The Spontaneous Triad: 1986-1988

My graduate school-era trio in Madison, Wisconsin, with Mark Fulton and Rebecca Lee. We formed through our association with Madison’s Oak Apple Morris (Mark, foreman; Lynn, squire; Rebecca, musician) and explored traditional English harmony, early music, parodies, and even a little jazz. Our recording The Last Sheaf was Mark’s swan song before he headed to Sweden for Ph.D. work, while Rebecca continued with her jazz work to form a new quartet in Madison.



From the introduction to my first book of original songs, Songs My Paddle Sings:

"The Spontaneous Triad. That was the name of my favorite trio, the best friends I ever sang with, but it also seems to describe a lot about my music, my career and my life. How do all the parts fit together? Like chords. A chord isn't a single note: it helps to think in threes. Geographer, musician and environmental educator. Songs of waterways both fresh and salt, tales of adventurous women, and the magic of the seasonal round. Three-part harmony, three instruments (guitar, dulcimer, and voice), three cultures (American, English Canadian, French-Canadian) and plenty of spontaneity in all those triads and the harmonies they make."