"Tour De Force"

Tour De Force Cover
Available as a CD, as a Flash Drive, or from digital media such as Amazon.com

Click Here To Order/Listen On Amazon.com

Click Here To Order a CD or Flash Drive


Here are just a few of the comments listeners have made about "Tour De Force":

Terrific! Wonderful! Stunning! Wow!
What a beautiful CD! Gave me goosebumps!
The instruments stand alone, and wed together like a delicious soup!
Excellent! Top Notch! Loved It All!
Tour De Force is 16 songs that are all great!

According to the Oxford dictionary "tour de force" is defined as "an impressive performance or achievement that has been accomplished or managed with great skill", and Greg Latta's latest release of the same name certainly meets that definition. The release features Greg on vocals and some 15 different instruments covering 6 different musical genres. 9 of the 16 tracks are winners of the distinguished Maryland State Arts Council Award in Non-Classical Solo Musical Performance.

 Instruments include the following:
Banjo
6-String Guitar
Bass
Cittern
Bouzouki
Recorder
Cajon
Banjimer
Harmonica
Tambourine
Train Whistle
Hammered Dulcimer
12-String Guitar
Northumbrian Smallpipes
Mandolin
Uilleann Pipes
 Musical Genres Include the following:
American Traditional/Folk
Classic Country
Celtic
Orignal
Pop
Bluegrass
Traditional 19th Century










Greg playing the hammered dulcimer
Greg recording "The Wake of the Storm" on the hammered dulcimer.

Contents:

*Winner: Maryland State Arts Council - Individual Artist Award In Non-Classical Solo Musical Performance

1. Walkin' Boss - Clarence Ashley* (2:38) - American Traditional Folk
Banjo, 6-String Guitar, Bass
A railroading song about laying track. The Walkin' Boss was the foreman in charge of the track laying crew. I learned this many years ago from the version sung by Doc Watson on "Memories".

2. The Butcher Boy - Traditional* (3:18) - American Traditional Folk
Cittern, Banjo, 6-String Guitar, Bass
A popular traditional song about love lost.

3. Just For You - Jim Eanes* (2:49) - Classic Country
6-String Guitar, Bass
A wonderful song from country/bluegrass artist Jim Eannes. I tried to keep this as close to the original classic country style as I could.

4. Tir Na Nog - Leo O'Kelly* (5:32) - Celtic
Bouzouki, Bass, Recorder, Cajon
A song from Irish mythology about the marriage of the great warrior Oisin and Niamh (a woman of the Otherworld) and their voyage to Tir Na Nog, the place where time stops.

5. The Whole World Round - Mitch Jayne and Joe Stuart* (2:39) - American Traditional Folk
Banjo, 6-String Guitar, Bass, Banjimer
I recorded this with Appalachian dulcimer on my earlier release "Headed for Home". This is a completely different version with banjo and banjimer. The banjimer is essentially an Appalachian dulcimer neck mounted on a tiny triangular body. I picked mine up while travelling on the Blue Ridge Highway.

6. Choo Choo To You - Greg Latta* (4:06) - Original
6-String Guitar - DADGAD Tuning, Bass, Harmonica, Tambourine, Train Whistle
I recorded and released this years ago on "Headed for Home", but I always wanted to re-record it with new instrumentation. The guitar is tuned in DADGAD, a tuning often used for celtic pieces, but it works here just as well.

7. The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot* (5:33) - Pop
6-String Guitar, Bass, Cittern
Gordon Lightfoot's famous song about the sinking of the ore freighter "Edmund Fitzgerald". The ship sank in heavy seas on Lake Superior on November 10th, 1975 with the loss of 29 men. I got my cittern specifically with this song in mind.

8. Wake of the Storm - Greg Latta (3:27) - Original
Hammered Dulcimer
My interpretation of a spring thunderstorm on the hammered dulcimer.

9. Five In Twenty-Four - Greg Latta* (5:39) - Original
6-String Guitar, Bass, Harmonica, Tambourine
A historically accurate song about the great 1936 St. Patrick's Day Flood in Cumberland, MD. I wrote this at the request of the Allegany Museum using written materials, pictures, and films provided by the museum.

