“We just kind of did this album with no thoughts of any kind of long-term collaboration,” said guitarist Eric Tingstad of “The Gift,” the now classic Christmas album he made with partner, Nancy Rumbel, in 1985.
“When everybody acknowledged they liked what we did and it made them happy, we decided we’d make another one,” Tingstad added.
Released only in the Pacific Northwest, “The Gift” was a big success, initially selling some 10,000 copies in 10 weeks. Tingstad and Rumbel now have 19 albums to their credit and brought home a Grammy Award for “Acoustic Garden” in 2003.
While Tingstad plays Americana fingerstyle guitar, Rumbel’s contributions include various wind instruments from oboe to English horn to the somewhat exotic ocarina.
Along with longtime bassist Garey Shelton, Tingstad and Rumbel will bring a holiday show to Bothell’s Northshore Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19.
Tingstad said the Bothell show will consist of plenty of holiday music along with selections from their latest CD, “Leap of Faith,” which came out about a year ago. Tingstad said the holidays are definitely the busiest time of year for the duo, with tour dates that continue into February. People get into a certain mindset around the holidays, Tingstad asserted.
“And certainly what Nancy and I create is warm and cozy,” he said.
Tingstad added many people still equate the duo with “The Gift,” despite it having been released almost 25 years ago.
“It had a really unique sound,” Tingstad said. “It really sounds like Christmas.”
Tingstad grew up in Seattle and attended Western Washington University where he studied classical guitar. He doesn’t use a pick when he plays, utilizing his fingers — even his pinky — instead. The playing style allows him to play more than one musical line at once, producing a melody with one finger and a different harmonic with another. He compared the technique to playing a piano.
“It can kind of get pretty complicated,” Tingstad said, but he believes the result is a richer, fuller sound. While Tingstad and Rumbel have concentrated on acoustic instrumentals, Tingstad lists influences ranging from Ravi Shankar to Led Zeppelin.
“You know, Jimmy Page was such an innovative guitar player,” Tingstad said, adding he and the hard rocker use the same technique to tune their instruments.
As for Rumbel’s contributions to the partnership, the oboe and the English horn are pretty traditional. So actually is the lesser-known ocarina, probably one of the oldest instruments on the planet, Tingstad said.
A type of flute, the ocarina can be made to sound like a number of other instruments from a high-pitched penny whistle to a Peruvian pan flute.
With a solid background in American acoustic music, Tingstad and Rumbel nevertheless mad a splash a few years back in a seemingly unlikely spot. Ready to tour in Korea, they decided to learn a traditional Korean song, “Spring Maiden.” In 2007, they were asked to perform it on stage at the Ho-Am Prize ceremony, Korea’s national equivalent of the Nobel Prize, given out for societal contributions.
“It’s a pretty big deal over there,” Tingstad said, adding a video of the duo’s version of “Spring Maiden” ended up on the Web site of the country’s cultural ministry.
Closer to home, Tingstad feels Americana is getting more and more popular, with radio stations even switching to all Americana formats and featuring such artists as Alison Krauss and Bob Dylan. The Grammys have added an Americana category. Still, Tingstad said he and Rumbel are more than open to different musical approaches.
“We’re always experimenting, always trying new things,” he said.
Tickets for the Bothell show are $15 to $25 available online at www.npacf.org or by calling (425) 408-7988, noon to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday.
