24... BUUEl1N de musique folklonque canatlienne 33.2 (1999)
A Peak in Darien
Recoroings
Black i.(xIge. Tbc People Dace. CR-6293. CaD"", RccmIb PnxkIctioos, 4143 Nmh Ic.h St., Suite 6, PIMICDix,AZ 85016, USA;
~mberWind. ~ Voices. CR-7038. <::anyooRecads ProckIctions,4143 N
Mart Despouh.NatanJ ReYeIatiOD.MUOO3-001. Applefield Arts Canada,c/o Box 2349, PictoIJ, Ont. Toopey Luft. A S- with AthcBa. Toopey Luft, Suite 302, 1414 12th St. SW, Calgary, AlIa. T3C KOK 2'ro; 1-800-278-~;
Alpha Yaya DiaIl0. The M~ge. Wicklow. HMG Music Canada,ISO lohn St., tth F1
SusanE11ertIm. The Seen:! of My BappiDeaa. SECD02. SusanE~, 1209 Allkrman Rd., Victlria, Chris McKhId. Edge of. Tide. MCK 2004. Chris McKhool, 49 Ashda1e Ave., T.-ooIo, Ont. M4L 2Y6; B.C. V9A 4A8;
FinestKind. Bean's Deligid. FAM 03CD. Fallen Angle Music, 28SSpencer St. , OOawa,Ont. K1Y2R]; NIa1h of Sooth. The CIM:braDeLate SeaaiOIIJ(vola. I .. 2). NIa1h of Sooth, Box 61132, Kensingtoo
Gary Fjellgaard. The Bell of Gary Fjellgaard. SPCD ]24]. Gary FjeUgaard,P.O. Box 323, GabrioIa PierTeSchryer" Derm« Byrne. 2 Woclds United. NCCD-9612-8. New CanadianRec
Anne Lederman.Come from Evay Way: CaDaIIi.. s...pf..CIIildl=. ALCD02. FalcoII~ctioos, JeDDiferWhite. ~. KPOOI. Knockgraftoo PnxkIcIi_, P.O. Box 23132, r.oo.kXI, Ont. N6A 5N9; 153 Glendale Ave., Toronto, Onl. M6R 2T4;
Reviews I Comptesrendus Books
Dan Yashinsky (compiler and editor). At the Edge: A Book of Risky Stories. Charlottetown: RagweedPress, 1998. 254pp.
There is a tale in which it is told how a Plains Cree hunter are tellers representingthe Anglo-Celtic traditions of the Mari- found a strangebundle which contained,among other things, a times, the French traditions of Quebec,First Nations traditions looking-glass; how this mirror affected the hunter, his family from Ontario to the Yukon, traditions of the Prairie Provinces, and their very outlook on the world around them is a most intri- and ethnic groups as diverse as the Chinese,Jamaican, Jewish guing story. This tale, along with 30 others, can be found in the and Slovenianbackgrounds of specific tellers. Just a partial list latest offering from Toronto's masterraconteur and generalac- of the tellers is impressive:Jan Andrews, Freida Ling, George tivist, Dan Yashinsky, in which he brings to light, in the voices Blake, Lome Brown, Michelle Faubert, Jim St. Clair, Sylvo and words of some of Canada's best tellers, a collection of Frank and Newfoundland's theatrical story troupe Sheila's stories basedaround the theme of risks taken and faced by a Brush, to mention just a few. variety of protagonists,animal, humanand otherwordly. As in The stories are divided under five generalheadings: Tales his previousedited anthologies Ghostwise, The Next Teller and from the homefront, Storiesof wisdom, good or otherwise,The Tales from an Unknown City, Yashinskyhas assembledquite ways of the trickster, Storiesvery old and very new, and Stories a castof tellers, representinga diversecross-section of Canada's of risk-takersand the consequencesof their risks. Someprotag- population, multicultural status and geographicvastness. Here onists may risk their very life and well-bein2 in order to savea Canadian Folk Music BUUEllN 33.2 (1999) ...25 loved one and a specialfruit-bearing tree, as in Kay Stone'stale backdropof a severedrought in mid-1903sSaskatchewan, while The Water of life. The same applies to the valiant tailor in in Jim St. Clair's tale Old Carrot-Top and the TwelveDays of Linda Fergusson'sStory of a Tailor, who must spenda night in Christmashis own family is memorablyportrayed when he re- a haunted house in order to securea treasurein gold, during countshow a venerablelady storyteller spentthe Yuletide season which he must observe demons playing catch with a human with his forebearsduring the winter of 1873. In a tale from head. In other stories, Ti-Jean teaches a trio of rogues a Louise Leblanc,an elderly couple facethe prospectof starvation much-neededlesson on the value of pigs, while Spider Anansi unless they can obtain scarcefood during a very hard winter. cleverly outwits his wife and a hungry lion in order to obtain a Even Lome Brown's simple tale of his own parents' courtship rich hoard of food. A young girl risks much to teachher father comes magically alive as a skilled storyteller sets his mind to a lessonin the true meaningof love, in Jan Andrews' retelling recreatingit. of the classicEnglish tale Cap 0' Rushes,with its classictheme Read this collection of stories from Canada's past and which Shakespeareused so prominently in King Lear. presentand be entertained,instructed and, yes, even provoked Some storytellers possessa magic all their own, tran- into thinking about the world and how it should be, whether it scendingtime and locale, as demonstratedby three tales in the is seen through the eyes of George Sawa as he retells Goha collection. In Dan Yashinsky's tale TheDevil in Don Mills, the storiesfrom his Egyptian heritage,or of Bonnie Logan telling of traditional tale of the smith outwitting the Devil is altered to an unauthorizedrafting adventurewhen shewas a young girl, or take place in a suburbanToronto mall, and the Devil is trans- of Ron Baker telling of JoeThomas outwitting Canadianauthor- formed into a demoniccomputer salesman. In Linda Lines' story ities to sell his honey acrossthe US. border. We all take risks The Trouble with Trolls, a traditional Scandinavianstory The in life, as do the protagonistsin thesetales, whether it is as a Cat on the Doverfell is reworked to take place in rural British Slovenianfox outwitting a wolf at a wedding feats, a Chukchie Columbia, where the protagonist is a fellow who can actually hunter surviving a winter in a bear's den or a Jewish minister communicatewith bears.Perhaps the cleverestreworking is that showing his king that, no matterwh~t happensin life, it's all for of Australia's Meg Philp and Canada'sJoan Bodger, who have the best in the end. Thanksto Dan Yashinskyand his assembly taken the classic tale of Rumplestiltskin and turned it into the of excellent tellers, this collection of stories once again shows story of Joe Percy Cockatoo, set in the Australian outback that the Canadianstorytelling sceneis more than just alive and during current times. well-it truly continuesto perpetuatea magic that is what the Sometales in this collection will touch the heartstringsand very best storytelling is all about. the humansoul at the sametime. In Diane Halpin's story A Cup -Robel1 Rodriquez of Water, taken from her own family history, a spontaneousfid- NYC dle concertis portrayedwith moving imageryand setagainst the
Recordings Eileen McGann. Heritage. DRGN 005CD. Dragonwing Music, 4818 Dalhousie Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T3A IB2;
Before being exposedto this recording I suspectI was one a number of commentson it in his Shanties from the Seven of only a very few Canadianfolklies who didn't know Eileen Seas(65-68). Nevertheless,I havenever heard it sungas a shan- McGann or her Illusic, although I have beenwell aware of her good reputationand generalpopularity for a number of years. I anything else. As usual with this song, it is not sung to a tempo don't know whether not knowing her makeswriting a review of that might realistically be applied to any shipboardwork. her recordingHeritage any easier.The recordingwas new when All the ancientfolkies will be familiar with the lovely Scot- I received it but, through my tardiness in getting round to tish song "Peggy Gordon," and many may still rememberthe listening to it and writing about it, I expect it has long been in Nova Scotiaversion (Creighton 74) that was recordedin 1964, the handsof her many faithful fans. On a personalnote-and not on Mercury, by the Canadiansinger Bonnie Dobson. The melo- to be confusedwith any judgment of the quality of theseperfor- dy was also usedfor the excellentsong "Come Kiss Me Love." mances-I find the highly polishedand arrangedapproach to this Eileen is accompaniedby a numberof fine musicians(Grit Las- sort of music not to my taste. Nevertheless,it is important that kin et 01.), scatteredthroughout the tracks. Not least of theseis traditional songs live on, and it is probable that this style of SteafanHannigan on the Uillean pipes, who plays "CapeClear" presentationis more marketable(has a larger generalaudience) as a solo air immediatelyfollowing Eileen singing "My Grief on than the simpler, earthy style of traditional singing and presenta- the Sea." The eerie and unforgettable "The Rolling of the tion that I favour. Stones" (Child 49, "The Twa Brothers") follows. I previously The recording begins with "Blackwaterside,"a well-known associatedit with Joe Hickerson (from his Folk-Legacyrecord- Irish ballad that took me back to the smoky coffeehousesof the ing Drive Dull Care Away, Vol. 1), and it is comforting to see 1960s.The Scottish song "Lowlands" follows. Eileen's notes the song kept alive for audiencesof a younger generation. give it as a shanty,and it was indeedused as such; Hugill gives For the singing of "Lord Franklin" (AKA "Lady Franklin's 26... BUUE11N de musiqueJolklorique canadiemle33.2 (1999)
