The Jewel FREE

About The Jewel

Reviews of “The Jewel”

"Richly textured, fresh sounding sonic tapestries."
--New Age Retailer

"Lovely...fresh... and a pleasure for anyone."
--Heartsong Review

"Excellent. I'll play more of it!"
--Mario Casetta, KPFK, Los Angeles

"A nice piece of work!"
--Wanda Fischer, WAMC, Albany, New York

David Savage: Biography

One scene from my childhood stands out vividly. I was seven years old. It was an afternoon in September, and I was home from school. In those days, the local high school band would practice their marching on the streets in my small town of Redmond, Oregon. This day, they marched right in front of my house playing “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”. I remember the excitement I felt as my brother and I got out our bikes and followed the band down the street. Somewhere inside of me I knew I would be a musician.

A few years later, I heard the music of Herb Alpert and fell in love with the trumpet. I played throughout high school in the concert and jazz bands. Also about this time, the Folk Revival of the 60's was in full swing and my mother used to take me to folk concerts. I soon bought a guitar and was taking lessons and playing Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan songs.

In college, I took an academic route and gave up the trumpet. However, another instrument was about to enter my life. One day while I was walking along a path at the annual Country Fair outside of Eugene, I heard the most beautiful sound floating on the wind. I followed it to a large weeping willow tree. There, in the shade of the tree, was a long-haired, bearded man playing a strange instrument. I was mesmerized. When I asked him what it was called he told me it was a hammered dulcimer. I said to myself, "Someday I'm going to learn to play that."

I finished my degree and spent much of my 20's wrestling with the expectation I had created for myself of going to law school. My heart wasn't in it, but I didn't know what else to do. Music certainly didn't seem like a serious option, yet it wouldn't go away, either.

Then one day I was walking down a street in Santa Barbara, California. I passed a music store and there in the window was--a hammered dulcimer! I went inside to look at it. It was $400. I had $500 to my name. I decided to spend my money before I did something practical with it, and soon I was carrying home my new instrument in a cardboard box. It was a decision I'll never regret.

Soon I had built my own dulcimer stand and was playing two hours a day (it helps to be semi-employed). A year later, I recorded my first album, "Carolan's Welcome", as a Christmas gift for friends. The next year, I recorded another album called "Rainshower", which featured original tunes and upbeat Irish music from a band I had joined. (Both of these albums remain on cassette only.)

Death brings a certain perspective to life. In 1989 my mother passed away. I had by this time become an elementary teacher, and I found myself asking, "What would I do if I had six months left to live?" My answer was to record a CD, so I left teaching and spent a year producing my album, "The Jewel".

CD in hand, I set about marketing it. I received some radio play and several favorable reviews (see excerpts). I even ended up on national TV—that’s story in itself! Sales were moderate, however, and money was soon running low. My wife—I was recently married—asked me to get a “real” job, and I agreed.

Fast forward thirteen years. I built a successful financial planning business in Oregon, and then moved to San Diego. For the past year I have been producing a set of compositions for TV and movies. And, I continue to play the hammered dulcimer. “What are you going to do with this one, precious life?” I sometimes ask myself. And the answer is, again, “create beautiful music”. May you also find the courage to pursue your dreams!

--David Savage