Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too

Subject: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 29 May 05 - 02:10 PM

Yep, I got out to see Andy Cohen last night---a wonderful concert in Princeton, Illinois. I've always enjoyed the music made by this man ever since I first met him back in Chicago---the early 1960s---when I went to a party at his house where his friend and mentor, the Reverend Gary Davis, was staying and picking with Andy.

If you ever find yourself wondering what this wonderful Afro-American acoustic music called "the country blues" and "ragtime" and "country gospel" is all about, treat youself to one of his apearances. Hearing and participating in an Andy Cohen workshop or concert will give you a grand dose of that wonderful music played just about like a hundred or more of those people from the arly 20th century used to play it.

Andy is a musical way back machine, and an expert practitioner of his art. I enjoyed myself thoroughly--and learned some great stuff I never knew about several of my favorite artists!!

Today Andy is on his way to St. Louis where he is doing a concert and also some things at the home of Scot Joplin in that city. Be sure to hear him if you're in the area. He is a master of his collection of string folk instruments---and one of the few who plays the DOLCIOLA !!!

Love,

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: Bill D
Date: 29 May 05 - 04:58 PM

lordy, lordy! Saw Andy 2-3 times in Wash DC area in the 80s, and he is every bit what Art says...and more. He knows weird songs, as well as classics and does 'em all so well. And the guy will stand around and chat and share during breaks!

Good to know he is still at it...

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 29 May 05 - 05:20 PM

Bill, You're right. His shows are filled with fascinating and important details.

Andy drove me and my chair home to Peru after his concert, what with me not driving these days, and then he was heading back to Princeton for some sleep, and to get his stuff where he was staying. I really hope my directions back there were good. This morning I'm wondering about some of 'em!?

I picked up a CD of Andy's called "Ridiculous Instrumentals". Am really looking forward to hearing it.

Art

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 May 05 - 05:37 PM

I used to hear Andy for an occasional concert at the Ten Pund Fiddle in East Lansing when I was resident there. Glad to know he's still making music.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: DonMeixner
Date: 29 May 05 - 07:49 PM

I met Andy a few times in the early 70's at The Auburn Community College Coffee House. He gave me my first yodeling lessons and even let me play "The Twangoleum". Great meomries and a great musician.

Don

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should
From: GUEST
Date: 29 May 05 - 08:47 PM

Andy Cohen has few peers among white Jewish boys at singing black Christian songs.

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 29 May 05 - 11:24 PM

Guest,

You are correct! Andy has a great CD of Gary Davis' gospel songs---and he is the only one I've heard who can come close to Gary's technically very complicated accompanyments for those sacred songs. The base runs in those are just phenomenal. And last night he did some Joseph Spence tunes on guitar that outdid Ry Cooder's nice performances of those. Also did Booker T. Washington (Bukka) White as well--bottleneck on his resophonic guitar. (Fretless gourd banjo too.)

And talk about new info on old cherished musical "certainties":

Andy said that his research has shown him that, in spite of what everyone says and thought, Washington Phillips DID NOT PLAY A DOLCIOLA when backing up his gospel songs on those 9 old 78s he made. It was actually a similar instrument with a different name. His dolciola, which he loves and got back when he, too, thought Phillips was playing a dolciola, does have a piano-like keyboard. But the keys on the right side, where the treble keys would be on a piano, actually play several courses of 4 strings each that are tuned to chords. In that way, it is like certain zithers with sets of strings that are also tuned to chords.------------- The left side of the dolciola's keyboard is just like a piano's keyboard.

I hope that makes sense!

Art

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should
From: GUEST,Dale
Date: 30 May 05 - 12:40 AM

I recently read some research on that, Art. It agreed with what Andy said.

And I agree with you. Andy is first-rate. It has been too long since he has been to Mountain View.

I just looked it up, it's here ~~ http://www.minermusic.com/dolceola/phillips_study.htm
Quite a bit of discussion about Andy in there too.

I'm going to have to read it again. Thanks for jogging my memory, Art.

