Arcanum (stylized as a͡rcānˈum on the cover) is the ninth album by Acoustic Alchemy, released on June 18, 1996. It would be their penultimate release on the GRP jazz label.
The production on this album differed from normal; the band recorded the disc live at Pinewood Film Studios, London, UK. They enlisted the help of the London Metropolitan Orchestra to provide backing.
The album contained twelve tracks, three of which were new ("Columbia", "Chance Meeting" and "Something She Said"), and the others re-recordings of tracks selected from the band's discography to this point.
Footage from some of the recording of this album appears on the GRP video release, "Best Kept Secret" (VHS 1998, DVD 2006).
Contents
Personnel
Acoustic Alchemy
Greg Carmichael – acoustic nylon guitars
Nick Webb – steel string acoustic guitars
John Parsons – acoustic guitars, electric guitars
Dennis Murphy – bass guitar
John Shepard – drums
Mario Argandoña – percussion
The London Metropolitan Orchestra
Caroline Dale – cello, string arrangements
David Daniels – cello
Andy Brown – viola
Yuko Inoue – viola
Rosemary Furniss – violin
Elizabeth Layton – violin
Cathy Thompson – violin
Jeremy Williams – violin
Production
Steven Jones – producer, engineer, mixing
Klaus Genuit – engineer, mixing
Randy LeRoy – digital editing at Final Stage Mastering (Nashville, Tennessee, USA)
Denny Purcell – mastering at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, Tennessee, USA)
John Shepard – art direction
Laurie Goldman – graphic design
Linda Schwab – artwork, CD illustrations
Craig Oddy – photography
Stewart Coxhead for The Art and Music Coorporation, Ltd. – management