But you know me — I’m an information magpie, always interested in shiny bits of intel. I’ve never gotten in trouble because of knowing too much.
Blood Engines
Welcome. I’m Gary, music editor and Archive diver. A query from a loyal reader about our Archives prompted me to take a deep dive into our reviews of, first, Tim Pratt and Heather Shaw’s short-lived but influential SFF zine Flytrap. I like what Kestrell had to say about the zine, in her review of Flytrap #7:
”The tone of Flytrap is set in large part by editors Shaw and Pratt, who list themselves on the masthead as “enablers,” and indeed, their chatty offbeat editorial columns encourage a sense of having been invited into their living room for an evening of literary experimentation. With all the bad news in the SF genre regarding the buyouts and downsizing of numerous publications, it is a welcome change to find chapbooks such as Flytrap maintaining the ‘zine tradition of creating a sense of shared conversation among publishers, writers, and readers.’
Once I started, I couldn’t stop, and so I rummaged around some more to see what else our staff has had to say about the other various projects of Mr. Pratt and Ms. Shaw, as you’ll see below…
To Faith fell the task of reviewing the final Flytrap, #10. This last (for the foreseeable future) issue is a good one, too, with a little bit of something for many tastes. Besides Heather and Tim’s final editorial, with a picture of their terribly cute son, we have fiction, poetry, truths and oddments.’
Faith also worked a short review of Flytrap #8 into a twofer review. She liked it except for the poetry. ‘There’s also an excerpt from Alan DeNiro’s poem “The Stations.” I must admit I couldn’t finish it. It’s the sort of poetry that makes my head ache, but you will probably love it.’
Kestrell also reviewed Flytrap #5, noting that it published twice yearly, ‘except when it isn’t because the editors were on their honeymoon (see the pictures of Hawaii which illustrate this issue). Such eclectic elements are part of what makes this zine so reminiscent of the early days of SF zines. Another element that evokes the lure of zines is the often playful tone of many of the works. Most of the contents are one to three pages in length, allowing one the casual variety of a summer picnic.’
She also nabbed and reviewed Flytrap #6. ‘One of my favorite regular Flytrap features is Nick Mamatas’s column on writing, “Life Among the Obliterati,” and this issue is no exception as Mamatas takes a long hard (and ironic) look at what he calls the “MFA Cliché,” in which he discusses his experiences participating in a Master of Fine Arts program.’
And Flytrap #7! ‘Flytrap 7 is the perfect antidote when you begin to feel your reading has become stale and predictable, but you don’t need to wait until then to enjoy the wit and originality of the writing.’
In fiction by Heather Shaw and Tim Pratt separately, we start with Camille, who reviewed Poison Sleep, one of the books in Tim’s (writing as T.A. Pratt) Marla Mason series. ‘Insightful, philosophical introspections about the nature of the universe this book most definitely is not. Crazy — even immature in a snickeringly charming way — grownup humor and stylish magic clashing against stylish magic at a breakneck pace is what Poison Sleep offers in spades.’
Cat was wowed by Tim’s Rangergirl. ‘ The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl is easily the most impressive debut novel I’ve read in a very long time! It is also one of the best novels I’ve ever read, period. I’ve included it on my list of Best Reads of 2005.’
He ran out of superlatives in his review of one certain collection of Tim’s fiction, Hart & Boot & Other Stories. ‘I’ve read hundreds of single author short story collections over the decades — I must say this collection is far better than almost any of them. Indeed it’s good enough that I’ll be keeping it for re-reading!’
When Tim Pratt went to collect his favorite stories about the Devil, he took the same sort of long view as Richard Thompson did when asked for his favorite songs of the previous millennium. Denise reviewed his Sympathy For The Devil. ‘Besides the usual spooky short-story heroes — Stephen King, Robert Bloch, Neil Gaiman — there are authors that are close to my heart, like Holly Black and China Miéville, as well as perennial GMR favorites Elizabeth Bear, Charles de Lint and Kage Baker. The old-timers are here too, with Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stephenson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Dante Alighieri putting in appearances.’
Jason had lots of good things to say about Pratt’s Little Gods, a collection of short fiction. ‘Watch out for Tim Pratt; his name will soon be associated with all the big awards, and his books displayed in stores for years to come. His career is just starting, and if this collection is any indication, it will be a long and fruitful one.’
