Review: PHILLY FOLKSONG SOCIETY Reviews

Subject: Chulrua CD: "Down the Back Lane"
From: Fortunato
Date: 27 Nov 03 - 07:29 AM

While we are in a Hibernian state, I am tickled green to report a new release from Chulrua, the finest traditional Irish trio
in Iowa (and, possibly out of Iowa, too). Chulrua is button accordionist, Paddy O'Brien, guitarist/singer, Pat Egan and
Tim Britton who plays everything else. Their striking and skillful approach to their music is fitting match to their deep love
and understanding of the material and the culture it represents. If you are a fan of the real Irish dance tune, this will be a vital
addition to your collection. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that I am not a disinterested observer of Tim Britton's
work. I confess that I have known Mr. Britton all his life. I often boast that I gave him a few bass lessons before he found his muse.
(It should be mentioned that bass is one of the very few instruments that he doesn't play on this CD). My tutelage, alas, had
nothing to do with his development as a world class Uillean piper and as fine a penny whistler. He even tears off some solid
mandolin work on this dynamite CD: "Down the Back Lane", which is available from Shanachie Entertainment,
www.shanachie.com or from Tim and Paddy at www.chulrua.com.

--- Michael Miller, Tune-Up, a publication of the Philadelphia Folksong Society

Subject: Zan Gardner: Here's My Heart
From: Fortunato
Date: 02 Jan 04 - 09:05 AM

There's snow business like show business...
ZAN GARDNER: Here's My Heart

While a pessimist sees his glass as half empty and an optimist sees his glass as half full, and, while a mechanical engineer thinks his glass is twice as large as is needed, I am happy to report that my glass runneth over. My spirits are higher and my poundage is lower. I love my friends and they adore me. What more can I ask? My producer swears that we are almost done the CD. (Well, in truth, he's been saying that for months, but this time, I believe him). I am still searching for that one, perfect critic to review the finished product. So far, my list includes John Simon and me.

I have no traditional music to report on, this month, but a few CDs are of such merit that they deserve mention and comment. Some time ago, I reviewed two folk/jazz crossovers and wrote that the line between blues and jazz is no thicker than the linebetween Old Timey and Bluegrass. Once a traditional genre becomes commercial its evolution is inevitable. If Robert Johnson's music was the father of Mississippi John Hurt, it also sired the slickness of Josh White, the tenderness of Joe Williams and the power of James Brown. Without the roots of Delta Blues, there would have been no Bessie Smith, no Ethel Waters, no Billie Holiday or Dinah Washington. And, if a trad form can evolve into sophisticated art, it can transcend its racial and cultural borders. What was, in its raw folkiness, an expression of rural Southern Black poverty, is now the popular music that defines our society.

Thus, there is something distinctly American about the revolutionary sounds of Chestnut Hill jazz artist, Zan Gardner whose debut CD ("Here's My Heart") is exciting critics in her field and in mine. Ms. Gardner's approach is consciously non-traditional. She is her own primary influence. Her strength is her daring and imagination. She never met a tune she couldn't cook or a lyric she couldn't expand. She understands that invention and creativity are as vital to jazz as taste and tone. I have listened to her cut of "How High the Moon" a dozen times and I swear it sounds different every time. The CD is available in stores or can be ordered from the label's website www.dreamboxmedia.com.

--- Michael Miller, Tune-Up, a publication of the Philadelphia Folksong Society

Subject: BETH MEAD: BIG BANDJO, Second Session
From: Fortunato
Date: 02 Jan 04 - 09:11 AM

There's snow business like show business...
    BETH MEAD: BIG BANDJO, Second Session