Lament"), I prefer a slightly slower tempo thought a bit more folk dancein both North America and the British Isles. Eileen pensivecolour might have beenadded; it is, after all, a lament. appearsto have tidied up the words (from the regional dialect This last concernalso applies, in a different way, to the singing words of the original song)and written a new melody for it that of "Little Musgrave" (Child 81, known also as "Little Matty may perhapsgive it a new leaseon life. The song is an impor- Groves"). The ballad is a bit dull, and neither the singer's good tant piece of music history. This is the first I have heard of it, voice nor the ballad's melody, action content and grand climax and I am very grateful. t.As I Walked Out" is the jewel in the are able to sustain its length without spirited, lyric interpre- crown. The songis kept under tight control, both instrumentally tation. One or two instrumentalbreaks might have helped. and vocally, and is particularly suited to Eileen's voice. The recenthistory of "The Beltane"is rather odd (not Eileen All in all, the recordingas a whole is very pleasantand well McGann's fault). The song clearly relatesto Earth ritual, but its organized, with nothing offensive or particularly disturbing. It music, its structure, and someof the words appearto havebeen is available from Eileen at Dragonwing Music (and probably at adopted by a blackface minstrel song writer in the early 191h good music storeseverywhere), and the e-mail addresswould be Century, somethingthey were well known for. The result was a good place to start looking for Eileen if you are planning a "Buffalo Gals" or "Lubly Fan," that, oncelaundered of its min- folk musicfestival. Her appearancewould complimentany stage. strel past, quickly took on a new life and becamea very popular -Mike Ballantyne Cobble Hill. British Columbia Works Cited
Child, Francis James.The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. New York: Dover, 1965. Creighton, Helen. Maritime Folk Songs. 1962. Toronto: McGraw-Hill RyersonLimited, 1972. Hugill, Stan. Shantiesfrom the Seven Seas.London and Henley: Routledge& Kegan Paul, 1961 Palmer, Roy, ed. Everyman's Book of English Country Songs. London: Dent, 1979.
Three Sheetsto the Wind. Grace Under Pressure.Canal 264. Canal Records,Box 57029, 797 SomersetStreet W, Ottawa, Ontario KlR lAl; Pirstbrook Artists Management,Box 130, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario KIP 63C; l-SOO-JOERADIO
SometimesI've heard an intriguing song on a sampler, Fisher's "HundredAcre Field," Ferron's "The Cart" and Gordon rushedout and bought the recording, and beendisappointed that Lightfoot's "The Way I Feel" (which has some neat use of in- the rest of the tracks didn't measureup to the cut I heard. Hap- and-out reverb, not heavy-handed,but attention-getting). pily, that turned out not to be the case with Grace Under RebeccaCampbell is the songwriter in the group; someof Pressure.The recording comesfrom 1994, and I hadn't heard her songsare mostly imagery (e.g., "OceanArt Piece"), some of the group before or since-1 hope they're still around. are storytelling (e.g., "Magdalene," about an unwed mother Three Sheetsto the Wind are a trio of Ottawa-areawomen confined in a convent), all are personal but not particularly who sing in harmony, a capella, although joined by some obscure. instrumentson the CD. Their songscome from tradition, other Two factorsdetracted in a small way from my enjoymentof composersand their own writing-a mix which managesto the CD. On the contemporary songs, the lead singers tend coexist quite nicely in their style. Their voices are all fresh and toward the breathless stop-and-startstyle favoured in many clear, and the harmoniesare carefully crafted. The vocals are quarterstoday (who? oh, Ani Difranco, for one); sometimesthis given priority throughout (unusual in itself, these days), and was intriguing, occasionally irritating. Also, on the country- producer John Switzer very tastefully introduces instruments flavoured numbersthe group adopt an accentwhich is not their aroundthem, sometimesalmost at the thresholdof hearing. For own, and sometimessounds disrespectful. For example,when all example, the song which attracted me in the first place, three singers carefully pronounce "dog" as "dawg" on "The "Woodsmokeand Oranges"by Ian Tamblyn (well, it's a song Hundred Acre Field," it's hard to escapethe feeling that they're about canoetripping, what can I say?) has bowed double bass making fun of the song. In the most flagrant example, Don and unusualpercussion lurking very quietly in the background. Stover's fine thoughtful "Things in Life" soundslike they're The traditional songs "The Flower of Magherally" (Irish), auditioning it for Hee Haw. I expectno disrespectwas meant, "Awake Ye Drowsy Sleeper"(Appalachian) and "FemaleRam- but the group need to sing in their own voice insteadof trying bling Sailor" (English) fare well in these interpretations-the to imitate others. treatmentis sort of like a female Copper Family with Canadian Are they still singing? I hope so-because I certainly am accents,delicate rather than rowdy. As well as Ian Tamblyn, enjoying what they've done on this CD. -JL songsfrom other contemporarywriters include WashboardHank
ISM
In the large [winter logging] camps where nIOJIYmen are together some of them will want to do something pass away the time. Afew will play cards, some may play draughts, and there will surely be some who sing. Very likely there will be afiadler in the pony, and some may dance jigs. These amusements, however, are mostly kepr for Sunday qfternoons and evenings. Sunday mornings are devoted to loqfing and chat. William Parker Greenough,Canadian Folk-life and Folk-lore (Quebec, 1897) Canadian Folk Music BUUE7JN 33.2 (1999) ...27
Dave Harris. Slim's Blue Dream. MMMCD009. Malahat Mountain Music, Box 10034, 2064 Comox Avenue, Comox, BC V9M IS5;
The secondrecording from VancouverIsland busker, one- "Juke Boy" Bonner, Duster Bennettand others. Harris isn't pos- man band and multi-instrumentalist Dave "Slim" Harris pretty sessedof a particularly good voice (althoughhe almost makesup much takesup where his Island Street Singer recording left off. for it in energyand a senseof commitmentto the music, as any The recording quality is better, and Harris has certainly been good streetentertainer should be able to do), and his writing can busy as a writer: only four covers on a 19-songdisc. Playing err on the preachy side, but when the elementscome together acoustic and electric guitars (six- and twelve-string), resonator (the original "Strung Out No.2" and the John Hurt/Woody guitar, harmonicain a neck rack, violin, viola and foot-operated Guthrie-inspired"Payday Medley," for example)it's a wonderful drums and percussion, he is at his best mining the wonderful thing. -Jim Williams (and often overlooked) tradition of the one-man-band,sum- Calgary, Albel1a moning the spirits of Dr. Ross, Jesse"Lonecat" Fuller, Eldon
Michael Jerome Browne. BROS 8002-2. Disc Brothers, Les ProductionsBros Inc., 6300, Avenue du Parc, Suite 317, Montreal, QuebecH2V 4H8;
