After performing together for 18 years, Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel sound like a musical match made in heaven.
"I think it's some sort of, for lack of a better word, destiny," Rumbel said by phone from Seattle.
The acoustic duo -- Tingstad on guitar and Rumbel on oboe, English horn and double wooden ocarinas -- has a reputation as one of the most enduring and productive musical partnerships.
"We've tried bringing other people in, but it real ly worked out for Nancy and I to be the core," Tingstad said. "We had better luck with it, and people respond well to us as a duo."
Tingstad and Rumbel met at an outdoor concert in Oregon in 1984. When Rumbel and her family moved to the Seattle area a year later, Tingstad asked her if she wanted to work with him on "The Gift," a holiday album.
"When I came across Nance, we just had such a good time together. It became a good working relationship," Tingstad said.
Although they come from diverse backgrounds musically, Tingstad said there seems to be a common thread between them. They both like solid arrangements and strong melodies.
"Our personalities seem to mesh real well," Tingstad said. "Humor's a big part of what we do."
Rumbel thinks one of the reasons they've established such a good working relationship is because they both have families and understand the importance of putting in time with the kids. She said they each have progressive spouses who are supportive of their music. Tingstad's wife, Carol, is their booking agent.
Tingstad and Rumbel perform about 60 concerts a year, using material from 14 albums. The duo received a Grammy nomination this year for best New Age album for their latest, "Acoustic Garden."
Rumbel said the nomination came as a total surprise.
It started with a call at 6 a.m. last month from Rumbel's New Age artist friend, Robin Spielberg. It was early, so Rumbel and her husband, Ron, let the answering machine get it. Later, Rumbel played the message. Her friend said she'd just called to congratulate her on the good news. Only she didn't say what the good news was. Rumbel had a hunch.
"I went online and saw that we'd been nominated and called Eric up at home, and we were jumping up and down," Rumbel said.
"Acoustic Garden" is special not only because of its Grammy nomination but because Tingstad and Rumbel are avid gardeners. A limited edition of the album includes the first-ever plantable CD cover.
"I feel like I'm the Bonnie Raitt of the (New Age) music industry," Rumbel said. "I'm 51, I've been plugging away for years. I remember when (Raitt) was nominated for 'Nick of Time' and she was like, 'It's about time.' It was just really a treat to get nominated."
Tingstad and Rumbel are performing in Anchorage Saturday, Feb. 15, in conjunction with the Alaska Presenters Conference.
They will play tunes from a smattering of albums -- primarily "Acoustic Garden," "Paradise," "Pastoral" and "Woodlands." Rumbel said they tell stories between pieces.
The duo has played in Dillingham, Homer, Naknek, Valdez and Juneau. Rumbel said she loves coming to Alaska.
"It's great," she said. "Everyone's always so nice up there."
In fact, Rumbel's coming to Anchorage early with a hidden agenda.
She befriended Tom and Cynthia Smith of the North Country Workshop during a concert in Nak nek. For the past several years, they, along with Anchorage craftsman John Hartvigson of
Woodworkers Dream, have worked together to create wooden double ocarinas. The ocarinas are a form of man's oldest flute.
Rumbel said that the instruments she plays are unusual, which is all the more reason why she was excited to get the Grammy nomination: "Most nominations go to the singers. For me, as an instrumentalist, I'm just thrilled."
After Anchorage, Tingstad and Rumbel will make a brief trip back to Seattle before heading to New York to attend the Grammy ceremonies on Feb. 23.
"I'll come home for a day or two, you know, wash my socks and head out," Tingstad said.
TINGSTAD and RUMBEL play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Sydney Laurence Theatre in conjunction with the Alaska Presenters Conference. Tickets: $20 through Metro Music & Book and CarrsTix.
