Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz
Date: 24 Jul 08 - 02:38 PM

Artie...God Bless...
Rest in Peace...
bob

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: Mark Ross
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 03:57 PM

Damn, another good one gone! I used to know Artie when I worked at the NYC Folklore Center 30 some years ago. Last time I saw him was in Winnipeg in'86, we did a workshop together. A fine musician and a real sweet, friendly guy.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: GUEST,DV
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 10:20 AM

Thanks for the obit, open mike.

And thanks Ed Renehan, for stopping in with your kind words about Artie. I didn't know him personally, but as I said, he & his music were everywhere around Woodstock during the time I hung out there, and I'm a real fan of his. You have my condolences for the loss of your friend.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: john f weldon
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 10:04 AM

Thanks for that Bio... ...he may not have lived long, but he sure got a lot done!

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: GUEST,Ed Renehan
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 09:07 AM

Artie was much loved, not just as a musician but as a human being. He will be greatly missed. - Ed Renehan

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: open mike
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 02:54 AM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the untimely passing of Artie
Traum, a brilliant and creative musician as well as a much-beloved husband,
brother, uncle and friend.

Four years ago, Artie was diagnosed with a rare ocular melanoma, and he had
been undergoing regular treatments for it. In May, however, it was
discovered that the cancer had spread to his liver, and it was incurable.
Like everything else in his life, Artie handled his diagnosis with dignity,
strength and acceptance ? and even a little of his irreverent humor. He died
peacefully, at home on Sunday, July 20, with his devoted and loving wife of
28 years, Beverly, at his side.

? Artie Traum - April 3rd 1943-July 20th ,2008


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Artie Traum - Brief Biography

Artie Traum was an award-winning guitarist and songwriter featured on over
20 albums for Capitol, Sony, Shanachie, Slice of Life and Narada Records. A
pioneer of the 1970's acoustic music scene, Traum has been described as a
musician "whose work defines the vitality and sophistication of American
acoustic music." (Acoustic Guitar Magazine 2002). During his career he
produced or recorded with John Sebastian, The Band, Bela Fleck, Tony Levin,
Richie Havens, Pete Seeger, Abby Newton, David Grisman, Livingston Taylor,
Patty Larkin, Michael Franks, Jesse Winchester and dozens of top artists.

A native of the Bronx, New York, Traum gravitated to the Greenwich Village
music scene in the late 1960's. It was there he became influenced by artists
like James Taylor, The Even Dozen Jug Band, Bonnie Raitt, Muddy Waters and
Mississippi John Hurt. At clubs in New York, Artie listened to John
Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jim Hall, Howard Roberts and the Modern Jazz Quartet.
He recorded his first track She's Gone in The True Endeavor Jug Band started
by blues writer Sam Charters for Vanguard in the late 1960's. He played
guitar for the blues vocalist Judy Roderick and was the featured guitarist
on her highly-regarded Woman Blue (Vanguard Records). He co-wrote and
recorded the score for Brian de Palma's first film "Greetings" -the first
role for Robert DeNiro - with Eric Kaz and the band Bear.

In the late-60s, Artie joined forces with his brother Happy Traum. The duo
recorded their debut album in Nashville for Capitol Records, a recording the
New York Times called "one of the best records in any field of pop music."

Happy and Artie Traum, 1969
Newport Folk Festival
Photo: Dan Beach
The Traums were managed by Albert Grossman (The Band, Dylan, Peter, Paul and
Mary) and toured around the world as an opening act with these groups and
often headlined their own shows. They performed at the 1969 Newport Folk
Festival and other major festivals on stage with James Taylor, Kris
Kristoferson and Joni Mitchell. Their 2nd album Double Back was also
recorded in Nashville, and at Bearsville Studios. Happy Traum moved to
Woodstock in 1968 and soon Artie followed him to this small country town.
The duo played major festivals and concerts around the world, with a strong
fan base who enjoyed Happy & Artie shows that featured musicians Arlen Roth,
Debbie Andersen, Eric Kaz and other top players.

During the 70's and 80's, Artie became an internationally known performer,
appearing on stages in Europe, Japan and at the Newport Folk Festival,
Philadelphia Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall. He also performed and
co-produced the Woodstock Mountains Revue, a unique folk group that featured
Artie & Happy Traum, Pat Alger, Jim Rooney, Bill Keith, Larry Campbell, John
Herald and John Sebastian. Guest artists like Maria Muldaur, Rory Block,
Eric Andersen, Paul Butterfield and Paul Siebel joined the group for
recordings. The Revue recorded 5 classic albums for Rounder Records, and
although Rounder allowed over 50 of their tracks to go out-of-print, the
band is widely considered one of the premier folk groups of the time.