If jazz is blues and blues is folk and bluegrass is "folk music in overdrive", what are we to make of banjo belle, Beth Mead, who has taken her Scruggs licks on a tour of Swing standards for a second session of "BIG BANDJO"? I suggest we bring our hands together and applaud her talent, her taste and her infinite variety (as Will Shakespeare used to say). I have liked the three-finger style applied to big band favorites ever since Roger Sprung and the Progressive Bluegrassers pioneered the movement back in the early 60's. Beth Mead is a worthy successor to the Sprung legacy. Her playing is uncluttered and melodic. Her selections are adventurous but recognizable. She covers the obvious crossover numbers ("Ain't She Sweet", "When You're Smiling", "Bye Bye Blues") and the surprising ("I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", "Polka Dots and Moonbeams") with equal fervor and skill. You can order this lively CD from Beth, whose e-mail address is [e-mail] (Att. banjo pickers; you can get tablature for the songs on this CD from the same e-mail source. How about that?)

--- Michael Miller, Tune-Up, a publication of the Philadelphia Folksong Society

Subject: Lori Holland:The Woman She Became
From: Fortunato
Date: 02 Jan 04 - 09:18 AM

There's snow business like show business...part 3
    LORI HOLLAND:The Woman She Became

There is no more quality-varied genre than the singer/songwriter scene. Every third person in the United States has written a dozen songs and recorded them for posterity. If I do not, often, report the latest Dar-come-lately, it is more evidence of my sloth than my taste.

Well, I wandered into the land of contemporary composition and came upon a field of dreams. I had heard Lori Holland sing "Didn't I Dance" some years ago. I heard everyone else sing it, too. It is a magical, marvelous song, the best exposition of nostalgia I had encountered. So, when Lori sent me a copy of her new CD ("The Woman She Became"), I gave it more than a cursory ear. It is an interesting and rewarding collection of retrospection, reflection not unlike her masterpiece opus, woven into an olio of a cappella trad and gutsy, gentle blues. It is, I think, a pretty album and a worthy addition to anyone's shelf. Lori's voice is strong and clear and her arrangements are tastefully complex. There is some dynamite accompaniment by a bevy of talented instrumentalists, with the honors going to former Progressive Bluegrasser, Manny Krevat. Mr. Krevat doubles as producer and his product is primo.

This CD is available by phone orders to the lovely Lori (212-222-4367). Yes, the Nashville acoustic guitar licks are played by Lori's son, legendary Bluegrass whiz, Danny Holland.

--- Michael Miller, Tune-Up, a publication of the Philadelphia Folksong Society

Subject: Artie Naiman and Chris Coole: THE BANJO SPECIAL
From: Fortunato
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 08:06 AM

From the folk rich far north comes a CD to please a bevy of tastes. THE BANJO SPECIAL is a carefully crafted feast of traditional genres of this most American of instruments. Artie Naiman and Chris Coole are subtle masters of the clawhammer approach, that amalgam of frailing percussion and double thumb precision that is the signature sound of Appalachian traditional music and the dance band form it became, which we call Old Timey. The discipline of the genre precludes crispness and close definition but Naiman and Coole have the skill to offer melodic diversion without sacrificing authenticity. If you are a stranger to real folk banjo, you couldn't pick a better introduction. Their talent is even more evident when one considers the company they keep on this recording, company like Bluegrass whiz, Chris Quinn. On four featured selections (and one "everybody, take a solo" finale), Quinn shows both the tradition of three finger style and the evolution and expansion that has taken the 5 string from Scruggs and Reno to Keith and Fleck. On his cuts, he is joined by blazing solos from guitarist, Marc Roy, and mandolinist, Dan Whiteley.
The fourth star of this superb CD is County Sligo born Brian Taheny, whose mastery of tenor banjo is almost magical. He speeds through three reels, a hornpipe, a set dance, slip jigs, double jigs and that finale with triplets erupting from his strings like sparks from a Roman Candle. His tone and touch are mystic and correct and his musicianship is unlimited. I play some tenor, myself, and I can assure you that Mr. Taheny is the real deal. This CD is a release from Merriweather Recording Ltd. in Aurora, Ontario. They have a website, www.merriweather.ca

Next month, we'll cover new CDs of children's songs, sea songs and a few surprises. Of course, the biggest surprise would be if I ever finished my own recording but who am I to tempt the Evil Eye? (Excuse me while I spit three times).
--- Michael Miller

Subject: Mary Humphreys: Sharp Practice
From: Fortunato
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 08:10 AM

Hallelujah, the great draught is over. My coffers, which only last month were bare of traditional music CDs, are bursting like last year's britches. We will spend the next few issues frolicking in folk, romping in retrospect, cavorting in collective culture. The world is our cloister and our cornucopia. Let's get right to it.

