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Our Review

The elegant simplicity of Becky and Ernie Brock's excellent Comfort and Joy wrapped me in a cozy blanket of cheer for nearly an hour this evening. How I love this kind of holiday music! The instrumentals do not incorporate the electronic glitz associated with synthesizers; instead, the honest acoustics of Celtic harp and flutes surrounded me like old friends, serenading me with sweet duets on some of my favorite holiday pieces. The Brocks' artful arrangements made every moment worthwhile, and the musicianship of these super studio music teachers made me grateful to have the opportunity to review releases like this one.

Comfort and Joy is consistently strong throughout, but I particularly enjoyed the medleys. On most of these selections, the Brocks cleverly grafted two carols together (on Angels, more songs were stitched in the quilt), a process that in less accomplished hands might yield a Frankenstein's monster. Not so here--in fact, I thought these tracks were exceptional. First, the always lovely Carol of the Bells opens the album as a gorgeous match for God Rest Ye Merry; the interplay of the two melodies made me treasure both even more. For the next medley, I Saw Three Ships and Arran Boat Song make a stunning combo, with the very cool opening bars presenting a subtle statement through shifting major/minor structures. The tune took me back in time (as great music often does). Perhaps 45 years ago, when I was a young girl, I played a solo xylophone part on I Saw Three Ships in the elementary school gymnasium under a hot spotlight, and the memory feels like yesterday. I loved the song then, and I love it still. The exotic We Three Kings/Orientale medley is a most natural meld; it put me on a camel searching for the eastern star. The final medley (Masters in This Hall/March of the Kings was another winner, exuding a royal flavor and marching, marching, marching forward.

Comfort and Joy comes to a perfect close with The Cherry Tree Carol, another personal favorite, and I hated to have the music end. There is something uniquely charming and compelling about the marriage of musical instruments like these on ancient holiday favorites. Becky and Ernie Brock's exquisite performance projects a sweet innocence that successfully offsets the harsh complexity of modern life. Be carried away!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2007)

Our Review

I've been listening to Becky and Ernie Brock's Comfort and Joy for the past two days (at 56 minutes and 19 tracks, this is a complete listening experience). It is impressive in how it manages to maintain such a high level of musicality with such simple arrangements of classical instruments. Over the past 15 years, "Celtic" has become something of a code word for "new age". The music of Comfort and Joy aligns much more with the first meaning of Celtic, which designates a traditional form of music originating in the British Isles and played on ancient or medieval instruments, such as celtic harp, panpipes, portative organ, and clay flute.

I found the entire CD enjoyable and relaxing. Though the arrangements are simple, they are rendered with a high standard of musicianship and convey great respect, both for the instruments themselves and for the Christmas carols they are called on to play. I thought the CD worked well as a whole, but my favorite individual piece was We Three Kings/Orientale, which featured some authentic-sounding medieval phrasing on the Celtic harp.

Released in 1992, Becky and Ernie Brock's Comfort and Joy is still quite relevant. This recording is de rigueur for fans of Celtic Christmas music, and quite the enjoyable listen for everybody else.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

Produced by Ernie and Becky Brock
Recorded at Arrière-cour Productions, Panama City,Florida
Cover art: "Arise! See His Star!", serigraph, copyright © 1990
A special thanks to our friend and recording engineer, Henry Warner, without whose technical wizardry there would have been far less comfort and joy in making this recording.
Neo-Celtic lever harp and portative organ by Robert CUnningham, Atlanta, Georgia
Wooden flute (Boehm system) made in 1913 by Wm. Haynes, Boston, Massachusetts
Clay flute by Doug Diehl, FLorence, Massachusetts
Panpipes by Kobliczek
Piccolo by Artley
Alto recorder by Moeck

This recording was made with a Panasonic 3700 DAT recorder, a pre-amp, and two microphones. No tracks were used and all playing was simultaneously recorded in the same room.

Becky Brock and Ernie Brock

Comfort and Joy

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Track List