Michael JeromeBrowne is the guitarist for Montreal's Stephen Broonzy ("SaturdayNight Rub"), pop songwriting (great acous- Barry Band, who havebeen stalwarts of that very musical city's tic takes on Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression" and Talking roots music community for many years. On the band's record- Heads' "This Must Be The Place") and the rural black/white ings, and those of blues legend Yann "Piano Man" Walls, classic "Reuben," perfOrDledon fretless gourd banjo. Guest Browne hasalways proved to be a well-versedand tastefulblues appearancesby several membersof the StephenBarry Band, guitarist. On this self-titled disc, he proves to be a brilliant Vann "Piano Man" Walls and others add sparkle and depth to multi-instrumentalist(acoustic, electric and resonatorsix-string the songs, but never run the risk of overwhelming them, and guitars, 12-string guitar, fiddle, fretless five-string banjo, Browne's vocals are right in the pocket: warDl and knowing, harmonicain a rack and foot-operatedwashboard) and a marvel- while neveraffected. In a year of very good blues-basedreleases ous interpreter of roots music traditions, mixing Acadian and in Canada,this is my hands-downfavorite. Very highly recom- Louisiana Cajun fiddle traditions on "La DanseCartee Cather- mended. -11m Williams ine" with the good-time blues guitar instrumentalsof Big Bill
Winnie Chafe. Legacy. WCL 1996. Winnie Chafe, 35 ChappelDrive, Glace Bay, Nova ScotiaBIA 4C3
The latestalbum from Winnie Chafereflects the dignity and the touch and drive that make you want to kick up your heels tastethat haveearned her the title of "First Lady of CapeBreton are much in evidence.The arrangementsof the songs(mostly by Fiddle Music." Legacy is a tribute to the traditions and values Patricia) are doneup nicely, bringing in uniqueelements such as that have kept Celtic music alive for hundredsof years. Chafe oboe and viola da gamba to put a bit of different flavour on dedicatesthis album to her family, God and heritage,noting that things. The version of "MacPherson'sRant," with the reading it is the combination of thesethree things that has given her a of the true story of MacPherson,a patriotic Scottishfiddler, on love for the music (and considerabletalent at it, I might add). the eve of his execution, is a powerful portrait of the Celtic The tunes on Legacy are a mixture of old and new, a re- spirit. Probably the strongestsettings, though, are the airs and flection of the reason why Cape Breton music appealsto so waltzes, which are beautifully played by Chafe and tastefully many age ranges. Names like Gow and Skinner are in abun- accompaniedby her daughterand others. If you are looking for dance, but there are also recent compositions by Winnie's a well-recorded, traditional, all-around solid album of Cape daughterPatricia spreadthrough the album. The music itself is Breton fiddle music, this is a great one to have in your very clean, regal and elegant, suitable for Carnegie Hall or a collection. -Keitha Clark ceilidh. Although the music isn't played with recklessabandon, Saskatoon,Saskatchewan
MacCrimrnon'sRevenge. The Ransom. Ingold 2004-2. Ingold Records,Suite 412, 5475 Spring GardenRoad, Halifax, Nova Scotia B2J IG2;
The Ransomis the debut recording of this Halifax-based sionists, Ian MacMillan on assortedpercussion and Mark Currie quartet. The group is billed as a synthesisof Celtic music with on bodhran, bonesand didgeridoo. World Music, and this recording definitely demonstratesthat. The music on this CD is a mixture of traditional "pan- The band's sound is based on the Lowland pipes playing of Celtic" and more recent compositionsby the group and well- Glenn Coolen, who also plays various whistles. The lead sound known composerslike Jerry Holland, Phil Cunninghamand Niel is filled out by the guitar of Guy Major, who also is the group's Dickie. Most of the music is from the Scottish/CapeBreton tra- vocalist. The other two membersof the group are both percus- dition, with a sprinkling of Breton, Mongolian and Balkantunes. 28... BUUEllN de musiquefolklorique canadienne33.2 (1999)
The first track, "In-Between Times Set," is a 9'21" pipe This time the dreamis a nightmare.A ticking clock and neurotic medley of seven recent tunes, .threeby Coolen, two by Jerry guitar riff provide a strung-outbackground to the pipes, which Holland, oneby Scottishaccordian player Phil Cunningham,and wanderaround like a mad cow. The lead is then takenup by the one unknown. The pipes are the only melody instrumenton this guitar, leading to an abrupt finish. track, with the guitar and percussionweaving a moody back- "The MillO MillO Set" is anothercollection of recentand drop. The second.track is an atmosphericpiece basedaround a traditional tunes. The pipes and guitar sharethe lead on this set, bassriff with a strong ry.thmicpulse. The didgeridooand whistle with the low whistle joining in on the Breton" An Andro." The wander around this. Next is the only song on the CD, a tradi- other tunes in the set are of Scottishorigin. tional Scottishsong called "The Cuillins of Rhum." The reverb The CD finishes with "The Raven." The first tune was in- and echo on the backing pipes and whistles add an appropriate spired by the soundcreated by the breezeblowing through holes flavour to this lament for a distant place. in the monumenterected in Halifax for the G-7 Summitin 1995, We travel around the world for the next track, a Mongolian and is (appropriately)entitled" A Tiny Hole in the SteelTube." tune called "Langurel." Oddly, this tune fits very well on the The second tune in the set is an interesting version of "The Lowland pipes, with the didgeridoo and frame drum adding an StrayawayChild." Usually played as a jig, here it is slowed otherworldly feel to the selection.The Balkansare the next stop, down considerablyand played as a slip jig. This brings out the for the "Kulsko Horo." The guitar .takesthe lead to start.this lament in the tune and blendsit nicely with the atmospherecre- track, with a strong percussionbacking. The whistle joins in the ated by the previous tune. secondtime through, then the pipes jump in to finish it off. The packagingof this CD is very nice, with a three-page The next two tracks, "Kirstie's WeatherHair/Cape Breton fold-out. It includesnotes on five of the eleventracks, the lineup Port-A-Beul" and "Sandy's New ChanterSet," return to a more of the band and four paragraphson the musical philosophy of "traditional" Celtic sound. "Kirstie's WeatherHair," written by the group. The only difficulty is that someof the notes can be Glen Coolen, is a very traditional pipe air, showing the deep hard to read over the backgroundillustration and photograph. Celtic roots of the group. In "Sandy's New Chanter Set" the Overall this is an interesting recording. I think the group group finally cut loose on a "kick-ass" Scottish reel set. The have gotten carried away with creating a "sound" and "atmos- performanceon this track is very traditional (asidefrom djembe, phere," and in placesthe music is lost or secondary.The New which fits in very well with Celtic music anyway), and shows Celtic/World philosophy is also (I feel) carried a little far, as the you don't haveto stepfar from traditional arrangementsto rock. band tries to makeus understandjust how committedthey are to The track startswith a traditional reel, "The Steampacket,"and "enhancingto the fullest, those essentialqualities of a unique finisheswith one of the hottestnew tunesof the last while, Niel and mysterious tradition." To me the atmosphericNew-Agey Dickie's "Clumsy Lover." tracks tend to drag. This band is at its best on the more tradi- A slow whistle tune with the intriguing name "Dimitri's tional tracks, 6, 7, 9 and part of 1, when they just "shut up and SuspicionAbout the Cows in the Trees" follows. The piece has play." a languid dreamlikequality that slowly builds in intensity, then -Derek Lofthouse gently fades.The sametune is the basefor "Mad Cow Disease." Canmore,Alberta
Margaret Christl & Ian Robb, with Grit Laskin. The Barley Grain for Me. Folk-Legacy CD-62. Fallen Angle Music, 285 Spencer Street, Ottawa, Ontario KIY 2Rl;
