AIRW\VES A Service of Continuing Education and Extension - I.Sil University of Minnesota, Duluth · January• ,- ------ 1 _/ '' {1 ALBUM REVl "Young DJango" Pausa (PR 7041) by and was raising the guitar to unheard of the rema1n1ng three never met Stephane Grappelll, Phlllp Catherine, levels . Reinhardt but capture the essence of the Staff Profik Larry Coryell, and Nlela-Hennlng man through his many recordings from Orated Pederson. .. .. 1930-45. In fact, Charles Minges has called Philip Catherine " Young Django Reinhardt (1910-1953), a man Django' ', and the name fits as Catherine who early in his career played violin plays with the same intense, fiery and six-string banjo backing up singers manner yet letting Django's lovely in the nightclubs of Paris while living .melodic inventions shine through ever ~uf Schmitz~ with his wife in a covered wagon on the so brightly. outskirts of the city. At the age of 18 he ; I can still remember with excitement Since I had started on the classical think, though, that decades from now suffered an accident so tragic that most Recorded so exquisitely in Stuttgart, the first days of my musical self- m1,1sic path so late, my teachers serious music lovers will listen not only mortal men would have given up the West Germany in January of 1979, the education. I was about fifteen at the . discouraged me from trying.tbmake ita to Bach and Beethoven, but also to the idea of playing music for a living when, tunes are some of the classic Reinhardt- Beatles. · time, and for some providential reason, , life career, and I ended iuJ1.-fying in a terrible fire, he lost the use of iiis Grappelli collaborations that they turned on the one family radio to an AM ' English in college and graduatt school. third and fourth fingers on his left played together so many times: "Minor station that played a bit of classical That would have been OK, except One of my friends in the English (fretting) hand. Swing", "Swing Guitars", "Django- music in the early evening. Beethoven's THEN I ended up tea£.hi~g freshmen Department here at UMD has often logy" and several others, plus an "Fifth Symphony" and the Bach composition, not a career caluculated to teased me with the question, "Is ANY This only seemed to make Django more All of this is by way of introduction to original by_ Catherine and one by "Brandenburg Concertos" are the bring peace of mind or a satisfied glow music better than NO music?" (Sort of determined and he approached the the man whose memory and whose Coryell. Th·e playing is outstanding as works I remember best. I was absolutely to any but the heartiest or silliest of· an indirect way of suggesting that guitar (an instrument he was not even spirit dominates this recording. One of the two acoustic guitars, the violin, and astonished that music could be so fast, persons . Tammy Wynetteis really just as great as very familiar with) in an incredibly the players, Stephane Grappeli, played the acoustic bass swing through the IO so exciting. The drama and drive of the Igor Stravinsky--it's all a matter of intense fashion. In a very short time he for many years with Django in the now selections making the legend of Django first movement of the Beethoven was After several years as an English taste.) I gave that one a lot of thought-- had devised totally U!}ique fing_i:rings legendary "Hot Club of ·France" while come back to life. like a rocket hurtling me off into sonic teacher, a brighter light shown into my about five and a half minutes--and lands I never knew existed. My family life, i.e. the light on the top ofWDTH's realized the answer: " Yes, Of Course!" was not-at all musical, and there had tower (although it was KUMD then). Music, any music, is inherently a life- This new recording offers a slightly MORNING ALBUM FEATURES never previously been any classical assertive force. A life without music "Eric Thompson'• Bl~egraaa Guitar" different approach to some standard My musical career' had finally begun! Kicking Mule (KM 215) music in our house. But it took only Like most of us here at the station, I would be a very impoverished life bluegrass tunes. The difference being Each weekday at 10:30 a.m. we have days after this discovery before I started started as a volunteer, just casually indeed. I'm not willing to concede that that the guitar plays a much more thirty minutes devoted to some of the asking for--probably "demanding" wandering in and asking if there were all music is equal, but the aesthetic nit- · dynamic role than on other versions of very newest releases of the folk, blues, would be more accurate--a piano. Once openings for announcers especially for picking arguments about who is better the same selections. soul, and classical styles, as well as jazz the piano, an old clankety upright, was .classical announcers. The answer then, than whom are not very satisfying, and and rock (which you can also hear each installed I was hooked for good. A as now, was a resounding and friendly in the end they violate the essential fact , Thompson is the guitarist in question weekday night during those respective music junky, never to be reformed "Yes". So in no time I was on the air, --music makes life tolerable. ' and he can fly over the fingerboard. He programs). again. with tremulous voice and shaky fingers, is in the company of David Grisman but what fun! And what a wealth of new But my work at the station has now (mandolin), Sandy Rothman (banjo), Unfortunately, because we schedule the music to listen to in the station's fine • stretched far beyond the music - and Tony Rice (guitar) to name just a albums very often so close to air-time, a programs. Today I do Public Affairs libraries. few and together they_make fine music. schedule is almost impossible. We hope Airwaves is a monthly publication of · programming, with all sorts of you will tune in and enjoy these features the public radio station at interesting people, both on campus and WDTH-FM, At first I stuck pretty close . to the "Dill Pickles Rag", "Beaumont Rag" presented in their entirety each the University of Minnesota, Dulutl:l A off, in many different areas, from classical library, but it wasn't long and his duet with Tony Rice "Say Old morning as we offer a wide spectrum of yearly membership in WDTH costs just Einstein to Economics, from Epilepsy before other programs needed Man" are especially wonderful. the very newest recordings we receive. $20. Membership entitles you to receive to the Environment. And this work has occasional help, and I learned fast that "Airwaves" mailed directly to your now made me not only a music junky, there are endless treasures in the other home. but a radio junky too. It takes a long libraries too. But here I must reveal my time to produce good radio programs, earlier secret life as a rocker! Before .. WDTH STAFF I and we still don't have all the technical I Beethoven, there was Elvis. Don't ask facilities and equipment we need to do me to explain; I don't even understand Station Manager .... Tom Livingston ~' everything we'd like to do, but with the myself why, without any prodding or really offers a true alternative to the Program Director . John Ziegler help of all those wonderful listeners LETTE You know something to occupy the pushing from outside forces, I loyed the commercial blandness of most of the Asst. Program Director . Paul Schmitz who supported us so generously during mind other than disco, commercials, early Elvis recordings and then other stations in this area. Engineering ........ Bruce Hegemess the October Marathon, we are on our Howdy, the hog reports or the 19" idiot box. suddenly switched to classical and left Engineering ........... Peder Nelson way to doing better things in the future. the world of rock behind--until Having worked at a College Educ.-FM Senio~s Project ........ Jean Johnson ! Here at WDTH I always feel like I'll I got your little slip in the mail Take care, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club never catch up with my work. yesterday for the $20; it's good it came station (WIOM-FM, Macomb, Ill.) for Band. What a revelation that album was three years while going through. school AIRWAVES STAFF Sometimes that's frustrating, but 'cause I had just been down to the G.S. the first time I heard it at a party. I felt a mostly it's exhilarating because what it business office closin' out my a.ccount Sandstone Federal Correctional I can appreciate the quality of your bit like Mr. Jones--1 knew something programming and actually intelligent Layout ............ Kitty Kavanaugh means is that there are just so many ·and they weren't sure if they had sent Institute was happening, but I didn't know what board personnel. Especially Sales .............•.. Keith Methven exciting and challenging things still to the forms o.ut for that or not: So anyway it was, at least at first. But throughout do. I'm glad ya got it, these people are such' considering what resources (i.e. money the last sixties and the seventies I guess clowns the bread was liable to have and at times personnel available) you The University of Minnesota is , most of us found out something about ended up anywhere going to anybody.