With a career spanning more than thirty years, pianist/composer Paul Cardall has produced a very impressive body of work, and although I haven’t heard all of his albums, I think Ancestors could be one of his very best. Quoting Paul:

“Ancestors is a deeply personal concept album inspired by my own family history. It’s a musical journey honoring my ancestors who emigrated from the British Isles to America in the mid-19th century. My fifth-great-grandparents on my mother’s side, James and Mary Laird, left Liverpool with their two young children while Mary was pregnant. Unable to afford a wagon after arriving in America, they joined a handcart company and traveled west on foot in 1855, carrying everything they owned….I’m the fifth generation descended from those pioneers on my mother’s side, and this album is my tribute to the courage, sacrifice, faith, and resilience of those who came before us.”

While the piano is prominent in all fifteen tracks, the music becomes much more cinematic with orchestrations performed by the Stone Angel Music Orchestra. In addition to composing all of the music and playing the piano, Paul did all of the additional programming, orchestration, audio production, mixing and mastering. Some of the pieces were performed on a felted Steinway grand piano to soften the effect of the piano’s hammers hitting the strings, and other tracks have the piano unfelted.

Again quoting Paul Cardall:

“The album also asks a broader question: Who are we — not just where we come from, but who we come from? Modern research into epigenetics suggests that the emotional experiences of previous generations can leave biological influences that echo through descendants. Whether listeners connect through their own pioneer stories or entirely different family histories, my hope is that Ancestors encourages people to discover more about those who came before them, because I believe that when we understand our ancestry, we better understand ourselves.”

Ancestors begins with “The Letter Home,” a short piece that expresses a broad range of emotions including hope, sadness and optimism. “The Gathering” is much more upbeat with feelings of excitement expressed with sweeping strings and piano. “Father’s Blessing” is one of the pieces played on a felted piano. Gentle and very tender, it touches the heart deeply with its simplicity and sincerity. On “Hearts of Mothers,” the piano is unfelted, expressing the same kind of tenderness along with sweeping strings. The piece makes me think of the tremendous sacrifices pioneering women made and the hardships they endured. “Exodus” has moments that are very big and intense, and others that are more subdued - a very powerful piece and one of my favorites. “Western Winds” is more breezy than stormy, keeping everything in motion. “Mountain Meadows” is absolutely gorgeous with cello often in the lead - also a favorite! “Pioneer Orphans” will break your heart, but then “Small Wonders” brings us back to joy and optimism. Very spare - almost desolate - “Red Butte” is about a place where the pioneers endured tremendous hardship. Played mostly on guitars, it’s beautifully haunting. The more-orchestrated “Sweetwater” is also about very difficult times for the pioneers, but also expresses feelings of moving forward and not giving up. “Almost Home,” a delicate and very tender duet for piano and cello, is hope set to music. “All Is Well” marks the end of an arduous journey and the promise of new beginnings. Piano and strings convey those feelings with beauty and grace. “Grandma’s Hands” is obviously a treasured memory, expressed as a piano and cello duet. Ancestors comes to a soulful close with “The Last Leaf,” for piano and strings.

I have to say that listening deeply to Ancestors several times has been a profound experience that I very highly recommend. CDs are available from Paul Cardall’s website; the album can be downloaded and streamed on Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes, and it is available on many streaming platforms including Spotify and Pandora. It’s definitely one of Paul’s best albums and one of my favorites for the year!