The Barley Grain for Me is required listening for connois- ous combinationsof guitar, dulcimer, concertinaand long-neck seurs of traditional folk music. Originally releasedas a vinyl mandolin provide pleasantaccompaniment for ten of the vocals; recording in 1976, it is now availableas a CD. Thereare a new the remaining four are performeda cappella. set of liner notes packagedwith the CD, but the original 1976 The vocalsare excellent. One only hasto listen to selections album notes, containing the words to eachsong, are still avail- 11 and 12 to be completely drawn into the music. Traditional able by mail order from Folk-Legacy. folk music doesn't get any better than the enchantingsound of The Barley Grain for Me is dedicatedto the memory of Margaret Christl playing the dulcimer and singing "Willie Edith Fowke, the well-known Canadianfolk song collector, Drowned in Ero," accompaniedby the tasteful guitar work of broadcaster,scholar and author. The new liner notesreveal that Grit Laskin. This is followed by Ian Robb's a cappella version Ian Robb fulfilled a promisemade to the late Edith Fowke when of an extremely rare song with a beautiful melody originally he persuadedFolk-Legacy to releasethe original recording as a collectedby Edith from O.J. Abbot in Hull, Quebec,under the compactdisc. Re-mixed from the 1976 mastertapes, the result title "The Banksof Newfoundland"(not to be confusedwith the is a pleasanttrip into the world of traditional folk music. The more popular song with the same title). The title song, "The CD contains 14 traditional folk songsfrom a number of Cana- Barley Grain for Me," is also taken from the repertoire of O.J. dian collections. Six of the selections are songs that were Abbott. It was one of the more than ten dozensongs that Edith collectedby Edith Fowke during her fieldwork in the 1950s;the Fowke collectedfrom the 85-year-oldOttawa Valley residentin remainderare taken from the collections of Kenneth Peacock, the summerof 1957. There are a total of four songscollected Helen Creig.hton,MacEdward Leach and SheldonPosen. Vari- from O.J. Abbott on this recording, and all are given excep- Canadian Folk Music BUUEllN 33.2 (1999) ...29
tionally fine interpretation by Margaret and Ian. Edith Fowke would be very pleasedwith the reissuing of This recording has a definite Canadian feel to it, and, The Barley Grain for Me and, if shewere still doing her radio although it includes only material collected from Ontario east- show at the CBC, this disk would receive plenty of airplay. ward, it doesserve as a testimonial to the successand variety of Edith was a scholar and collector of Canadianfolk music, but Canadian folk song collecting and performance. Margaret shewas also a popularizerof folk songsand the peoplethat sang Christl's honest rendering of "Hard Times," a Newfoundland them. She felt very strongly that folk music should be made song about a day in the life of a fisherman, is followed by Ian readily availablefor peopleto listen to and enjoy, aboveall else. Robb singing "SaveYour Money While You're Young," a lum- To her, academicstudy and analysiswere pursuitsthat were sec- bering song from Ontario discoveredby Edith Fowke in Peter- ondary to the performanceof the music. Theseperformances are borough County in the late 1950s. Later, Margaret renders a excellent.I highly recommendThe Barley Grain for Me to any- beautiful interpretation of "Green Bushes," an Irish song of one with a genuineinterest in traditional Canadianfolk music. unrequited love collected by Helen Creighton in Nova Scotia. Margaret Christl and Ian Robb serveup a real treat! This is followed by Ian's excellent performanceof "Jack, The -Allan Kirby Cow Boy," a variant of Child 283 discoveredin Labrador. Cobourg, Ontario
Siksika Ramblers.Just For Old Times' Sake: Traditional Siksika Pow-Wow Songs. CR-6287.Canyon Records Productions, 4143 North 16 Street, Suite 6, Phoenix, Arizona 85016, USA; 1-800-268-1141;
This disc provides gratifying listening. It hasa greatvariety Blackfoot singing and drumming. Their falsetto singing quality of songs, such as intertribal, chicken, war, fancy, grass, ladies has a warbling sound, and they use many variations of hard andowl (round) dances.Each songrequires different drumming. beats. For example,the intertribal hasstirring "hard" (accented)beats; This studio recording allows a clean presentationof the the chicken dancehas a light drum beat which grows stronger; music but lacks the powwow ambience.The notesare well writ- anotherhas a drum "roll" sounds;the war and grassdances are ten and the cover designattractive. dramatic; while the ladies' danceis slower. -Lynn Whidden Thesemature singerscertainly know the traditional style of Brandon, Manitoba
Northern CreeSingers. It's Time to Round Dance! CR-6292. CanyonRecords Productions, 4143 North 16 Street,Suite 6, Phoenix, Arizona 85016, USA; 1-800-268-1141;
This is a disc for dancing-all ten songsare round dances. doneall year round, not just "During the long nights of winter"; (Round dancesare social dancesin which everyonejoins in a and I hear no Cree, only syllablesand English words. large circle and shuffles to the left.) The voices are young and The song tunes, traditional plains in form, are memorable, spirited, with lots of whoops and calls added. Becausethis is a as are the tongue-in-cheekwords. For example, here's "Leng- studio recording, there should have beenbetter drum and voice then My Leash": balance;there is no need for the voices to sound weak. And I You're so nice to me honey do miss the noisy crowd backgroundof thesesocial events. You tell me what to do- The front cover design is appealing, but the back cover I'm just like a monkey notesare downright misleading.For example,the Northern Cree Do si do si do. singersplay the bassdrum, not hand drums; round dancesare -Lynn Whidden
David Wilkie and Cowboy Celtic. Cowboy Ceilidh. CFA 007 Centerfire Music, Box 868, Turner Valley, Alberta, TOL 2AO; < [email protected]>
Just when you think that Celtic music has been fused to cowboy songstill in existencethat waswritten in North America everythingunder the sun, along comesDavid Wilkie with a sur- in Gaelic. prising new twist. Wilkie exploresthe fertile groundof the links Wilkie is obviously fascinatedby cowboy music's Celtic betweenthe Scotsand Irish and the cowboy music of the Ameri- connections.He hasresearched some of the traditional melodies can West, in his CD Cowboy Ceilidh. which havecrossed over- "The Streetsof Laredo," for instance, For many centuries, cattle were essentialto the Scottish is known in Scotlandas "The UnfortunateRake" and in Ireland highlandeconomy, with droversbringing their herdssouth to the as "The Bard of Arrnagh"-and has drawn on the tradition to lowlands to market each year. After the Highland clearances, write his own songs. "The Wind in the Wire" is inspired by the many cattlemenmade their way to the US and continued their stories of Angus MacDonald from Western Ross, whose wife trade. Apparently the Gaelic languagewas quite common in the was from the Nez Percenation. "The Ballad of Nate Champion" West, and was even spokenat the Alamo. Wilkie ends the CD commemoratesan independentrancher who was shot down by with a touchingsong, "Farewell to Coinagh," reputedlythe only Sheriff Red Angus. ~ 30. BUUEl1N de musique folklonque canadie1lne 33.2 (1999)
This is an ambitiousproject, conceivedover a few whiskies The end result is a pleasingand polished CD. It may be a but brought to fruition in recording studios in Canada,Ireland little too polishedfor some,with the cello and the harp sounding and Scotland.It includesa guestlist of over a dozenmusicians, more at home in the parlour than out on the range. However, including Scotland'sPhil Cunningham,and has some lovely flute this gives it wider audienceappeal than just us traditional folk and whistle playing by Johnny McCarthy. festival attendees.In April, Wilkie was honouredby the US Na- Cowboy Ceilidh is no dry work of scholarship.Wilkie ob- tional Cowboy Hall of Fame, which awardedCowboy Ceilidh viously enjoys the companionshipof his collaborators(and the the title of Outstanding Traditional WesternMusic Album of odd round of golf in Scotland,by the looks of it...) and throws 1998. It's good to seethe Wild West acknowledgingits Celtic in someenjoyable touches. There's a tongue-in-cheekinsertion heritage. of the theme from High Noon, which was composedby the -Nan Colledge Russian/Americanfilm composer Dimitri Tiomkin and has Winnipe~,Manitoba absolutelyno Celtic credentials,but fits rights in..
