AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC
Jerry Garcia -> Woody Guthrie
| BOB GIBSON |
Riverside 9909 |
Riverside Folklore Series 1 - Joy! Joy ! |
● CD $16.98 |
27 tracks, 63 min., recommended A generous program of folk
numbers from the dawn of the mid-century folk revival, recorded by a young
Bob Gibson between 1956 and 1959. And like the music of many other late
50's and early 60's folksters, the selections and performances here are
youthful, energetic, and generally optimistic. Highlights include Joy
Joy, This Train, Abilene, Pastures of Plenty, Easy
Rider, Titanic, Lula Gal, Drill Ye Tarriers, I
Come for to Sing, Therešs a Meeting Here Tonight, Alberta,
and Mighty Day. A pleasing, upbeat, and rather polite program, from
the days before folk music was driven by anti-Vietnam War and more general
anti-establishment points of view, before it was socially unacceptable to
be happy. (DH)
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| STEVE GILLETTE |
Vanguard VMD 79251 |
Steve Gillette |
● CD $13.98 |
12 tracks, 36 min., highly recommended The digital reissue
of Steve Gillette's one and only album, at least that I know of,
originally issued in 1967. It's a particularly fine example of that small
school of folk/rock in which the folk styling clearly predominates even
with the expert and tasteful support of Bruce Langhorne's electric guitar.
Program highlights include The Erlking, Back on the Street Again,
You Don't Know Her Like I Do, the lovely Darcy Farrow, The
Bells in the Evening, Molly and Tenbrooks, and Many the
Times. Delightful story telling and lost love lamenting in largely
self-penned numbers. It's an album well worth buying whether you've worn
out your vinyl copy or you weren't even hip to it the first time around.
(DH)
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| TEXAS GLADDEN |
Rounder 1800 |
Ballad Legacy |
● CD $15.98 |
More gems from Alan Lomax. This collection features 37
tracks of this great Virginia singer - ballads, comic material, game
songs, country songs, a ghost story and several interviews. Most of the
material was recorded for the Library Of Congress in 1941 but the set also
includes four sides from 1946 with Gladden accompanied by her brother
Hobart Smith!
|
| STEVE GOODMAN |
Red Pajamas 003 |
Santa Ana Winds |
● CD $11.98 |
10 songs - Face On The Cutting Room Floor/ Fourteen Days/
Hot Tub Refugee/ You Better Get It While You Can, with vocal
assistance from Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris and others.
|
| STEVE GOODMAN |
Red Pajamas 005 |
Unfinished Business |
● CD $11.98 |
A fine collection of 10 songs previously unreleased by this
late, great Chicago singer/ songwriter. Goodman's recorded works spanned
some 15 years and his humor and pleasant character were forever present in
every musical style, be it the funky white boy blues, left of center folk
musings or country homilies. There is no info about recording dates but my
guess is the bulk of the material is from the early 80's and it's more or
less evenly split between Steve and a backing band, which inc. Jeff
"Skunk" Baxter (g) and 4 tunes recorded solo or with Jethro Burns
adding mandolin, one from a radio broadcast with Jethro, and My Funny
Valentine plus a very moving live version of Michael Smith's The
Dutchman are the solo's inc. here. The songs Steve recorded in a band
setting are divided between the obvious comedic vignettes - Millie Make
Some Chili & Don't Get Sand In It and the more successful
introspective & tender tunes In Real Life/ Whispering Man
(co-written with Michael Smith) and Colorado Christmas. Highly
recommended for any tied & true fan of Steve's, but if this is your
first taste of Goodman I'd suggest the marvelous
Santa Ana Winds (Red PJ's 003), his last gift before leaving us. (SG)
|
| STEVE GOODMAN |
Red Pajamas 006 |
The Best Of The Asylum Years Vol. 1 |
● CD $11.98 |
The main body of material on this retrospective is drawn
from Steve's more commercial era, '76 through '79. Three songs each are
pulled from "Words We Can Dance To", "Say It In
Private", and "High And Outside" plus one song from
"Jessie's Jig" from 1975 which is considered one of his best
albums. Critically these LP's were never consistently satisfying, for the
material was often hampered by schmaltzy production values. However there
are some bright moments - The One That Got Away, Banana
Republics, Hand It To You and Smokey Robinson's Two Lovers
are solid enough.
|
| STEVE GOODMAN |
Red Pajamas 007 |
The Best Of The Asylum Years, Vol. 2 |
● CD $13.98 |
This Hotel Room/ My Old Man/ Door Number Three/ Spoon
River and 8 more.