In the mid 1980's Artie joined forces with songwriter Pat Alger (Thunder
Rolls, Unanswered Prayers, Once In A Very Blue Moon) and the duo recorded
the album From The Heart. Pat Alger moved to Nashville to begin his career
as a top country and folk songwriter. Rounder Records also allowed this
album to go out of print, along with Artie's Life On Earth and Happy and
Artie's Hard Times In The Country with notes by the poet Allen Ginzburg

In 1988, Happy and Artie co-hosted "Bring It On Home," a live folk show out
of NPR affiliate WAMC (Albany, NY) which featured guests Richard Thompson,
Rick Danko & Garth Hudson, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason and dozens more.

In 1994, Artie made a sea-change in his style. Drawn to the jazz of Weather
Report, Pat Metheny and Earl Klugh, Traum started exploring new directions.
"I've always loved jazz and decided try a jazz instrumental guitar project,"
says Traum. The results were stellar: Artie's 1994 release Letters From
Joubee captured the #1 spot on the smooth jazz radio charts (Gavin AA
chart). This success led to other CDs that allowed Traum to explore acoustic
guitar work and instrumental music.

In 1999 Traum released Meetings With Remarkable Friends, featuring
collaborative tracks with Bela Fleck and Sam Bush, John Sebastian, Tony
Levin, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, The Band, Adrian Belew and many others.
Meetings was awarded Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of 1999 by the NAV
Awards and has been described as a "classic."

In 2001, Traum released The Last Romantic (Narada) which was placed "on this
year's list of best releases... another absorbing, distinctive effort" by
Hilarie Grey of Jazz Times. Traum's latest release South of Lafayette
(2002-2003) is his first singer-songwriter effort in many years. South of
Lafayette was featured on NPR?s All Things Considered in March 2003, when
Artie was interviewed by host Linda Wertheimer. "I felt I needed to find my
singing voice again and an amazing thing happened," says Traum. "Each of
these songs is about a character dealing with events in a specific place and
time. It reflects my love of diversity in the world, from the cliffs of
Sicily to a cold winter in Maine. It has elements of folk music, jazz and
pop music, all rolled into one." South of Lafayette has been called a "hip
fusion of folk and jazz esthetics" by Sing Out Magazine. Jazz Times added:
"Artie Traum's elegantly crafted acoustic folk-jazz is in evidence on his
latest effort."

Artie Traum's songs and instrumentals have been recorded by The Band, David
Grisman and Tony Rice and he has composed film scores for PBS shows
including Do You Mean There Are Still Real Cowboys produced by the actress
Glenn Close and directed by Academy Award winning director Jon Blair. He has
co-hosted the syndicated NPR show Bring It On Home at affiliate WAMC in
Albany, New York. He has also written dozens of instructional books and DVDs
about music and guitar styles, published by Happy Traum's company Homespun
Tapes. Artie's article for the New York Times Sunday Travel Section "The
Aeolian Islands" won him the Italian Leonardo Award in International
Journalism in 2000.

Recently, Artie teamed up with folksingers Chris Shaw and Tom Akstens to
release Big Trout Radio: Songs About Fishing, a highly-acclaimed acoustic
album featured in Field and Stream Magazine and on NPR. Happy and Artie
Traum released a CD of "live" recordings from the 1970's and '80s on Slice
of Life Records in Japan in 2006. Artie also contributed to the PBS Special
"Niagara".

Artie toured for Taylor Guitars, performing very popular guitar "clinics"
where he demonstrated the guitar styles he's studied and performed for over
35 years. He released Acoustic Guitar Jazz in early 2004 - a compilation of
his hottest acoustic tracks.
In 2007, Thief of Time was released.
Artie Traum Discography

? Artie Traum:
Thief of Time, 2007, Roaring Stream Records
Acoustic Jazz Guitar, 2004, Roaring Stream Records
South of Lafayette, 2002, Roaring Stream Records
The Last Romantic, 2001, Narada
Meetings with Remarkable Friends, 1999, Narada #46957
The View From Here, 1996, Shanachie #5016
Letters From Joubee, 1993. Re-released on Narada Records in 2000.
Cayenne, 1987, Rounder #3084
>From The Heart (w/ Pat Alger), 1980, Rounder #3039 out of print
Life On Earth, 1977, Rounder #3014 out of print

? with The Woodstock Mountains Revue:
Live at The Bearsville Theater Vol.2, 1990, Village Green #74 (Japan)
Live at The Bearsville Theater Vol.1, 1990, Village Green #73 (Japan)
Woodstock Mountains: Music From Mud Acres, 1995, Rounder #11520
(CD compilation from the first four WMR releases noted below)
??????Back To Mud Acres, 1981, Rounder #3065 (vinyl only)
??????Pretty Lucky, 1978, Rounder #3025 (o-o-p)
??????More Music From Mud Acres, 1977, Rounder #3018 (o-o-p)
??????Mud Acres: Music Among Friends, 1974, Rounder #3001 (cassette only)

