My friend Stu Jamison wrote recently. He's not (yet) a Mudcatter, but gave me permission to quote parts of his letter...some of you may be interested. He hopes to get his collection tapes of the late Rufus Crisp (great banjo-player and old-time musician) onto CDs, but is currently held up by lack of permissions, etc. More about that as it develops. Meantime, he thinks that the next best thing might be:

"For a couple of years Mike Seeger and other banjo scholars have urged me to make a video of Rufus' techniques and deposit it in the Library of Congress. Rufus' stuff is so decorated and complex no one can figure it out by listening. Because of my Parkinson's tremor and lack of coordination I stalled them all. Now, because of the results of my deep brain stimulator operation I've got to get going. I am the only living person who learned directly from Rufus. The problem is that videotape is not good for archiving; it loses its volatile plasticiser within 15 years and becomes brittle. A DVD should last 200+ years if taken care of.

Problem: it requires digital video recording...involves studio grade videocameras which rent for $240 to $450 pr day. Amateur DV camcorders fairly good, but no rental co. carries them as they're not studio quality. But digital has benefits- easy to edit so I can show two views of the hands at once onscreen. If...a couple of people could loan DV camcorders, that would take care of a large expense. There'd still be editing-technician's time charges and cost of one DVD. Lots of people want a videotape and would be happy to pay extra to help out. I'm thinking of going the grant route. Any ideas?"

Stu and two other musicians have three songs on MP3 (look for "Stu, Tom & Bill")and plan a total of 23, "so people can download them for a fee- I think twelve dollars- and burn their own CD...artists get 50%. They come with song remarks, bios and history of the 'lost' recording, and cover drawing."

Stu is a grand person and passionately dedicated to old-time music. If you don't know him, you ought to. Let's hope he'll soon join in here at Mudcat. Jean