Mary Humphreys, Welsh born singer, and Anahata, Islington instrumentalist, have made a dandy CD of songs and sprightly dance tunes which they render on concertinas, banjos and occasional melodeons. The well-produced recording is called "Sharp Practice" in tribute to the legendary collector, Cecil Sharp. Those of us who love real English folksongs (we are a small but rabid band) are more than pleased to welcome this grand grouping. Mary's stylish vocals are clear and clean. Her scholarship is faultless and lucid. Anahata provides tasteful backing and comment for the lyrics and shines like a new penny on the half dozen dances that separate the vocals. All in all, this is a most worthy addition to my trad shelf. They included a phone number in the liner notes but I think you might prefer reaching them through their website, www.treewind.co.uk/mha


--- Michael Miller

Subject: Round The House: 'Til The Wee Hours
From: Fortunato
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 08:13 AM

From a little closer to home (actually from Tucson, Arizona, which is only close if you live in New Mexico) comes a lively barrage of Irish music from marvelous quartet who call themselves Round The House. Their CD, "'Til The Wee Hours" is as surprising as it is delightful and it is as delightful as it can be. The selections are up and at 'em sparklers, featuring precise picking from mandolinist Dave Firestine and fancy fiddle flourishes from Sharon Goldwasser. I really liked their interplay on the polka medley and Miss Monahan's Reel. The vocals are every bit as fine. Claire Jamieson Zucker, singer and self contained rhythm section, does a dynamite reading of the lyrics. Her voice tintinabulous and her phrasing is sharp and professional. I have listened to her joyful "Irish Molly O" over and over again. It never fails to force a smile. This CD is available from cdbaby.com or from their website, www.roundthehouse.com

(A CD of Irish music from a group that features names like Goldwasser, Firestine and Zucker can only mean that a Chieftains Shpiel Klezmer recording is in the offing.)--- Michael Miller

Subject: Debbie Carroll: Up and Over the Moon
From: Fortunato
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 08:19 AM

From out the frozen north comes yet another CD gem. (What is this well of folkdom that Canadians tap like maple trees?) Debbie Carroll, a charming and talented early childhood music specialist in Toronto, offers an avalanche of play songs, game songs and dances on a fabulous collection called "Up and Over the Moon", which she describes as "...giggle, dance and cuddle songs for the very young." I stand in awe of those gifted individuals who can relate to pre-schoolers, who can capture their attention and infect them with their elan. Because I am neither a pre-schooler nor the parent of a preschooler, I wanted an outside opinion of this CD before I criticized it. I gave it to Sylvia Epstein, a critic whose pre-school credentials are as real as she is pretty. Sylvia says it's good. What can I add to that?
The CD, along with an illuminating booklet of movement and games is available from Merriweather Records, Ltd., www.merriweather.ca
Tell 'em Sylvia sent you.
--- Michael Miller

Subject: Tossi Aaron Sings Yiddish Folksongs for the Second
From: Fortunato
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 08:22 AM

This month's golden oldie is the classic "Tossi Aaron Sings Yiddish Folksongs for the Second Generation", recorded in the days when album titles were longer than librettos. This marvelous and important collection, so long out of print, will soon be available. Those lantzmen who recall the great Yiddish folksingers, Ruth Rubin, Martha Shlamme and Theo Bikel, have a treat to look forward to.
Tossi Aaron's voice and style placed her in the highest ranks and her knowledge of music and Jewish custom elevated her to individual prominence. There are those who say that I stole all my Yiddish material from Tossi but I maintain that, while that may be true, I have been careful to honor her unintentional contribution by stealing all her stories, too. On this Prestige release, Tossi is ably accompanied by her husband, mandolinist Leon Aaron, and master guitarist, Linda Labove.

