News and Comment - No 9

Voice of the People

Obviously, the individual CDs will be reviewed here (the first few are available via our special Voice of the People Index), but it will be a mammoth task and readers should not expect a complete evaluation for several months.  Time to save up those pennies ...

Across the Blue Mountains

Friday 15th January 1999    8.00 p.m.    Admission £2-50

Limited capacity - booking advisable 01452-526467

'Across the Blue Mountains' is an illustrated talk on Gwilym Davies' folksong field trips to the United States during the winter of 1997-1998.  During that time, he visited the Appalachian and Adirondack mountains and to meet and record traditional singers and story tellers.

The talk features photographs of the singers and of course recordings of the songs and stories, which include:

• The Cherry Tree Carol
• The Devil and the Farmer's wife
• The Handsome Cabin Boy
• Andrew Bergine
• The story of 'Tim and the Giant'
• The story of 'The Singing Bones'

Alan Lomax Collection

He also sent us a Press Release detailing the proposed 'tentative' schedule for further releases in the Lomax series - as follows:

January/February 1999 - Caribbean Voyage
Caribbean Voyage Sampler; Carriacou Calaloo; East Indian Music of the West Indies; Calypso at Midnight (double CD)

March/April - Deep River of Song
Black Texicans; Black Appalachia; Bahamas 1935: Chanteys and Anthems; Cajun recordings

May - Italian Treasury
Music and Song of Italy Sampler; Trallaleri of Genoa; Calabria

June - World Library of Folk & Primitive Music
Spain

July - Folk Songs of England, Scotland, and Ireland
Songs of Seduction

August - Deep River of Song
Mississippi Blues; Mississippi Saints and Sinners;

September - Caribbean Voyage
Roots of Carnivals: Trinidad

October - Folk Songs of England, Scotland, and Ireland
Classic Ballads I; Classic Ballads II

January 2000 - Caribbean Voyage
Carriacou Funerary Music; Carriacou Tombstone Feast

February - The Spanish Recordings
Aragon and Valencia; Galicia

March - Ballad Operas
The Martins and the Coys; The Chisholm Trail

April - Deep River of Song
Big Brazos; Virginia/Piedmont

May - Italian Treasury
Sicily; Emilia-Romagna

June - World Library of Folk & Primitive Music
Rumania; Venezuela (or Yugoslavia)

July - The Spanish Recordings
Andalucia: The Cities; Andalucia: Rural Folk Music

August - Portraits
Hobart Smith; Texas Gladden

October - Folk Songs of England, Scotland, and Ireland
East Anglia: The Blaxhall Pub Recordings; The British Folk Revival

Clearly there's a great deal to look forward to amongst that lot - and some never before released material in several of the offerings, it would appear.

A Festival of Village Carols

During the day there will be the opportunity to learn and join in with 15 favourite local carols from the Worrall area, both the singing parts and the instrumental parts (string and wind).   These will be performed at the Grand Sing in the evening, when there will be an opportunity to listen to the guest groups.   This year the guests are the Foolow Carollers from the Derbyshire Peak District, the Netherton Carol Band from near Huddersfield, and the Travellers Inn Carollers from Thorpe Hesley near Rotherham.

No special expertise is necessary, just enthusiasm for the local carols and a willingness to join in.

Enquiries: Village Carols, Bridge House, Unstone, Sheffield S18 4AF, UK or telephone Ian Russell on 01246 417315

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