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should
From: GUEST
Date: 30 May 05 - 12:47 AM

Don't forget to check around on that site, especially this page. http://www.minermusic.com/dolceola/phillips_instruments.htm


This is interesting, too. http://personal.vallnet.com/mead/Dolceola.htm

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 30 May 05 - 01:14 PM

Dale,

It's good to know you are lurking out there---just waiting to pounce in when you want to do that.

Seeing Andy, and the fact that he pulled just about a SELLOUT crowd into the good size hall there in Princeton, gives me some faith that folks are possibly more interested in American roots folk music than I've given them credit for in recent years. It's not exactly a trend I don't think, but from where I sit here on the traditional side of things, it's nice to see nonetheless.

All the best,

Art

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should
From: Susan A-R
Date: 30 May 05 - 03:13 PM

Andy made it to beautiful down town Montpelier VT this winter and was great! a fine musician and a bit of a wild man, and yes, he does play that dulciola. He is also pretty quick at stripping a broken string out during a song, and replaciing during some of the fastest, funniest patter I've ever heard.

Wally MacNow said I had to go see him, and he was right.

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Jun 05 - 06:21 PM

Thanks, Art, for pointing me to your thread. He sounds like an outstanding performer. Wonder if he ever gets west of the Mississippi?

Thanks for all of the links, too, folks.

luvyakat

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: Arkie
Date: 01 Jun 05 - 09:41 PM

If anyone wants a sample of Andy's work you can go here Andy Cohen

Andy is number 4.   The whole site is interesting. I found it in a search for Appalachian music.

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: bill kennedy
Date: 01 Jun 05 - 10:36 PM

Proud to call Andy a friend, saw him in one of his old hometowns, Kent, Ohio, this past winter, always a pleasure, look for him if you get the chance

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should
From: GUEST,Dale Robin
Date: 02 Jun 05 - 05:53 PM

Glad to see all this interest in Andy's work. I have been a fan and pal for about three decades, and now I am helping him with his booking and PR. So if any of you old friends, fans and potential listeners care to help out an old folkiewho is sitll on the road, and have some suggestions of venues that still hire trad blues and folk players, give us a shout! Andy also offers amazing workshops for intermediate and advanced players.

Andy is at [e-mail] He'd love to hear from old/new friends and fans!
I'm at [e-mail]
Andy's website (in need of updating!) is at www.andycohenmusic.com

His new CD, "Ridiculous Instrumentals" is available at www.wepecket.com

OK, hype all done. Now, just a thank you on Cohen's behalf for all the nice comments. And, IMHO, that boy still has it! That's why I agreed to be his office slave (ugh!). And also his cheerleader. Well, me AND Art Thieme!
Cheers,
Dale Robin Lockman

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 03:39 PM

Andy's a great performer. Andy did a gig with Margaret and I in Kansas a couple years ago. We were going to give him a ride to St. Louis and then head to Chicago ourselves. We encountered car trouble. We limped to Columbia, Missouri where Andy called a friend of his, who told us where an auto parts shop would be that was open on Sunday. We figured out it was a thermostat problem. Andy bought us lunch, then fixed the car and was still offering to kick in gas money. We declined the offer. That repair stayed fixed till we got rid of the car a year later. Great talking music with him.

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 11:02 PM

If you book him, just pray that he shows up on time. He and Larken Brian Cohen were scheduled to play from 5:00-5:45 pm on Saturday at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival last year and didn't even show up until almost 6:00. The committee was awfully mad.

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 11:24 PM

I 've been known to be late once in a long while. Usually it was a busted thermostat (or water pump) like Phil mentioned. Lefty Frizell wrote a song about a lady friend who was "Always Late". (I had a gal like that once---every month it seemed.) Alas, we're all human--and merde happens.

Art

Subject: RE: Folklore: saw ANDY COHEN last night-you should too
From: Arkie
Date: 04 Jun 05 - 01:26 AM

I've booked Andy and Larkin Bryant Cohen several times and they arrived well before concert time.   We were very pleased with the performances.