O"HighNoon," sungby the machowhiner Frankie Laine ("Dew nowt forsaaakemeee, oh mahdaahrlin' ") and harmonicaimitation (reportedly by accordion maestroA. Galla Rini) won the Oscar for Best Title Song in 1952. I grew up (?) on it. [GWL]
The Henchmen."The Henchmen Reunion": Maritime Folk Music of the Sixties. CMD440. CapcanMusic Distribution, 1129 Faithwood Place, Victoria, DC V8X 4Y6;
Ah, the 60s! As the old saying says, "If you rememberthe making music in their home territory. This CD comprisestheir 60s, you weren't there." But I rememberthe 60s, and I was a lot only album and songsrestored from many rehearsaltapes that of places-beginning my working careerand enjoying a lot of were found "in a few dusty closets." music that visited New Zealand during thoseyears-Cliff Rich- From the opening chords of banjo, guitars and bass, one ard, The Everly Brothers, Tom Lehrer, Louis Armstrong, The nearly asks, "Where've I heard this before?", but as the voices BeachBoys, The Beatles,and-the list just keepsgoing on. climb abovethe instruments,it's a "new" sound,one that is not I was also intrigued with folk music, especially New similar to other groups of the time, including The Brothers Zealand folk music that seemedso different from what was Four, The Limeliters, or The ChadMitchell Trio. However, the being played on the radio. The Weavershad establishedthem- influencesare there. selves,but the likes of PeterCape and Les Cleveland(two local The songs are typical of the period-traditional, work, performers)weren't heardmuch on the weekly Sundayafternoon spiritual, and prison, though not the "cause" songs of Pete Listener's Requestsor the half-hour weekly Lever Hit Parade, Seeger.They havea good happy sound,especially in new songs which seemedto parallel the Billboard Top Ten but gave us the by New Brunswick writer Doug Major. I can't identify the solo best of the British and USA pop music scenes. voices of eachperformer, but they standout on their own, and Our town never got TV until 1964, so it was visiting per- the harmoniesblend togetherbeautifully. Eachplays his own in- formers or the rock-and-roll films that gave us a look at the strument, and for me this almost guaranteesthat what you hear music scene from overseas.But once "Tom Dooley" by the on the record you will seeon stage. Kingston Trio had impresseditself on the record-buyingpublic, The first part of the CD highlights the first 12 songsfrom there was no end to great folk acts making a side trip from Aus- their original album and, althoughthere's an apology in the liner tralia, including the Kingstonsthemselves, The SerendipitySing- notes for some "needle" noise, it does becomesomewhat dis- ers and The New Christy Minstrels. The songsthese groups pre- tracting, and I wonder if with more searchinga better copy of sentedwas in a way a reworking of what Lonnie Doneganand the recording could have been found. However, it's the songs other skiftle groups had made popular, before and during the that count, and that's a minor quibble. I would have liked to reign of "Tom Dooley." New Zealandfolk was making its way havelearned more from the liner notes-Peter Chipmanis cred- there, too, with the Hamilton BluegrassBand, Hogsnort Rupert ited with writing "The Rover," an enjoyablesong about a Nova [/ like 'em already!-GWL] and particularly Phil Garland, who Scotiaprivateer chasingSpanish gold, but did he write more as is the only one left today (as far as I can tell) still performing good as this? Other original songs of the time include "The NZ folk songs. Bluenose" (Helen Thurber), "Down The River Saint John" In the mid-60s I emigratedto Canadaand brought my eclec- (Douglas Major), "You Were On My Mind" and "Flowers on tic music interestswith me. I worked and traveled around the the Wall." country at the start, settledon going to university, continuedmy The next 14 selectionsare from rehearsaltapes and one live teachingcareer, did swim coachingfor a hobby and enjoyedmu- performance.Few performers allow the listener into rehearsal sic. But I had never heard of The Henchmen.Now I'm glad I sessions,so it's admirable that the tunes have been included have the opportunity to sharesome thoughts about this CD. here. As one progressesthrough this part of the CD, the quality The Henchmenbegan with four studentsfrom Saint John gradually improves, and soon you're in the middle of another High School who eventually entered the University of New completealbum. The mix of songsis again traditional and con- Brunswick. One of the group decided to move on, and so AI temporary. Brien, Peter Chipman, Jerry Gadd and Dave Sansomcontinued The soundof this Canadiangroup remainsas fresh as it was Canadian Folk Music BlR..lEllN 33.2 (1999) ...31 in the 60s. The now-and-thenphotos on the insert indicate that "$2.00 from the sale of eachreunion CD and $1.00 from each all the membersare still with us. The Henchmendeserve their cassettewill be donatedby CapcanMusic to the University of placein Canadianmusical history. Maybe thereare other singers New Brunswick, for as long as this product is available for and groupsout there who can repackagetheir material for a new sale." generationof listeners. -Dave Foster I congratulatethe Henchmenon this project and note that Calgary, Albel1a
Seanachie.A Quarrel With Whisky. SEAN 002. Seanachie,Box 61154, Kensington Postal Outlet, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4S6; < www . cadvision.com! davideo/ seanachie/index. html >
While there's a certain amountof traditional material on this iate appealof, say, a StanRogers song or even thoseof Bobby album (ably driven by pipes, fiddles, flutes, guitars and a drum Watt, they quickly grow on the listener and tell wonderful and kit), most of Seanachie'snew releasefeatures songs written and moving stories. sung by guitarist Gordon McCulloch. His subject material fo- Other than McCulloch's songs,the low point of the album cuseson the Scottish experience,either in Scotlandor here in is a somewhatlackluster version of "Mingulay Boat Song." The Canada,backed by a mix of acousticand electric instrumentation high points are the opening hornpipe set and the hypnotic set that now seemsthe norm for this sort of band: acousticguitars featuring a waulking song and a pair of jigs. and traditional instrumentswith electric bassand drums, the lat- -Charles de Lint ter quite high in the mix. While his songsdon't havethe immed- Ottawa, Ontario
Morgaine Le Fay. Up She Flew. MLFOI97. Morgaine Le Fay, 385 Kettleby Road, KettIeby, Ontario LOG lJO; FestivalDistribution, 1351 Grant Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 2X7;
Any recording that features fiddler and songwriter extra- and percussionand Patrick O'Gorman of bagpipesand various ordinaire Jamie Snider is alreadya winner in my book, and this flutes and whistles, with Victor Batemansitting in on bass.The one's no exception. It featuresa great selectionof Snider's self- soundranges from simple acousticpieces to that electrified trad pennedsongs and tunes,as well as sometraditional material, and sound pioneeredby Fairport Convention back in the late 6Os/ a couple of songsand one tune from October Browne that are early 70s, only add in the pipes on a few cuts. Cleanproduction quite outstanding. Browne has a wonderful, emotive voice- and greatarrangements make this a fine album, from the opening breathy but clear, with a nice edge to it-and plays various Don Messerbreakdown through to the simple but tasty arrange- stringed instruments. ment of "Julia's Baby/Julia Delaney" that closesthe CD. The rest of the band is madeup of Howard Gaul on drums -Charles de Lint
Tanglefoot. The Music in the Wood. TML 14-0896. Tanglefoot, Box 2263, Peterborough, Onto K9J 7Y8;