Report from the trenches; my CD is, at long last, recorded and in the mixing phase. This is a time of retrospection, selection, reflection and sporadic dejection. The process is not unlike searching one's head for strands of gray. The average track has more flaws than a skyscraper and each flaw is as visible as beet juice on a tablecloth. Still, it marches on and the release date, early April, looms in an ever-decreasing distance. I know I will be pleased and proud, but right about now just seeing it through would please me most of all.
--- Michael Miller

Subject: RE: Review: PHILLY FOLKSONG SOCIETY Reviews
From: Walking Eagle
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 12:52 PM

All of these reviews sound great, but I wonder if bad reviews are ever written? I certainly appreciate the time that WYS and Fortunato put in doing these. My fingers would no linger be in existance if I had posted all this info. Thank you, thank you!

I must disagree with Mr. Miller in one of the abouve posts. The banjo is not an American instrument. It came to us via slaves from West Africa. Lacking the items to build them the traditional ways, they even improvised most of the improvements of the modern banjo.

Subject: Jed Marum: The Soul of a Wanderer
From: Fortunato
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 02:52 PM

Another Canadian-born of notes is Jed Marum. His newest CD (The Soul of a Wanderer) is a mix of folk, near folk, neo-folk and faux-folk wherein Mr. Marum composes and covers many classics and more than a few that should be standard in the "Folk" play list. I hope that his inclusion of songs by Percy French and Andy Stewart will reintroduce these important singers to the audience of today. Marum's easy listening style is just what those numbers need. His own compositions are well written and artfully presented as are the quartet of traditional pieces that are sung with respectful gusto. This CD is released by Boston Road Records, and they have a web site: www.bostonroadrecords.com

--- Michael Miller

Subject: RE: Jed Marum: The Soul of a Wanderer
From: Big Mick
Date: 14 Feb 04 - 03:02 PM

Mike hits this one on the mark. It is my opinion that Jed is one of the finest singers performing today and deserves a much wider market. His guitar work is beyond compare, his way with a lyric the same, and his research is impeccable. A testament to his talent will be found in those that agreed to appear on this CD. You don't get a Paul Mills to produce, or a Brian MacNeil to contribute, unless they are convinced that you have what it takes. Rick Fielding contributed to this as well. I am reminded of his comment at the FSGW Getaway. After we came off stage, I thanked him for letting me sing with him. I told him that he needn't have taken me up there just because we were friends. He stopped me dead in my tracks, looked me straight in the eye, and informed me "I would never bring someone onstage with me that didn't belong there. This is how I make my living and I don't play with that". Huge lesson there, from a man that I respect more than virtually anyone. And that is the lesson when you look at Jed's CD. The folks that chose to appear are top flight pro's.

If I could be critical of this CD, I would. It simply is a wonderful CD, from a wonderful performer, with great songs, and a diverse mix. Buy it. It is that simple.

All the best,

Mick Lane

Subject: RE: Review: PHILLY FOLKSONG SOCIETY Reviews
From: musicmick
Date: 15 Feb 04 - 12:30 AM

For those who wish to communicate with me directly, you can pm me or send me an e-mail at [e-mail] or to TUNE UP at [e-mail]

Your comments are welcome.

                           Mike Miller

Subject: RE: Review: PHILLY FOLKSONG SOCIETY Reviews
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 04 - 05:46 PM

"Another Canadian-born of notes is Jed Marum."

I thought jed Marum was American.

