Celtic Sentiments

Ventura resident and world traveler Celeste Howard is a songsmith and a habitue of that warm-spirited gray area where folk, world music--with a leaning toward Celtic--and traces of jazz meet. Call it post-folk, or, to broach that potentially pernicious term, new age.

She’s also a multi-instrumentalist who studied classical music, jazz and world music, sings and plays keyboard.

On her first two albums, her ear for jazz and other unconventional music was enhanced by special guests such as flutist Steve Kujala (once a collaborator with Chick Corea), Alex Acuna (once drummer for the late, great fusion group Weather Report) and Paul McCandless, whose own easygoing contemplativeness was heard in the folk-jazz-chamber group Oregon.

In her third album, “Celtic Blessings,” Howard mainly steers clear of jazz, offering varied music to drift off by. Although her voice is a warm, pleasant instrument on its own terms, some of her songs veer toward the sort of overly earnest folk that could scare off listeners disinclined toward irony-free sentiments.

Things get more interesting as the CD progresses and eclecticism emerges. For one, she dusts off that quirky jewel, Erik Satie’s “Gymnopedie #1,” in an unusual arrangement for piano, penny whistle and cello.

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The most intriguing instrumental track, and also the least typical, is “Blessing of the Elements/E-Jam,” a happy marriage of folk and Middle Eastern sounds.

Here, Howard sings a melody with an Indian flavor. In the “E-Jam” section, she plays an undulant theme on harmonium, atop percussionist Bradley Buley’s exotic rhythmic patchwork.

One of Howard’s distinct calling cards is her skill with the relatively obscure bowed psaltery, whose ancient Celtic roots have made it a staple of renaissance fairs.

A small stringed instrument played with a small bow, it offers a haunting sound, the ringing tones and ethereal timbre of which suggest a glass harmonica.

The last melodic sound we hear on the album is the bowed psaltery’s tone on “Greensleeves/What Child Is This,” giving a new-old twist to a song heard countless times.

Listen to the odd, alluring character as she plays the traditional tunes “Ten Penny Bit/Monk’s Jig” and “Southwind Air/Erin Shore”--the sound is at once fresh and other-worldly.

Music Academy Notes: The Music Academy of the West program is in full swing this week and includes a surprise addition. Famed mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, who has led the academy’s vocal program for the last few years and upped its already notable international reputation, will give a master class at Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre on Saturday afternoon. Her classes on campus invariably sell out, and this will be an opportunity to hear her in a larger venue.

That night, the orchestral parade will continue when the Academy Festival Orchestra (one of the youngest and best orchestras you’ll hear in these parts) performs at the Lobero under the guidance of guest conductor Peter Oundjian.

This week’s program is meat and potatoes: Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Sixth.

Chamber music, as performed by the Academy’s generally stellar faculty members, settles into the Lobero every Tuesday night.

This week, the program includes music by Martinu, Francaix and Dvorak.

DETAILS

Marilyn Horne master class, Saturday, 2 p.m.; Academy Festival Orchestra, conducted by Peter Oundjian, Saturday, 8 p.m.; “Tuesdays at Eight” chamber music; all at the Lobero Theatre, 33 W. Canon Perdido, Santa Barbara. Tickets for master class $15, concerts $25. 963-0761.

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Josef Woodard, who writes about art and music, can be reached by e-mail at joeinfo@aol.com.