''Taproot'' is a recording by guitarist

Michael Hedges Michael Alden Hedges (December 31, 1953 – December 2, 1997) was an American acoustic guitarist and songwriter. Early years The son of Thayne Alden Hedges and Ruth Evelyn Hedges Ipsen, Michael Hedges was born in Sacramento, California. His l ...

released on the

Windham Hill Windham Hill Records was an independent record label that specialized in instrumental acoustic music. It was founded by guitarist William Ackerman and Anne Robinson (née McGilvray) in 1976 and was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The label was ...

label. It was a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nominee for Best New Age Album.

Reception

Music critic Vincent Jeffries, writing for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, wrote of the album "The music is touching in its purity and conveyance of honor and affection... With its yearning melodies and expressive yet mature emotional language, Taproot reinforces Hedges' reputation as a gifted, self-realized composer, musician, and human being."

Reissue

The album was reissued in 2011 by

Valley Entertainment Valley Entertainment is an American independent record label and music distributor based in New York City, United States. The company was founded in 1994 by Barney Cohen and Jon Birge. In 2001, it acquired the prestigious back catalogue of space, ...

Track listing

All compositions by Michael Hedges except where noted. *"Song of the Spirit Farmer" arranged by E. J. Ulrich. *Lyrics to "i carry your heart" by e. e. cummings. # "The Naked Stalk" – 1:43 # "The Jealous Tunnel/About Face" – 4:20 # "The Jade Stalk" – 3:55 # "Nomad Land" – 1:54 # "Point A" – 1:33 # "Chava's Song" – 3:14 # "Ritual Dance" – 2:17 # "Scenes (on the road to Shrub)" – 4:23 # "The First Cutting" – 3:02 # "Point B" – 1:57 # "Song of the Spirit Farmer" – 4:45 # "The Rootwitch" – 2:29 # "I Carry Your Heart" (Hedges,

e. e. cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

) – 4:55

Personnel

*Michael Hedges – guitar, vocals, bass, flute, tin whistle, synthesizer, piano, drums, percussion, sound effects *

Michael Manring Michael Manring (born June 27, 1960) is an American bass guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. Biography Michael Manring was born in Annapolis, Maryland,Tom Mulhern, ''Bass Heroes: Styles, Stories & Secrets of 30 Great Bass Players : from ...

– fretless bass ("I Carry Your Heart") *

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

– harmony vocals ("I Carry Your Heart") *

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...

– harmony vocals ("I Carry Your Heart") *Bryan Lanser – percussion, drums ("The Jealous Tunnel/About Face", "The First Cutting") *Mike Moore – clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone ("The Jade Stalk", "Nomad Land", "Scenes (on the road to Shrub)") *

Mindy Rosenfeld Mindy Rosenfeld is an American flutist, piper and harpist, noted as a founding member of the Baltimore Consort, specializing in Renaissance music. She is also credited as Mindy Rosenfeld Hedges. Life and career Mindy Rosenfeld, graduated with a Ba ...

– unspecified *Produced by Michael Hedges *Mastered by Bernie Grundman

References

1990 albums Michael Hedges albums Windham Hill Records albums {{1990s-electronic-album-stub