Subject: RE: Review: PHILLY FOLKSONG SOCIETY Reviews
From: JedMarum
Date: 18 Feb 04 - 09:42 AM

Thanks Mick, Mike, Chance, all ... GUEST; you are correct, I made the record in Canada (Toronto) - but I live in the States (Texas).

Subject: March Madness -David Oestrerreich
From: Fortunato
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 11:22 AM

The folk, the faux, the few, the proud; they gather at my boom box like swagmen to a billabong. Like John Holmes, my cup runneth over. They come for approval and they come for applause and they came to the right place. I love them all (well, some more than others). Their efforts are valiant and, though I must pick and choose for reasons of taste and space, I am in awe of every artist who presents his work to a critic. I know that when my CD is reviewed, next month, I will be chanting Nancy Adler's "If you don't like me, lie!"
David Oestrerreich, of Indianapolis IN, records under the nom d' disc, Uncle DaveO. He has been folk singing even longer than I have. His latest CD, THE REAL STORY! packs no fewer than twenty three traditional tunes onto a CD, no larger than ordinary. The selections are as varied as a puppy's breakfast. Some you know and, some, you will want to learn. He has a website, of course.
http://daveosings.50megs.com (Note: no www)

--- Michael Miller

Subject: MARCH MADNESS II - Tanglefoot -- Captured Alive
From: Fortunato
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 11:27 AM

This month's BOREALIS CANADIAN FAUX BUT PRO AWARD goes to Borealis Records for their elaborately produced and strikingly designed CD, "Captured Alive" featuring that most talented and tantalizing quintet, Tanglefoot. The program is full, the execution is precise and Tanglefoot's showmanship is equal to its musicianship which is prodigious. The selections are hand woven and of recent vintage at that but the style and feel are in keeping with Tanglefoot's core. Few artists challenge my musical biases as sharply as this group. Their trad qualifications are so blatant as to be ostentatious but, like Bela Fleck and Take6, they stray from the folk fold to graze the greener fields of gelt. (What I like to call a gelt trip).
Borealis has a toll free number 1-877-530-4288 and a web site:

--- Michael Miller

Subject: March Madness 3 - Vince Brennan
From: Fortunato
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 11:30 AM

In the new-age-high-tech-everyone understands it except me category, I recommend "O'Neill's Music of Ireland and Allan's Irish Fiddle" on CD for PC computers. Vince Brennan, the famed "Mindless Mandolinist" of So's Your Mom, has painstakingly transcribed the thousands of tunes from these two seminal collections into a form that can be read or listened to. O'Neill's is the unofficial bible for Irish-American traditional musicians, sort of a Rise Up Singing without words. Allan's is a much smaller selection but, in my opinion, has the more vibrant melodies. This is a wonderful tool for jig junkies and hornpipe hounds. (Dare I call it the reel deal?). You can get your hands on a copy by contacting Vince at [e-mail]

--- Michael Miller
--- [e-mail]

Subject: March Madness 2 -- Philadelphia Jug Band,
From: Fortunato
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 02:06 PM

Had I been consulted, I, probably, could have come up with a more ornate name for a Philadelphia based jug band than The Philadelphia Jug Band. I would not, however, have altered their sound or their tasteful approach. The PJG's newest CD, "The Philadelphia Jug Band" (you were expecting, maybe, Rubber Soul?) is a proper exposition of their individual and collective gifts. I was most impressed with the cleanliness of the ragtime guitar work of Jim Klingler and Frank Zemlan and the melodic know-how of harmonica virtuoso, Bob Beach. This is not your joke it up, neighborhood jug band. These guys are serious about their humor and humorous about their authenticity. I think you will want to add this CD to your cache, Check it out at jugband.com

--- Michael Miller
--- [e-mail]

Subject: March Madness3 -- Beaucoup Blue
From: Fortunato
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 02:10 PM

