"50 years: Where do you come from? Where do you go?"
The New Lost City Ramblers
www.folkways.si.edu
Smithsonian Folkways
_______
This three-disc compilation showcases one of the most important and influential groups in the vibrant folk revival of the late '50s and '60s. Two of the discs contain Ramblers' recordings from 1958-1962 and 1963-1973, respectively.
The songs -- taken from recordings by folk and old-time pioneers like Dock Boggs, Roscoe Holcomb, Elizabeth Cotten and Rev. Gary Davis -- provided a blueprint for future musical archivists like Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, John Fahey, etc. TNLCR also was the first group to rediscover the work of West Virginia native Blind Alfred Reed.
In addition to familiar cuts like "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down," "On Some Foggy Mountain Top" and "Cotton-Eyed Joe," check out Mike Seeger's gorgeous "When First Unto This Country" and "The Old Fish Song," the spoken-word "Automobile Trip Through Alabama" and the Freudian "The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake."
Sadly, the group's 50th anniversary also was marked by the passing of Seeger, a longtime friend and contemporary of Hazel Dickens, who graciously presented Blind Alfred Reed's posthumous award at the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame's first induction ceremony in 2007.
nn
"50 years: Where do you come from? Where do you go?"
The New Lost City Ramblers
www.folkways.si.edu
Smithsonian Folkways
_______
This three-disc compilation showcases one of the most important and influential groups in the vibrant folk revival of the late '50s and '60s. Two of the discs contain Ramblers' recordings from 1958-1962 and 1963-1973, respectively.
The songs -- taken from recordings by folk and old-time pioneers like Dock Boggs, Roscoe Holcomb, Elizabeth Cotten and Rev. Gary Davis -- provided a blueprint for future musical archivists like Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, John Fahey, etc. TNLCR also was the first group to rediscover the work of West Virginia native Blind Alfred Reed.
In addition to familiar cuts like "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down," "On Some Foggy Mountain Top" and "Cotton-Eyed Joe," check out Mike Seeger's gorgeous "When First Unto This Country" and "The Old Fish Song," the spoken-word "Automobile Trip Through Alabama" and the Freudian "The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake."
Sadly, the group's 50th anniversary also was marked by the passing of Seeger, a longtime friend and contemporary of Hazel Dickens, who graciously presented Blind Alfred Reed's posthumous award at the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame's first induction ceremony in 2007.
nn
"What a Wonderful World"
Chick Maddox and Friends
________
I'm always a big fan of self-produced projects that serve as a vehicle for one person's passion and, just as often, their idiosyncrasies and eccentricities. "What a Wonderful World" easily meets all the above criteria.
Essentially, Maddox, a vocalist of sorts, has enlisted a cast of friends to record a dozen religious and spiritual tunes. The cast of players ranges from Kevin Miller, director of instrumental music at Elkview Elementary, "Mountain Stage's" Ron Sowell, singer/guitarist Mike Acruri (Holy Cow) and pianist Jack Kennedy to J.C. White (drums) and Arden Townsend (trumpet), both members of the Capitol High School band.
Maddox sets his sights on standards like "Peace in the Valley" and "Since Jesus Came into My Heart" as well as contemporary tunes like "Mary Did You Know?" The recipe is a full complement of instruments (including flute and trumpet) - sometimes all playing a bit haphazardly at the same time - and Maddox's half-spoken vocals, is an acquired taste at best.
The project is warmly reminiscent of the scads of self-produced gospel LPs of the '70s that were recorded at the Midway Studio in Hurricane. If not always in tune, Maddox's vocals never lack for determination and conviction. "The Old Rugged Cross" is spiced up by some Guy Lombardo-styled saxophone while my personal fave is the title track, a singular rendition of Louis Armstrong's hit "What a Wonderful World."
Maddox's repeated phone calls indicated the disc will be available at various retail outlets around town.
Post a comment