In music, as in many other aspectsof life in Canada,it's so and their energy has to be seenand heard to be believed.) common to find oneself overwhelmed with culture imported The songs are a panorama of life in Canada, past and from elsewhere-mostly from the United States,but also from present, portraying the experiencesand emotions of ordinary Europeand the Pacific Rim-that it's a pleasureto come across Canadians.For example, the title song from The Music in the an album that not only is madein Canadaby Canadians,but ac- Wood tells of a wagon-makerwho feels "the music in the wood" tually attempts to portray and even celebrateCanadian life (at and spendsall his time making violins insteadof wagons. "Se- least in easternCanada), now and in the past, in a realistic and cord's Warning" celebratesLaura Secord,who, like Paul Revere yet positive manner.Examples of this are the two CDs The Mu- in reverse,warned the British that the Americanswere coming. sic in the Wood and Full Throated Abandon, recorded in Sung a capella, this one is in the sameleague as StanRogers's 1995-96and 1998-99respectively by Tanglefoot,a group of five "Barrett's Privateers"; it's a pleasureto hear a bunch of guys men from Ontario. Superbvocalists, with ear-tingling harmo- singing a song about a heroic woman. "La V'la M' Arnie" is a nies, accompanyingthemselves on guitar, fiddle, piano, mando- reworking of a French-Canadianpaddling songthat goesback to lin, banjo, double bass and other acoustic instruments, these the days of the voyageurs.And, easily the most powerful song guysdeliver their songswith conviction and great gusto-songs on the album, "Vimy", again sung a capella, presentsan aging which, althoughthey wrote nearly all of them, soundfor all the Canadianveteran of World War I reminiscingabout the horrors world like traditional songsand, to this writer at least, seemto of war and still mourning his lost companionskilled at the Battle fit squarelyinto the folk tradition. {I've heard them in concert, of Vimy Ridge. 32... BULIE7JN de musique folklorique canadienne 33.2 (1999)
On Full Throated Abandon there's "One More Night," the a dozenor so songsdelivered in this mannera bit exhausting. story of a silver mine inundatedby the icy waters of Lake Su- A few more selectionsperformed in a more mellow tone, alter- perior becausea ship's captain spentone night too many drink- nating with the more robust numbers,might be a welcomeaddi- ing and dallying with his lover, fatally delaying the shipping of tion. Also, as my wife observed,"It would be nice if there were the coal that fuelled the water pumps. "Emmeline" is about a a woman in the group, singing high harmoniesto contrastwith woman who, after her husband'sdeath, takesover his position all thosebaritones." And, althoughTanglefoot make no claim to as lighthousekeeper, playing the violin in betweentimes to pass be cultural ambassadors,perhaps a few more French-Canadian the hours. "Let the Piper Play" tells of a piper who stows away songs(traditional or otherwise), in addition to providing further on a Scottish settlers' ship bound for Nova Scotia, playing the enjoyment, might remedy what some might seeas an English- pipes to keep the settlers' spirits alive during the arduous Canadianbias in the material. voyage. In the very moving "Buxton," a white fiddler, playing The individuals in the songsare typical of the real working in a Buxton, Ontario, tavern in the last century, encountersa peoplewho cameto this country, settledit and lived in it some fugitive black Americanslave who hasjust escapedto Canadaon four to eight generationsago. The songsare about characters, the UndergroundRailway and is still trying to deal with the con- the kind one would find especiallyin a frontier situation-some flicting emotionsfrom the suddenchange in his life. heroic ("Secord's Warning"), some incompetent ("Awkward Either one or both of theseCDs is a great buy (and, if you Donald"), somepugnacious ("Jack the Green"), somerepentant like them, there are two earlier albums, A Grain of Salt and sinners ("One More Night"), but all colourful and, above all, Saturday Night in Hardwood Lake). Tanglefoot are first-class memorable. Tanglefoot's songs help us to realize that being musicians,storytellers and songwriters,with none of the "pop" Canadianmatters, to be awareof our traditions, and to feel good influencesthat characterizeso many songwriters in the "folk" about them. field. The only mild criticism I can come up with is that, while -Lawrie Postans their material varies considerablyin tempo, most of it is sung Duncan, British Columbia in full-voice harmonies,and someaudience members might find
Two Canadian/Gypsy-based recordings by Judith Cohen
Rom culture, in its many and varied aspects, has been Bosnian and other musicians living in Montreal. Aside from enjoying a certain vogue, especiallysince the appearanceof the their Canadiancontext, the albums share related musical cul- films Latcho Drom and, more recently, Gadjo Dilo.* Both of tures, and are both unpretentiousand rather addictive-though the thoroughly enjoyablerecordings I am discussingoffer music very different from eachother in their approach.Together they from Rom cultures, from EasternEurope and Turkey, in a Cana- also raisequestions about performing music from a culture other dian context: one producedand with vocalsby CanadianBrenna than the one the musician(s)grew up in, and decisionsabout MacCrimmon,together with Turkish musicians,and the other by changesto the music.
Kaqilama. Green Goat Music, 561 Melita Crescent,Toronto, Ontario M6G 3V7; 148 Montrose Ave., Toronto, Onto M6J 2T8 Producedby BrennaMacCrimmon, Daniel Janke;notes on instrumentaltraditions of Rumeli and EasternThrace notes by SoniaT. Seeman,who also servesas consultant.Notes on eachtrack and introduction: BrennaMacCrimmon. Instrumentalists:Selim Sesler, G clarinet, group leader; Fahrettin DemirciogIu, cumbil.}';Demir Karaba§,violin; Salih Onur, darbuka, bendir, daire; Selahattin Ko(j:8n,davul
"Kar§ilama meanscoming face to face, to meet and greet" led by Selim Sesler, the clarinetist. This makes the recording an (albumnotes). This particular "coming faceto face" is a collabo- interesting collaboration between traditional musicians and some- ration betweenTurkish Roman("Gypsy") musiciansfrom Istan- one who grew up in a very different culture and whose perfor- bul and CanadianBrenna MacCrimmon, who hasworked inten- mance is backed up by years of observation and research-the sively for many yearswith Turkish and SouthSlavic music, and latter carried out mostly outside formal academia. producedthis recordingwhile studyingin Istanbul, with the help I first met Brenna in the early 1980s, when she attended the of a CanadaCouncil Artists grant. class I was giving in Balkan women's singing-it's one of those The selectionsfocus on the aspectsof the Rumeli repertoire, situations where the pupil far outstrips her teacher. Her singing the repertoireassociated by Turkish musicianswith the European has gone from good to excellent, and her ornamentation is par- lands formerly under Ottoman rule, especially the Balkans. ticularly subtle and precise. At times, though, one could wish Roman (not to be confusedwith "Roman" as in "from Rome") for more edge and intensity, and perhaps more variation in tim- is the Turkish version of Rom or Roma, English Romany,which bre between different song styles. On some tracks, the mix could is increasinglyreplacing the word Gypsy,with its often negative have brought her voice out more strongly over the instruments. connotations.Brenna explains that, in the scoresof recordings The instrumentals themselves are a treat. At the open-air res- shelistened to from Turkey and neighbouringareas, most of the taurants down near the water in Istanbul, the sound of bands like backupmusicians were Rom, as are the group on this recording, this, several playing at once at tables of different restaurants, CanadianFolk Music BUUEllN 33.2 (1999) ...33 mixes with the calls of street food vendors,and the singing and writing this sentenceto an improvisationon the G clarinet, after glassclinking of the people around the tables. If headingdown an opening improvisation on the camb~ (a Balkan banjo), on there in personis impractical for you just now (last time I man- Track 6, a song in an apparently obscure Albanian dialect: a agedit was in '92), then this recording is a great second-best. young man rejects a beautiful girl's culinary offerings, saying The notes don't include song texts, but do provide trans- he'd prefer her sweetwords, but must go off to plough his field; lations, solid background information, maqam (Middle East shereplies that he shouldleave that rocky field to someonemore mode system) and rhythm pattern identification-all concisely experienced. and very readably presented(though the sectionssuperimposed It's a rocky field indeed one tries to piough when singing on the purple flower design are rather difficult to decipher). the music of a totally different culture, and Brenna'sone of the Sonia Seeman(herself an accomplishedmusician and scholarin few who succeedin negotiatingthe rocks, to follow the plough- the tradition) adds brief but helpful information on the instru- ing, planting and harvestingthrough with skill, graceand an en- mental tradition and the role of improvisation. In fact, I'm now joyment which comesthrough clearly.
