Wind & Fire Duo feat. Mark Holland & N. Scott Robinson
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Using instruments from Africa, India, North America, South America, Ireland, Asia, the Middle East and more, a new voice in world fusion music is created by the lyrical melodies of Native American and world flutes blending with the rhythmic colors of percussion. Together, Mark Holland’s and N. Scott Robinson’s thoughtful compositions and inspiring improvisations bring a musical breakthrough.
Mark Holland’s evocative melodies and improvisations feature him on an array of Native American flutes (single and dual chambers,) Anasazi flute, and world flutes such as the Indian bansuri, Chinese dizi, and the Andean quena, as well as an ultra-low C flute (the lowest played) Buffalo Horn flute, Springbok Horn flute, and more. In all, he uses more than 20 different flutes on the Wind & Fire album.
Holland is considered by many well-known authorities on the Native American flute to be among the top flutists performing and recording today. Known for his unique style of playing from the heart and for his soulful, sensuous style of improvisation, he has released more than 15 CDs on his Cedar n Sage Music label. A native of Saint Louis, he has shared the stage with R. Carlos Nakai, Bill Miller, Mary Youngblood and Oregon, among others. Holland also has a signature series flute made by Spirit of the Woods Flutes as well as a songbook, Song For All Seasons (published by the Oregon Flute Store).
N. Scott Robinson’s fiery improvisations and colorful rhythmic textures feature him on a variety of frame drums (Irish bodhran, Indian kanjira, Azerbaijani ghaval, Arabic riqq), African finger pianos (Zimbabwean mbira dza vadzimu and Central African sanza), Brazilian berimbau (musical bow), Indian tabla, Tuvan overtone singing, melodic vocals, Brazilian caxixi, Milltone metal slit drum, Australian didjeridu, donso ngoni (a harp from Mali), hindewhu (Central African Pygmy whistle), and a variety of world percussion insturments. . In all, he incorporates more than 30 different sounds on the Wind & Fire album.
Robinson brings an enormous breadth of diverse experience in world percussion traditions to the stage and the classroom. He currently teaches world music as well as American and popular music at Towson University in Maryland. He has performed with a long list of instrumentalists, composers, vocal artists and ensembles, including Benny Carter Big Band, The Cleveland Orchestra, Glen Velez, Marilyn Horne, Paul Winter Consort, John Cage, George Crumb, Annea Lockwood, Howard Levy, Mark Holland, Peter Mayer, Malcolm Dalglish, Gerald Alston, and Jeanie Bryson, among others. Robinson’s music has been released on two CDs by the German label, United One (World View in 1994 and Things That Happen Fast in 2001), and 13 scores of his compositions have been published by HoneyRock Publishing (2003) and New World View Music-BMI (2004 and 2009). His instructional video, “Hand Drumming: Exercises for Unifying Technique” (1996), was published by Wright Hand Drum.
