Dee Carstensen | |
---|---|
Born | Maryland | February 18, 1956
Origin | New York City |
Genres | Contemporary folk, New Age [1] |
Instrument(s) | Harp |
Years active | 1993– |
Labels | NYC Records, Exit Nine Records, Blue Thumb [a] |
Spouse(s) | Mike Mainieri (m.1993) [2] |
Dee Carstensen (born February 18, 1956 [3] [2]) is a New York City-based contemporary folk and new age singer/songwriter who is best known for her harp playing. [4] [5]
Carstensen was born on February 18, 1956 in Maryland and later moved with her parents and four siblings to Rochester. [3] [2] She started her musical interest by playing piano when she was 5 years old, and later took up stringed instruments when she was 8. [6] Part of her studies in the stringed instrument family included the harp, which was done with a harpist from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. [2] Carstensen described her relationship with stringed instruments as "love-hate", while she said her upbringing was "classical training" she was also listening to Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, James Taylor, and Jimi Hendrix. [6] Carstensen is married to vibist Mike Mainieri, who she says is the "single most important influence on her musical career." [5] [7] She cites this by mentioning 2 separate instances where she would "throw out ideas" and Mainieri offered his constructive criticism for her. [5]
Carstensen's debut came in 1993 with her album Beloved One, which was largely produced by Bob Marlette and included guitar work by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. [2] [6] Her second album called Regarding the Soul came out in 1995, and was produced by Neil Dorfsman. [2] In this album Dee integrated her singing, songwriting and harp-playing after "fooling around" with the instrument for a bit. [5] [6] Regarding the Soul was initially released under a subsidiary imprint called "Exit Nine Records" by Mainieri, and was later re-released in 1998 under Blue Thumb. [2] [8] Dee's third album called The Map also came out during this year which was released under a joint-venture agreement between GRP and Mainieri's NYC Records. [9] However, the Gavin Reports release schedule for the Summer of 1998 mentions Blue Thumb instead. [10]
Dee also recorded a children's album, Can You Hear Lullaby (2001), which featured guest vocals Everett Bradley, Curtis King and Julie Dansky and instrumental work by her husband.[ citation needed] Dee went back into the studio and recorded a solo album, Patch of Blue, which was released in 2005. [7] Unlike previous work, all eight songs were originals, except Fly Away whose music was co-written with her husband, who played vibraphone on the album.[ citation needed] Patch of Blue did not include any guitar work.[ citation needed] Instead, it featured Dee's harp and vocals, with backing from the Tosca String Quartet and several woodwind players.[ citation needed] Carstensen has been described as using her harp "like a guitar" in her folk/pop compositions. [11]
Year (release) | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
1993
[6]
|
Beloved One
|
NYC Records
|
1995
[6]
|
Regarding The Soul
|
Exit Nine Records
[b]
|
1998
[9]
|
The Map
|
Exit Nine/
Blue Thumb
[10]
|
1999
[3]
|
Home Away From Home
|
Exit Nine/Blue Thumb
|
2001
[12]
|
Can You Hear a Lullaby
|
Exit Nine/Blue Thumb
|
2005
[3]
|
Patch of Blue
|
Exit Nine/Blue Thumb
|
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Dee Carstensen | |
---|---|
Born | Maryland | February 18, 1956
Origin | New York City |
Genres | Contemporary folk, New Age [1] |
Instrument(s) | Harp |
Years active | 1993– |
Labels | NYC Records, Exit Nine Records, Blue Thumb [a] |
Spouse(s) | Mike Mainieri (m.1993) [2] |
Dee Carstensen (born February 18, 1956 [3] [2]) is a New York City-based contemporary folk and new age singer/songwriter who is best known for her harp playing. [4] [5]
Carstensen was born on February 18, 1956 in Maryland and later moved with her parents and four siblings to Rochester. [3] [2] She started her musical interest by playing piano when she was 5 years old, and later took up stringed instruments when she was 8. [6] Part of her studies in the stringed instrument family included the harp, which was done with a harpist from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. [2] Carstensen described her relationship with stringed instruments as "love-hate", while she said her upbringing was "classical training" she was also listening to Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, James Taylor, and Jimi Hendrix. [6] Carstensen is married to vibist Mike Mainieri, who she says is the "single most important influence on her musical career." [5] [7] She cites this by mentioning 2 separate instances where she would "throw out ideas" and Mainieri offered his constructive criticism for her. [5]
Carstensen's debut came in 1993 with her album Beloved One, which was largely produced by Bob Marlette and included guitar work by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. [2] [6] Her second album called Regarding the Soul came out in 1995, and was produced by Neil Dorfsman. [2] In this album Dee integrated her singing, songwriting and harp-playing after "fooling around" with the instrument for a bit. [5] [6] Regarding the Soul was initially released under a subsidiary imprint called "Exit Nine Records" by Mainieri, and was later re-released in 1998 under Blue Thumb. [2] [8] Dee's third album called The Map also came out during this year which was released under a joint-venture agreement between GRP and Mainieri's NYC Records. [9] However, the Gavin Reports release schedule for the Summer of 1998 mentions Blue Thumb instead. [10]
Dee also recorded a children's album, Can You Hear Lullaby (2001), which featured guest vocals Everett Bradley, Curtis King and Julie Dansky and instrumental work by her husband.[ citation needed] Dee went back into the studio and recorded a solo album, Patch of Blue, which was released in 2005. [7] Unlike previous work, all eight songs were originals, except Fly Away whose music was co-written with her husband, who played vibraphone on the album.[ citation needed] Patch of Blue did not include any guitar work.[ citation needed] Instead, it featured Dee's harp and vocals, with backing from the Tosca String Quartet and several woodwind players.[ citation needed] Carstensen has been described as using her harp "like a guitar" in her folk/pop compositions. [11]
Year (release) | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
1993
[6]
|
Beloved One
|
NYC Records
|
1995
[6]
|
Regarding The Soul
|
Exit Nine Records
[b]
|
1998
[9]
|
The Map
|
Exit Nine/
Blue Thumb
[10]
|
1999
[3]
|
Home Away From Home
|
Exit Nine/Blue Thumb
|
2001
[12]
|
Can You Hear a Lullaby
|
Exit Nine/Blue Thumb
|
2005
[3]
|
Patch of Blue
|
Exit Nine/Blue Thumb
|
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)