Saoroma.Les Gitans de Sarajevo. CHAM19811. ProductionsSAOROMA, Fethy Moughlam, 4281 St. Andre, Montreal, Quebec H2J 2Z3;
Saoroma: "All the gipsies" [sic-clearly, the group, based limits and has a power to put people together regardlesswho at Montreal's Cafe Sarajevo and including several musicians they are. For us, all of our songsare only beautiful songswe from Bosnia, hasn't adoptedRom or Roma in its translation of enjoy to play, but in our own, modem way. It is our shareto their group's name]. Perhapsit's simplestjust to quotethe musi- the peacein our native country." cians' own introduction (in English and French, English only While I'm sure most readersshare my own sympathyand given here for reasonsof space)to their creation of a "Gipsy agreementwith this, it doesraise a numberof interestingpoints [sic] space" in Montreal, for "musicians from various back- (besideswho gets to use the term "Gypsy" insteadof "Roma"). grounds, but with a gipsy soul"-whatever that may be. The For one thing, not everyonefrom ex-Yugoslaviasees it quite notescontinue, "through jam sessionsto collective musicalcre- that way; there are certain songs which are used by different ation, the North-African drums, the Spanishguitars, the classical factions as symbolic of their own group, as Bosnianethnomusi- flutes and pianos, the jazz keyboardsand saxophoneshad a flirt cologists Ankica Petrovic and Mirjana Lausevichave explained with gipsy violins and accordeons.Opera tenors and sopranos, in their papersat conferencesover the past few years. Again, Quebec,Bulgarian, flamencoand oriental singersjoined together and related to this, many people, and not only ethnomusicolo- to crush the style barrier..." gists, are indeedconcerned about the origin of specific songs.I The tunes on this recording are listed but not explained; think the big differencehere is the third question:the musicians' some were very familiar to me, such as the "Cayesukariye," own origin. If you grow up in a culture, certain parametersof madefamous by EsmaRedzepova, the MacedonianRom singer both the music itself and of socio-politcal-cultural issuesare (whom I was privileged to hear live in a Macedonianvillage more built in than even the most assiduousstudy permits. back in 1970), others less so. Little information is provided, Changing instrumentation, for example, is done more as a other than the introductory note, the titles and musicians'names, natural progressionthan a consciousexperiment, and stylistic and some general talk about "World" feeling, emotions, song elementsare kept-they're already there and don't have to be themes of love and fights and hope, and "irresistable dance learned.What is acceptablein areasmore relatedto culture and songsto celebrau:life with heart and passion." There is nothing politics is a trickier matter, as obviously musicians(or anyone) like the carefully-researchednotes of Brenna's recording, but from one of severallocal communitiesmay have views which this is not the samesort of project, and indeed,what might seem are not at all shared by the others. So,' while repeating my like tired cliches in another context take on a different meaning agreementwith, and indeed admiration for, Goran's statement when offered by peoplewho, as did severalof the musiciansand and what the group is doing, I would caution against reading other frequentersof Cafe Sarajevo,grew up in the culture and this as an invitation to a "Let's-go-ahead-and-change-everything- fled the war in Bosniaand its devastationonly a few yearsago. the-way-we-feel-like-it" licence. Goran Jezdimir said to me (28/12/98): "Those songshave I heard the group live in Montreal one evening, in the tiny beena part of our lives in ex-Yugoslavia,and I havenever real- Cafe Sarajevo.They were playing-not to a seated,quiet audi- ized their origin. I can guess,but I am not sure. They are very ence, but for a mixture of Quebecois,Slavic, Middle Eastern, old songsand the stories about their origin are different. For Greekpeople, mostly quite young, who obviously were regulars, example,for the song 'Zajdi, zajdi,' peoplefrom Macedoniasay and who clearly do find the dancemelodies as "irresistable" as it comesfrom there, and peoplefrom Bulgaria are sureit comes the noteswould have them, creatingan animated,if impossibly from their country." Later (1/1/99), he added that "the region crowded, mixture of Western and Eastern dance styles. The we camefrom is a placewhere people with different culturesand group, and this album, have no pretensions,make no particular nationalitieslive. Thosedifferences were reasonsfor manyprob- claims, and seemto have fulfilled their aim of bringing people lems and wars in the past. We playa folk and a gypsy music together to hear, learn, play, sing and/or danceto the music of that comefrom that part of the world, not thinking what culture Saoroma. or nation it comesfrom. We think that the music doesnot have 34... BUUEl1N de musiquefolklorique canadienne33.2 (1999)
.The use of the tenD "Gypsy" for "Rom" or " Rorna" is similar to that of "Eskimo" for "Inuk" or "Inuit," in that the fonDer tenD re- flects an incorrect notion of origin which also, at least in some cases,had pejorative connotations,while the secondtenD is the people'sown designationfor themselves.In Spainand Portugal, though, "gitano" (Spanish)and "cigano" (portuguese)are still widely used, including by the people in question-as I confinned just this week, while talking with a gitano from southernSpain. In fact, even the Union Romani of the Iberian Peninsulais subtitled "del Pueblo Gitano" ("of the Gypsy people"). Also, the secondof the CDs reviewed here usesthe tenD "gitan/e" in French and "gipsy/ies" in English. Nevertheless,"Gypsy" is increasinglybeing con- signed to the politically incorrect wastebasket.For a good, readable,quite recent book, try Isabel Fonseca'sBury Me Standing (Vintage 1996).
D'autres nouveautesau Canadafranrais par Donald Deschenes
Au Quebec,l'annee 1998 a ete extraordinairementproduc- toutes les directions, des puristes aux folkeux jeuneset vieux, tive en musiquetraditionnelle et ce, jusqu'a la toute fin, avecla des traditionalistes aux avant-gardistes.Voici quelques bans parution, tout juste avant les fetes, d'un dixieme disque de La exemplesque j'ai ~u des derniersmois. Bottine Souriante. Dans l'ensemble, cette production va dans
Bourque, Bernardet Lepage.Matapat: Musique traditionnelle do Quebec. BCD 110. BorealisRecording Co., 67 Mowat Avenue, Suite 233, Toronto, Ontario M6K 3£3;
Ce disque reunit Benoit Bourque, anciennementdu groupe erounaisdans Matapat, et une version inoubliablede La chanson Eritage, gigueur, chanteur, accordeoniste;Gaston Bernard, qui des rubans. Une originalite : une mise en musiquede la com- chanteegalement, au violon, ala mandoline,au bouzouki; et Si- plainte Le damne tiree du roman de Philippe Aubert de Gaspe mon Lepage,chanteur et contrebassiste.n presenteun fort beau Les Anciens Canadiens.Si les instrumentstraditionnels, violon repertoirede piecesinstrumentales et de chansons;il debutepar et accordeon,ont une personnalitebien definie, ici la contrebasse un temoignagedu violoneux Pitou Boudreault et reprend des electrique se taille une place originale au sein de cette equipee. chansonsrecueillies par Marius Barbeau ou interpreteespar C'est un disque fait simplement,avec cour, sinrerite et gener- Allan Mills. Les arrangementsde chansonspour res trois voix osite qui s'ecoute en douceur, pour se faire plaisir un jour de touchent directementau cour, de merneque la Valse matique, pluie, pour s'encouragerquand la vie pesetrop lourd, en regard- compositionde Benoit Bourque, Ie clio d'oil au folklore cam- ant Ie jeune soleil un beau marin d'hiver.