Another too blue to be true troupe is Beaucoup Blue, whose CD, "Out of the Woodwork", offers a dozen classy classic wails, marked with sincerity and verve. This, my Caucasian friends, is what acoustic blues should sound like but so rarely do. Father and son, David and Adrian Mowry, deliver a surprisingly soulful performance. Their singing is tough and controlled and their guitar work is crisp and mournful. This well produced product is available at a limited number of venues, on www.cdstreet.com or from the Mowrys, themselves at www.beaucoupblue.com

--- Michael Miller
--- [e-mail]

Subject: LITTLE STEPS: CD -- DAYBREAK
From: Fortunato
Date: 24 May 04 - 01:47 PM

Summer is a'commin' in like bills to a mailbox. Soon enough, the PFS office will be a beehive of chaotic fervor as every volunteer in the contiguous states girds for the extravaganza that is the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Ah, there will be no time or space for TUNE UP until Labor Day. So, this is it, bunkies, but before my swan goes back to being a duckling, let's clear the shelves.
    It has been a so-so year for folk recording. Trad has been a little more in evidence and, if the quality level has not always risen to expectation, I am grateful for all the brave souls who take the time, the effort, the money and the commitment to the dream. I know, from my own experience, how consuming a recording project can be.
    (I would like to thank the legendary George Britton for his lavish review of my CD. George's enthusiasm is overwhelming. When the Main Point Coffeehouse opened in 1963, George was the emcee. His introduction of the featured act, Ed McCurdy, was so lengthy and gushing that McCurdy's first words on stage were, "Am I supposed to sing or stud?")
      Little Steps, a sweet family band from Perkasie, Montgomery County, PA has a new CD entitled "Daybreak" and it is delightful. The Yoder clan, papa Rob, mama Anna Lisa, young'uns Trudy, Lydia and Seth are joined with Chris Cole and his daughter, Emily in a set of half trad and half not. It is the special feeling of family that elevates this recording. The kids handle this Americeltic standards with ease and oomph. If you would like to hear more from and about Little Steps, you can call the Yoders at 215-538-5280.

Subject: Makem Brothers with Mickey and Liam Spain
From: Fortunato
Date: 24 May 04 - 01:55 PM

Another two family ensemble is The Makem Brothers with Mickey and Liam Spain who celebrate their merger in a CD called "Like Others Did Before Us" and what an apt little title that is. If their sound is evocative (Well, slap my face and call me Clancey), then more power to them. They bear the muse and views of those great Irish groups from the 60's revival. Their songs are Irish-American and Irish-Australian and Irish-everywhere else that housed the survivors of the famines and desperation that marked that sad island in the 1800's. These boys are skilled and motivated and I won't be a bit surprised if you like this CD as much as I do. Their label has a website, www.redbiddy.com

Mike Miller

Subject: Nancy Nickelsberg's CD: "Midnight"
From: Fortunato
Date: 24 May 04 - 01:58 PM

I do not, often, report on individual songs but I just heard a lulu on Nancy Nickelsberg's "Midnight" CD. Check out track #4 for her cover of Ann Leyland's "Rose Covered Prison". It has as authentic a Country sound as anything Patsy, Loretta or Dolly ever released. Ms Leyland, Levittown's version of Jennie Lind, has captured the misery of mid-marital disillusion to a fare-thee-well.
    Nancy Nickelsberg does a fine rendition on the recording. Are all wives as unhappy as Country songs would have us believe? If they're not torn between two lovers, they're sitting on silver threads and golden needles and that's got to be uncomfortable. Even when they stand by their men, they do so in spite of the unworthiness of those louts. I'm going to call Ann Leyland and ask her what us guys are doing wrong and how can we do better. Heck, I didn't get to be the best husband in the world by complacency.
    Well, as Carol Burnett said, on her umpteenth reunion show, I'm so glad we had this time together. If the creek don't rise, we'll do it again in the fall. I thank Ed Halpern for his editorial patience, Chance Shiver for his posting prowess and Lynn Sheeran, without whom, I would be treading water and you would be staring at a blank page. If you see me at a show or festival, say hello. Folk singing is so lonely.

Mike Miller