10. Hannah - Harley Lee Allen, Debbie Nims, and John Harold Pennell (3:29) - Bluegrass
12-String Guitar, Bass
A song about a girl born and raised on a farm in Kentucky. She marries and has to leave. She longs to return, but in the end is only able to go back in her dreams.

11. Bonny Light Horseman - Traditional (3:53) - Traditional 19th Century
Northumbrian Smallpipes
A tragic lament from the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s.

12. In The Jailhouse Now - Jimmie Rodgers (3:56) - American Traditional Folk
Greg Latta: 6-String Guitar, Bass; Dean Shumaker: Mandolin
Many people have covered this song. It is often attributed to Jimmie Rodgers, but other versions were around long before Jimmie Rodgers recorded it in 1928. My friend Dean Shumaker plays the mandolin part. Dean passed away years ago, but I found this recording one afternoon while working on my computer. I am very pleased to include it in this album as a tribute to him.

13. Gotta Get Back To The Mountains - Greg Latta* (3:11) - Bluegrass/Original
Banjo, 6-String Guitar, Bass, Harmonica
I wrote this song many years ago. We often must move away from where we are born, and long to return later in life, especially if that place is in the mountains. The harmonica is a Hohner "Double Puck". Two small harmonicas mounted back to back, one in C, the other in G.

14. Forked Deer - Traditional (1:46) - American Traditional Folk
Dean Shumaker: Lead 6-String Guitar; Greg Latta: Backup 6-String Guitar and Bass
A popular traditional American instrumental played by my friend Dean Shumaker. Dean passed away years ago, but, like "In The Jailhouse Now", I found this informal recording one afternoon while cleaning up my computer. I had to include it in this album in memory of Dean.

15. Blackwaterside - Ron Kavana* (2:43) - Celtic
Uilleann Pipes
There are many rivers in Ireland. Ron Kavana wrote this song about the Blackwater River and living along its banks.

16. Simple Gifts - Traditional/Joseph Brackett (2:47) - American Traditional Folk
Hammered Dulcimer
A traditional Shaker tune played here on the hammered dulcimer. A great way to finish off the album.

Produced by Greg and Teddy Latta
Photography, Layout, and Engineering: Greg Latta
Copyright 2022 by Greg Latta

How to purchase "Tour De Force":

Click Here To Order/Listen On Amazon.com

Also Available from me directly as a CD or as a Flash Drive

"Tour De Force" is avalable as a conventional CD or as a Flash Drive for those who lack the ability to play a CD. Both are the same price.

The Flash Drive includes the following:
1. High Quality, fully notated MP3 files
2. CD Liner Notes in Microsoft Word (.doc) and Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf) formats
3. CD Artwork in Microsoft Word (.doc) and Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf) formats
4. Installation instructions in Microsoft Word (.doc) and Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf) formats

Use the order form below to order, or you can purchase Tour De Force from Greg personally at one of his performances.

Order Form

"Tour De Force" will eventually be available on iTunes and other on-line outlets for download. However, purchasing the music from me directly saves you the trouble of having to open an account or install an APP to download the music from one of the on-line music vendors. The cost per track is about the same as buying the music on-line, and you get the CD liner notes, CD artwork, and a flash drive to boot!


About the Artist:

Greg Latta is an award winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter who plays the hammered dulcimer, guitar, banjo, cittern, bouzouki, uilleann pipes, Northumbrian Smallpipes, harmonica, recorder, and Appalachian dulcimer. He is a past Mid-Atlantic Banjo Champion, a three time Mid-Eastern hammered dulcimer champion, and two time runner-up in the National hammered dulcimer championships held at Winfield, Kansas. He has won the distinguished Maryland State Arts Council Award in Non-Classical Solo Musical Performance three consecutive times.


Questions, Comments, and E-Mail

LetterIf you have any questions or comments, you can send E-Mail to Greg at:

glatta@frostburg.edu


Thanks for stopping by!

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