Daniel Roy. Au tour du flageolet: Musique traditionnelle quebecoise/Traditional Music of Quebec.Mille-Pattes/Musicor MPCD 4440. Les ProductionsMille-Pattes, 503, rue Archambault,Joliette (Quebec),J6E 2W6. Site web:
Piecestraditionnelles bien connuessur un instrument qui ciens comme Rejean Archambault, Michel Bordeleau, Michel nODSl'est moins, Ie flageolet, un petit instrumentqu'on identifie Faubert,Eric Favreau,Andre Marchandet Paul Marchand.Pour plus facilementa la tradition irlandaise, patrie du «tin whistle.. creer differents climats musicaux,il s'est adjoint des musiciens La presencede cet instrument est attesteeau Quebecau XVlll" traditionnelsde differentesapproches, comme les pianistesDenis et XIX" siecles. Les pieces traditionnelles issuesdes meilleurs Frechette, de La Bottine Souriante, avec l'approche jazzante musicienstraditionnels quebecois,comme Philippe Bruneau et qu'on lui connait, et Danielle Martineau qui s'en tient a un ac- Marcel Messervier,y cotoientde sescompositions. Les melodies compagnementplus sobre. n va meme se payer Ie plaisir d'un traditionnellesinterpretees sur cet instrumentprennent one toute violoncelle pour faire ressortir tout Ie lyrisme d'une de ses autre couleur, one toute autre texture. On sent que Daniel Roy compositions,Coq du pecheur. s'est fait plaisir en reunissantautour de lui d'excellentsmusi-
Entourloupe. La St-Berdondaine: Musique traditionnelle du Quebec-Traditional Music of Quebec. Mille-Pattes/Musicor MPCD-4441. Les ProductionsMille-Pattes, 503, rue Archambault,Joliette (Quebec),J6E 2W6. Siteweb: < www.millepattes.com>
Le disqueAu tour du flageolet nousavait fait decouvrir un tambour Ii mailloche. On sent chez ces quatre comparsesune excellent musicien, Daniel Roy. Ici, c'est un musicien de cour belle complicite, une longueexperience et un certain eclectisme: que l'on decouvre. II rassembleautour de lui quatre des meil- leg chansons,comme leg pieces instrumentales,sont choisies leurs musiciensde la jeune generation: Eric Favreauau violon avec un soin particulier, tant pour leur richesseharmonique et et au piano; Paul Marchanda la guitare et aux pieds; et Stephane melodiqueque pour leur emotion: des melodies superbes,des Landry a l'accordtSondiatonique. Enfin, lui, Daniel, joue des textes particulierementriches. Avec Entourloupe, une chanson flageolets,de la musiquea bouche,de la bombarde,des os et du Ii repondren' est pasune invitation au party, mais une posepour Canadian Folk Music BUUE7JN 33.2 (1999) ...35
prendre Ie tempsde savourerune languebelle et riche, une his- terpretent cette musique avec one grande simplicite. Cela tient du toire emouvante,un enseignement.Avec Entourloupe,un reel ne grand art. Par ce disque, il n' est pas cliche de dire qu' on penetre s'embetepas a etre bien carre a 8 temps; il se complexifie a au COOTmeme de la tradition musicale queb6coise. A ecouter ab- souhaitpour montrer l'incroyable richessede cette musiqueala solument. jonction des traditions de France, d'lrlande et d'Ecosse.lIs in-
La Bottine Souriante. Xieme. Mille-Pattes/Musicor MPCD 2040. Les ProductionsMille-Pattes, 503, rue Archambault, Joliette (Quebec),J6E 2W6. Site web:
Eh ! oui, La Bottine Sourianteen est rendu a son dixieme l'orchestre dixie (ex. : Margot Fringue). Apres autant de disque apresplus de vingt aDSde carriere, des disquesqui ont disques, on pourrait penserqu'ils vont finir par se repeter. A rapportessucces et prix les uns apresles autres. Premier secret, peine; tout juste pour que l'auditeur s'y retrouve. Par moments, une energiepuissante qui n'a jamais lache; 2" secret: un son on deborded'une gaiete hilare, a d'autres, on se laisse aller a nouveauet un creneauinexplore. Sur ce dixieme disque, on y one douce euphorie; mais la melancolie ? connaissentpas. On retrouve une treizaine de chansonset de piex:esinstrumentales, pounait cependantreprocher ace disque son manqued'unite et dont desapports nouveaux, des pieces d'outre-mer de I'accorde- de simplicite. On amenel'auditeur dans tant de directions qu'il oniste basqueKepa Junkeraet Ie violoniste finlandais Arto Jar- en est etourdi; les arrangementssoot parfois trop lourds, tel- vela. La formation de cuivres est toujours aussi presente,don- lement compliquesqu'on y perd l'essentiel. Pour les mordus, nant a toute cette musiqueun eclairageneon urbain dynamisant. c'est un incontournable;pour ceux et relIes qui ne connaissent Les arrangementssoot de plus en plus audacieux(ex. : Un air pas La Bottine, laissez-voussurprendre. si doux), fignoles finement, on flirte allegrementavec Ie jazz et
Ce qu'its m'ont chante. Collection Gemlain Lemieux, s.j. Documentsoriginaux de terrain, 1948-1958. CFOF- I. Centre franco- ontarien de folklore, 38, rue Xavier, Sudbury (Ontario) P3C 2B9.
Le 12 septembre demier, Ie Centre fnmco-ontarien de folk- repertoire fort varie, allant de la complainte a la chansona lore fetait Ie cinquantieme anniversaire de la premiere cueillette repondre, en passantpar les chansonssatiriques, les chansons folklorique du pere Germain Lemieux dans Ie Moyen-Nord on- d'ivrogne et a boire, les chansonsenumeratives et plusieurs tarien. Pour marquer cet evenernent, on a, entre autres, produit belles versions du petit man. Les enregistrementsoriginaux une cassettede 21 chansons recueillies par Ie peTeLemieux entre ayant ete nettoyeselectroniquement, l'ecoute de res documents 1948 et 1958, aupres d'informateurs ages de 19 a 82 ans. Cette d'enqueteest agreable,captivante meme. Cependant,Ie feuillet cassette a ere egalement une fa~on de rendre un hommage parti- aurait du contenir un court mot de presentationet Ie texte des culier aux chanteurs et chanteuses qui ont cootie au magneto- chansons,meme si celles-ci sont deja publiees dans differents phone du j~uite folkloriste leurs chansons. On y retrouve un recueils.
Canadian Folk Festival Directory
We try to producea listing of all festivalsin Canadawith significant traditional musiccontent, with as much information on them as possible given our spaceconstraints, but realistically we fall short of our goal. Somefestivals we don't know about, somedon't respond, some have personnelchanges and we lose touch. We get information from other agencies,but thesevary widely in the amount and kind of information they give us. We would appreciatebeing given information on festivals which should be included and aren't. And if you havea flat-rate long distancephone plan, or Internet accessand time on your hands,and want to help out, we'd be happy to hive off part of the task of maintaining this directory to enthusiasticvolunteers. [JL]
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