|
| STEVE GOODMAN |
Red Pajamas 009 |
The Easter Tapes |
● CD $12.98 |
19 tracks, 76 min., recommended In the mid-'70s, Goodman did
some live shows for WNEW-FM in New York on dj Vin Scelsa's Easter morning
show--it was a three year tradition. Scelsa taped the shows and then let
the tapes deteriorate, but through magic and technology most of the stuff
was saved. The performances range from Red Red Robin to Don't
Fence Me In to Splish Splash to Rudolph The Red-Nosed
(Easter) Reindeer to his own Somebody Else's Troubles and This
Hotel Room. What comes across again and again is Goodman's musical
genius, his disarming good nature, and the enormity of the loss that his
death to leukemia in 1984 represents. (Track 20 is an unlisted free for
all with David Amram and Goodman on Mama Don't Allow.) (JC)
|
| JOHN GORKA |
Red House 18 |
I Know |
● CD $15.98 |
Outstanding debut by this Pennsylvania folksinger and
composer. His 12 songs reveal a maturity in lyric content and
accompaniment that soon becomes a calming revelation with each spin on the
turntable. His vocal timbre brings to mind Bill Staines but his inner
rhythmic drive and strength of character is uplifting in its
individuality. His acknowledged inspirations range from Ray Charles to
Stan Rogers & Claudia Schmidt to Bill Withers. John has surrounded his
superbly crafted tales of the heart with a fine ensemble of musicians.
Firstly, there's the perfectly matched harmonies of Shawn Colvin &
Lucy Kaplansky who take 7 songs by storm, pushing them to new heights.
Guitarists Tim Pitt & Frank Christian team up with bassist and
co-arranger Janice Kollar & Howie Wyeth(d) producing a tight
foundation. There's a nice balance between ballads - I Saw A Stranger
With Your Hair , Out Of My Mind & Down In The Milltown
and the toe tappers, B.B. King Was Wrong (The Thrill Isn't Gone)
& Downtown Tonight . This LP is a cause for celebration, bring
on the next one. Kollar's production is top flight. Five stars. (SG)
|
| NANCI GRIFFITH |
Philo 1097 |
There's A Light Beyond These Windows |
● CD $15.98 |
|
| DAVID GRISMAN |
Rounder 0190 |
David Grisman's Acoustic Christmas |
● CD $15.98 |
11 carols and popular songs of Christmas performed by
Grisman on mandolin & mandola accompanied by various musicians on
recorders, fiddle, mandocello, guitar, bass, etc. - What Child Is This
/ The Christmas Song / We Wish You A Merry Christmas / Good Ki g Wenceslas,
etc.
|
| THE DAVID GRISMAN
QUINTET |
Acoustic Disc ACD 20 |
DGQ 20 |
● CD $29.98 |
3 discs, 39 tracks, 215 minutes, highly recommended So what
is "dawg" music? You could say it's a blend of bluegrass, pop,
improvisational jazz, gypsy, Klezmer, or that it's "new acoustic
music"..... but that wouldn't really describe it. I was a fan of the
DGQ in the '70's and went to their performances around San Francisco at
that time--but listening to this 20-year retrospective really showed me
what I've been missing since then. I came back into contact with the band
about four years ago when I was doing my first fund-raising on KPFA in
Berkeley with David Gans, producer of the Dead to the World show.
The DGQ were playing live in the studio, and we were doing everything we
could to convince listeners to call in subscriptions to our community
radio station. "How often do you get a chance to hear the David
Grisman Quartet play live?" I asked. Gans interupted me and said,
"that's Quintet, Sandy." "Ok," I addded,"For
those of you who know the difference between a Quartet and a Qunitet, call
848-5732." We got lots of calls. But back to the DGQ-20 three CD set.
The first disc (1976-1981) reminded me why I fell in love with the band in
the first place. As I drove from Berkeley down to the peninsula listening
to it, the second CD (1982-1988) made me fall in love all over again. I
was continually amazed at the variation and originality from piece to
piece, and I had to listen to cut 4, " Free Dawg Night" several
times. This was the beginning of a "free jazz" session,
resembling nothing that had been recorded by the DGQ before. "Steppin'
With Stephane" dedicated to Mr. Grappelli, is also a jumpin' cut. The
band gets pretty "out" around this time and you'll probably like
it a lot. They certainly take the ensemble to places that it hasn't gone
before. It's probably my favorite of the three discs. But then, the third
CD (1989-1996) is so good that you forget you're listening to it. You know
what I mean? It just completely becomes part of the room you're in and
seems like it should have always been there. The members of the band have
changed over the years, and many of them have become leaders on their own.
People who have contributed to the genius of the group include Todd
Phillips, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, Andy Statman, Joe Craven,
Jerry Garcia, Rob Wasserman, Stephane Grappelli, Vassar Clements, Kronos
Quartet, Norton Buffalo, and on and on. Jazzin' With Jazzbeaux is a
wonderful free-improv rap by Al "Jazzbeauz" Collins, now in his
70's and still going strong as one of America's great disc jockeys.
