Leaves From Off The Tree

Leaves From Off The Tree is a three-way project of Sharron Kraus, Meg Baird & Helena Espvall (Espers). This is a beautiful recording of traditional folk material, with the most stunning singing and arrangements of some of England and Appalachia's finest songs. "The songs on this record were recorded after many an evening swapping songs (and beers!) in Fishtown, Philadelphia, where Sharron had moved from her native England, and Meg and Helena were already installed. Meg and Sharron both had traditional music backgrounds and would meet up and teach each other Appalachian and English ballads, and improvise harmonies and alternate melodies. At some point Helena was invited along and her voice and cello added a rich new layer. We wanted to record the songs in a way that would capture the relaxed atmosphere of our gatherings, so we recorded all nine songs live in one afternoon."