a harp virtuoso. Brother Robin varies the mood with the expressive sounds of the marimba, which nicely complements the more classical tones of harp strings.

"Christmas Time" reflects a broad range of offerings, from the breezy ("Jingle Bells") to the contemplative ("I Wonder as I Wander"). Every song is familiar, and all twenty cuts are special. Most are duets by the brothers; they especially shine on "Medley of the Bells" (an unusual interspersing of five popular carols) and "Drumming Medley" (with drums brightly added to the mix). The brothers show off their individual talents on seven cuts: Robin provides fine percussion solos on "Let It Snow" and "Here Comes Santa Claus"; Josh demonstrates his exquisite harp skills on five numbers, including a breathtaking "What Child Is This?" and a stunning "O Come, All Ye Faithful."

Harp and marimba may initially seem like the "odd couple" of holiday instruments, but they prove to be the most compatible companions on "Christmas Time." If you're looking for a lovely instrumental collection with a unique approach, consider the Layne brothers this holiday season.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)

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From the CD liner notes:

"Christmas music is special to both of us. This collection features some of our favourite Christmas songs. On it are carols for solo harp - Carlos Salzedo's marvelous arrangements, including two of his Concert Variations (O Tannenbaum and O Come All Ye Faithful); a carol for marimba and drums (Robin arranged and played both parts!); and most especially, carols for harp and marimba. The harp and marimba are both unusual instruments. Together, they create a wonderful sound.

As you can imagine, there aren't any Christmas carols arranged for harp and marimba, so we did our own arrangements [except for O Holy Night].

It was great fun creating these arrangements and bringing them to life. I particularly enjoyed writing Medley of the Bells and fitting five carols together.

All told, there is quite a variety of sound and music on this CD. We hope you have as much fun listening to these songs as we've had arranging and recording them!"

About the musicians:

Josh (harp) and Robin (percussion) started performing together in 1997. Robin Layne (1982- ) says: "I started playing percussion at age 12 and have never stopped. I'll drum on anything, from books to tables. When I'm not playing music, I spend most my time writing, reading, and Latin dancing."

This is Josh Layne's (1977- ) first collaborative recording. His previous solo recordings include An Afternoon of Harp Music (one of the best selling harp CDs at Amazon.com) and his new release, Masterworks for Harp.

Josh and Robin Layne

Christmas Time--Harp and Marimba

Artist link

Track List