Grisman used to tune in Jazzbeaux's famed show from the "Purple
Grotto" in New York and was thrilled to meet him years later. This
three CD set comes with a well-conceived booklet that gives details of
each cut, personnel, dates, and many photos. A significant addition to any
collection, these discs cross and blend many boundaries, creating new
destinations all their own. (
SM)
|
| STEFAN GROSSMAN |
Shanachie 98011/12 |
Black Melodies On A Clear Afternoon |
● CD $15.98 |
|
| ARLO GUTHRIE
& PETE SEEGER |
Warner Bros. 3644 |
Precious Friend |
● CD $25.98 |
2-CD set of 26 songs recorded in 1981, with Pretty Boy
Floyd, Precious Friend, The Neutron Bomb, Wimoweh, Will The Circle be
Unbroken, If I Had A Hammer, Amazing Grace.
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Rounder 1036 |
Columbia River Collection |
● CD $15.98 |
In 1941 Woody Guthrie was commissioned by The Bonneville
Power Administration to write songs for a film to promote public power and
the Columbia River development. As part of the celebration of the 50th
anniversary of the BPA this album has been compiled featuring 17 songs
Woody wrote at that time - many of them from previously unissued acetates
along with songs from his commercial Folkways Recordings. Songs include Oregon
Trail/ New Found Land/ Roll Columbia, Roll/ Ramblin' Blues/ Hard
Travelin'/ Jackhammer Blues/ Grand Coulee Dam/ Ramblin' Round/ End Of My
Line, etc. Although Woody recorded many of the songs elsewhere some of
these versions are different to the familiar ones. A valuable addition to
the available recordings of this important artist. (FS)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Rounder 1040 |
Dust Bowl Ballads |
● CD $15.98 |
It's great to have this album available again after too long
an absence. Originally recorded for RCA in 1940 and released on a series
of 78s these recordings were made available as an RCA LP in 1964 but have
been out of print for many years. These were Woody's first commercial
recordings, he previously recorded for the Library Of Congress (soon to be
reissued on Rounder too) and subsequently recorded for various Moe Asch
labels. These feature Woody in his prime singing some of his most enduring
songs about the inhabitants of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl - I Ain't Got No
Home/ Vigilante Man/ Pretty Boy Floyd/ Blowin' Down This Road/ Do Re Mi/
Dusty Old Dust (So Long It's Been Good To Know Yuh). It also includes
Woody's remarkable Tom Joad, Parts 1 & 2 which was his 6 minute
synopsis of John Steinbeck's great novel
"Grapes Of Wrath" which Woody was inspired to write after seeing the movie
based on the novel. Excellent sound and informative notes by Dr Guy
Logsden. (FS)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Rounder 1041/2/3 |
Library Of Congress Recordings |
● CD $29.98 |
At last, the legendary 1940 recordings of Woody Guthrie, as
interviewed by Alan Lomax, are available again. Released in 1964 by
Elektra, this 3-CD set, full of Woody's reminiscences and ruminations,
interspersed with his unprecedented, hard-hitting songs and his versions
of American classics, spells out his "vision" in unsparing, but
utterly compelling terms, demonstrating his true greatness. (JM)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 40007 |
Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs |
● CD $15.98 |
14 classics on this Folkways reissue (originally Folkways
#2483). Hard Travellin'/John Henry/We Shall Be Free/Brown Eyes/Boll
Weevil Blues/Will You Miss Me? with Leadbelly, Cisco Houston, Sonny
Terry and Bess Hawes.
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 40025 |
Struggle |
● CD $15.98 |
Reissue of 1976 album (Folkways 2485) issued on the two
hundredth anniversary of the American Revolution featuring songs by Woody
about the struggles of the American working man. Several of the songs
were previously unissued prior to the release. Helping Woody on some cuts
are Cisco Houston/ guitar & vocals and Sonny Terry/ harmonica. Songs
include Struggle Blues/ Get Along Little Doggies/ Waiting At the Gate/
Union Burying Ground/ Buffalo Skinners/ Ludlow Masascre and others.
