Mary Lea
Mary Lea
Classically trained from a musical family, Mary has been playing dance music professionally since 1977. A year later she joined two Boston-based bands, one playing New England contra music, the other English country dance music. She has been performing with these groups ever since. Yankee Ingenuity runs weekly dances which are known nationally as representing the best of New England square and contra dance music and calling. The band has toured nationally and in England and has two recordings, one of which is 'Heatin' Up the Hall'. The other band, of course, is Bare Necessities.


Since 1983, Mary has also played couple and quadrille music of the 19th and early 20th century, including ragtime, tango and blues music. Her band for this, BLT, has one recording on its own and is also featured as the primary musicians on Mary's own productions Cascade of Tears and Gypsy Wine (more information below). The group toured in Czechoslovakia in 1992 and has also played throughout the United States at many dance camps and weekend events. Mary also has played with the contradance band Wild Asparagus and performs South American music of Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela with the band Cafe Paradiso. She is also a member of the English Country Dance band MGM with Gene Murrow and Margaret Ann Martin and of the eclectic string ensemble Childsplay

Recordings:
CASCADE of TEARS  &  GYPSY WINE

Two collections of couple dance music (15 waltzes, tangos, polkas, one-steps, schottisches, polskas, zweifachers, & more on each recording) beautifully produced and arranged by Mary Lea and the musicians she works with. Both CDs include well-known dance musicians from around the country: Peter Barnes (piano, flute), Ruthie Dornfeld (violin), Jeremiah McLane (accordion), Bill Tomczak (clarinet, saxophone), Ralph Gordon (bass), Colin McCaffrey (guitar), Mary Lea (violin, viola), and more. All selections are for both listening and dancing enjoyment. The tunes are from many different countries, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, Ukraine, the U.S., and others, and reflect the character of these various musical traditions.
 

GREEN MOUNTAIN

New England Contra Dance music from Great Meadow Music.
 

MEASURED OBSESSION

English Country Dance Music for the dances of Fried de Metz Herman, with MGM (Mary Lea, Gene Murrow and Margaret Ann Martin)

and

OLD FRIENDS

More English Country Dance Music for the dances of Gary Roodman, with MGM.
 

also her three recordings with

CHILDSPLAY

(Childsplay, The Great Waltz and Childsplay: Live!)
for more info see Childplay's web site at http://childsplay.editthispage.com/
 
 
 

All of these items can be ordered by mail. Please send your order and a check (drawn on a United States Bank and made out to Mary Lea) to:
Mary Lea
45 Cherry Street
Brattleboro, Vermont
USA 05301
Compact Discs are $15.00 apiece plus $1.50 for postage (Fourth Class).
Cassette Tapes (Cascade of Tears only) are $10.00 each plus $1.50 postage (Fourth Class).
For additional items in the same shipment add .75 each


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