Reviews

Music in the  folk idiom has always had a love affair with a sense of the mystery and spiritual power of the natural world. In Sian Jamison’s work, this becomes a full-blown wedding, of lyricism, melody and enchantment.

Ronald Hutton, Professor of History, University of Bristol. 

This delightful collection by Sian Jamison is truly enchanting. The book beautifully presents the lyrics and score of The Green Man and to bring the music alive a CD is enclosed, recorded to a very high standard.

The many aspects of the Green Man are explored through the music and song; from his sleeping season beneath the freezing ice, through to his springtime waking, the triumph of the May, and descent at the ebbing of the year. Created for The Green Man festival at Mount Edgcumbe in 2016 this collection would be the perfect inspiration of any number of community plays or musical gatherings either secular or sacred.

I’m sure Jack is flattered by these songs in his honour. Recommended.

Julian Vayne,  Museum educator,  independent scholar and author with over three decades of experience engaging with and writing about esoteric culture

Sian Jamison’s new collection of songs and poetry celebrating the British Isles’ tradition of the Green Man is an evocative magical artistic experience. From the opening bars, stunning harmonies of  voices weave together with stirring musical accompaniment to transport the listener. The music creates a world of ancient myth, Nature’s power and the Green Man’s mysteries. The instrumentation is both historic and post-modern — drums, pipes, strings; the melodies haunt and lead the mind and heart into misty near-forgotten paths of wonder, while also inspiring dance, ritual and celebration.

The songs Sian Jamison has created are perfect for use in ritual or for seasonal gatherings. They are adaptable to choreographed sacred drama, or for simple group harmonizing.

Francesca Ciancimino Howell PhD, Author of Making Magic with Gaia (Red Wheel / Weiser, 2002) and Food, Festival and Religion (Bloomsbury 2018)