(FS)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 40046 |
Long Ways To Travel - Unreleased Folkways
Masters |
● CD $15.98 |
17 tracks, 55 min., recommended An invaluable addition to
the canon of America's preeminent folk songwriter: various tracks
originally recorded for the Folkways label, but rejected back then for a
variety of minor reasons such as a forgotten line or a song's failure to
fit into a projected album's theme. There is a previously unissued version
of Hard Travelin' here, but most of the selections are much less
well known: Farmer-Labor Train/ Harriet Tubman's Ballad/ Warden in the
Sky, and Kissin' On. The program includes duets with Cisco
Houston and Sonny Terry, musical accompaniment by those two plus Bess
Lomax Hawes and Butch Hawes, and several brief narrations. Not all
selections are complete. But so what? It's a lovingly presented
collection, several years in the making, with surprisingly good sound,
extensive liner notes, and several vintage photos. (DH)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways SF CD 40060 |
Ballads Of Sacco & Vanzetti |
● CD $15.98 |
12 tracks, 48 min., recommended The arrest, trial, appeals,
and ultimate execution that are commemorated here collectively point to a
dark chapter in American history, a time in the 20's when recent
immigrants and the labor unions that they supported were deeply distrusted
by many American citizens. In the hands of Woody Guthrie, the story of
Sacco and Vanzetti is told from a sympathetic point of view, of course,
and in the kind of specific detail for which some of the best of his work
is known. Track titles include The Flood and the Storm, Two Good
Men, I Just Want to Sing Your Name, Suasso's Lane, You
Souls of Boston. The last track is Sacco's Letter to His Son,
performed by Pete Seeger. Important topical music, composed and performed
in 1946-1947 in response to a suggestion from Folkways founder Moses Asch,
and offered here with a 24 page booklet that provides the necessary
background information. (DH)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 40100 |
The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1 - This Land Is
Your Land |
● CD $15.98 |
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 40101 |
The Asch Recordings, Vol. 2 - Muleskinner
Blues |
● CD $15.98 |
27 tracks from 1944 - 3 previously unissued.
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 40102 |
The Asch Recordings, Vol. 3 - Muleskinner
Blues |
● CD $15.98 |
27 tracks, 76 minutes, recommended Volume 3 of this series
of recordings made by Moses Asch during the 1940's focuses on Guthrie's
many topical songs referring to labor, social and political issues.
Guthrie was passionate about the plight of the poor and downtrodden and
his stinging use of humor and irony was never more clever or effective as
in this material. Many of these songs document the lives of the displaced
migrants and farmworkers of the Dust Bowl era, a life Guthrie knew first
hand, as in Oregon Trail and Vigilante Man. Others refer to
episodes of violence against the labor movement little known today, such
as 1913 Massacre and Ludlow Massacre. Other ballads and
talking blues touch on Saco and Vanzetti (Two Good Men), World War
II (When the Yanks Go Marching In/ Sally Don't You Grieve), and a
song written for Henry Wallace's 1948 presidential campaign (Farmer-Labor
Train). The only known recording by Guthrie of his classic labor song Union
Maid is also included. (DP)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 40103 |
The Asch Recordings, Vol. 4 - Buffalo
Skinners |
● CD $15.98 |
26 tracks, 74 minutes, recommended The final volume of the
series is comprised of material with a Western theme and includes Guthrie
originals and well as his versions of various traditional songs. Cisco
Houston and Sonny Terry accompany Guthrie on several numbers. Guthrie
plays mandolin on these tunes and on the instrumental Cowboy Waltz
he plays fiddle! This is not material usually associated with Guthrie,
adding to the interest of these recordings. Traditional songs found here
include Froggie Went a Courtin'/ Red River Valley/ Cocaine Blues/
Chisholm Trail/ Buffalo Gals, and I Ride an Old Paint; Guthrie
originals include Pretty Boy Floyd, When the Curfew Blows, Fastest
of Ponies, and others. All volumes of the series come with informative
booklets that include annotations and personnel for each song. (DP)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 45035 |
Songs To Grow On For Mother & Child |
● CD $15.98 |
Drawn from two Folkways albums recorded in 1956, these
simple but infectious songs are designed to be enjoyed by 4 to 6 year olds
and their parents, and illustrate another side of Woody's innate genius
for reaching people. These are by no means elaborate songs or nursery
rhyme sagas; that is clear from the titles. Grassy Grassy Grass/ Swimmy
Swim/ Rattle My Rattle/ Pick It Up and other songs are simple,
rhythmic, and are concerned with the events and actions in a child's
everyday life. The most famous song here Why, Oh, Why is about the
young child's insatiable curiousity, and has been recorded many times.
There are eighteen songs in all, and Woody's original notes explaining how
the songs could be best enjoyed by parents and children alike. (RP)
|
| WOODY GUTHRIE |
Smithsonian Folkways 45036 |
Nursery Days |
● CD $15.98 |
A companion to Songs To Grow On For Mother And Child
(#45035), this reissues 16 more Guthrie recordings from the Folkways
catalog. Wake Up/ Riding In My Car/ Put Your Finger In The Air/ Race
You Down The Mountain/ Sleep Eye/ Bubble Gum and more for the kiddie
set.
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