? with Happy & Artie Traum:
Live Recordings from the 1970s and 1980s, 2006, Slice of Life Records
(Japan)
The Test Of Time, 1993, Roaring Stream Records #201
Hard Times In The Country, 1975, Rounder #3007 (o-o-p)
Happy & Artie Traum / Double-Back, Import 2-fer reissue, Vivid #534 (Japan)
Double-Back, 1971, Capitol #799 (o-o-p)
Happy & Artie Traum, 1969, Capitol #586 (o-o-p)

? with Bear (w/Eric Kaz, Steve Soles, Skip Boone & Darius Davenport):
Greetings, Children Of Paradise, 1968, Verve Forecast #3059 (o-o-p)

? with True Endeavor Jug Band (w/Danny Kalb, Artie Rose, Sam & Ann Charters
and Sita Dimitroff):
The Art Of The Jug Band, 1963, Prestige #14022 (o-o-p, three tracks from
this release are included on The Prestige/Folklore Years: Volume Three,
Prestige/Folklore #9903)

? Happy & Artie also appear on (and host) the Bring It On Home compilations,
Vol. 1 (Sony Legacy #52997) and Vol. 2 (Sony Legacy #52998), both 1994.

VIDEOS ON HOMESPUN TAPES
NEW! Essential DADGAD For Beginners (VD-ART-DG01)
Essential Riffs For Acoustic Guitar (VD-ART-RF01)
Guitar Accompaniment (VD-ART-GT01)
Guitar Chord Magic (2 tapes, VD-ART-MA01 & VD-ART-MA02) Audio Cassettes
Basic
??????Jazz Guitar (AD-ART-JZ), Hot Licks For Guitar (AD-ART-HG) Lead Guitar
(AD-ART-LD);
??????and CDs Essential Chords & Progressions for Acoustic Guitar (CDZ-AT01)
&
??????101 Essential Riffs (CDZ-AT02).
Contacts

RECORDINGS:
Homespun Tapes
Box 340
Woodstock, NY 12498
Ph: 800-338-2737 or 914-246-2550
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
www.homespuntapes.com

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: open mike
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 05:35 PM

another one to join the heavenly choir.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: fat B****rd
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 03:47 PM

I still have one of his tutors. I should have paid it more heed. RIP Mr. Traum.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: john f weldon
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 11:08 AM

I'm shocked! I last saw him at Champlain Valley, hosting a guitar workshop. He was charming, witty and self-deprecating, while dealing with a dangerous trio of guitar wizards.

He's turned up in various ways over the decades, on LPs etc. I liked his story of how some music he recorded ended up on the weather channel. I sure hope he got his royalties!

Too young. So sad.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: Duke
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 10:22 AM

Damned shame!

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: topical tom
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 02:52 PM

I saw Happy and Artie Traum at the short-lived Sugar Bush Folk Festival in Vermont years ago.Artie was a consummate guitarist and singer. So sad.My sympathy to family and friends.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: GUEST,DV
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 02:22 PM

His playing with Eric Kaz and Paul Butterfield back in the day among those Woodstock folk was sublime.

Those were the days...

Has anyone written a book about the influence of Vanguard Records?

Well, long live Dr. Demento anyway.

I have many a fond memory of listening to the Woodstock Mountain Rvue.

RIP, old man.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 02:12 PM

One of those who were part of the "folk scare". He was a wonderful performer and very warm on-stage. He will be missed.

Big RiB

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 02:05 PM

A major influence on all us DADGAD players with an Americana slant through his tuition books and dvds. I'm really sorry.

he was a great teacher and musician.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 01:57 PM

I saw Happy Traum play, and he was great, but sadly never did get the chance to see Artie play live.

I like that YouTube performance that Kat linked to, powerful singing and nice DADGAD accompaniment.

R.I.P

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: Alice
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 01:55 PM

My sympathy to his friends and family.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: kendall
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 01:52 PM

Damn.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: pdq
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 01:47 PM

A brilliant guitar player. One of the most under-rated talents in Folk / New Acoustic history.

Much Younger than his brother, Happy Traum.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 01:47 PM

Another one I didn't know about until a sad obit thread on Mudcat. I really like what I read about him AND what I am listening to on youtube, esp. his song Halifax. Very sad to know he is gone.

Subject: RE: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: bobad
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 01:42 PM

Oh no, not Artie - crap!

Subject: Obit: Artie Traum RIP (July 20, 2008)
From: Mary Katherine
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 01:40 PM

Artie Traum passed away yesterday, according to his web site at www.artietraum.com