Kestrell reviewed a collection of Heather’s dark fantasy shorts. ‘When We Were Six contains some very compelling dark fantasy stories and, with three of its six stories being retellings of traditional tales, I would suggest this collection to anyone interested in fairy tale retellings. Additionally, anyone interested in reading prose which contains an almost photographic sensibility (a style which I associate most closely with the writing of Elizabeth Hand) should find these stories extremely satisfying.’
She also liked Tim’s (writing as T.A. Pratt) Blood Engine, another in the Marla Mason series. ‘While I would recommend Blood Engines to anyone who loves a fun and fast-paced fantasy adventure, I would particularly recommend it to readers who enjoyed Jenn Reese’s Jade Tiger, as the descriptions in the martial arts scenes reminded me of Reese’s book even before I read Pratt’s acknowledgements at the back of the book which thanked Reese for the martial arts advice.
It’s not often that you find a book that perfectly combines an intereset in literary history and things culinary. Denise found it in a slim volume, Kim Wilson’s Tea with Jane Austen. ‘At a mere 97 pages, I have to admit I wasn’t holding out much hope for anything really engaging at first. Instead, I found a treasure trove of information disguised as a coffee (tea?) table book that kept my interest and left me happily surprised.’
April wrote a glowing review of Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast. ‘Cocteau makes remarkable use of light and shadows, texture, and literally human architecture. The Beast’s castle is otherworldly, cold stone cast in shadows from flickering candles in gilt candelabra held by human arms jutting from the walls. Human statuary flank the dining room fireplace, their eyes shifting to take in the scene before them. An arm rises from the table to serve Beauty or her father. Simple effects put to stunning use with paint and lighting.’
In new music, I review a couple of unearthed live jazz recordings from the jazz detectives at Resonance Records. First is a sprawling set from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, On Fire: Live From The Blue Morocco.
‘If you love to hear a trumpet and tenor sax playing together as much as I do, you’re in for a treat with this one. Hubbard and Maupin are locked in from the opening of the first track “Crisis,” one of four Hubbard originals which along with two standards and one by bassist Bob Cunningham (who played on a Hubbard album that same year). If you’re doing the math, seven tracks over three LPs or two CDs means these are long tracks. This combo really stretches out, with Hubbard, Maupin and Barron taking some long solos on every tune.’
Next up is one of my favorite Resonance releases ever, Kenny Dorham’s Blue Bossa In The Bronx. ‘This date, released as a double LP for Record Store Day as well as on a single CD, is the epitome of mid-century jazz, played by a top notch ensemble. Dorham is joined by alto saxophonist Sonny Red (Sylvester Kyner), pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Denis Charles. I hope they had as much fun playing this music as I’m having listening to it (I suspect they did).’
I also review another couple of new jazz releases from Steeplechase, guitarist Yves Brouqui’s Mean What You Say, and organist Brian Charette’s Borderless. Of the former, I note, “This album is a solid demonstration of swinging straight ahead jazz focused on hard bop styles. Brouqui plays his hollow body electric with classic tone, an ear for melody and a sure sense of rhythm on seven standards and a three originals.” And sometimes Charette plays it straight, sometimes not: ‘But he takes an unusual approach, coaxing some highly creative sounds out of the organ on the standard “Willow Weep For Me,” and turns Huey Lewis’s ’80s hit “If This Is It” into a lush lounge excursion — pass the wine cooler!’
Inspired by April’s review of the Cocteau film (above) I came up with some francophone music reviews from the Archives. First, my look at four North American Franco folk music recordings: ‘North America has a sizable contingent of French speakers, including much of the Canadian province of Quebec, and much of southern Louisiana. The two regions are connected by history, too; the ancestors of the Louisiana Cajuns were driven out of parts of Canada that were originally francophone when the British consolidated their hold there. The folk songs and dance music of these two regions also share certain traits. You can hear it in these four newly released francophone discs: one Quebecois, one from the Maritime provinces, and two from Louisiana.’
Jack reviews Gwazigan’s Y’Vait du monde: ‘This album’s a sheer delight, but then I tend to like anything that comes from the Quebec musical tradition. This is a group with violin, mandolin, guitar, vocals — and Uillean pipes. Yes, Uillean pipes! Brigid, me dear wife, says this reminds her strongly of Moving Hearts, the near legendary Irish super group that lasted but a few short years in the 80s. No doubt, it’s the pipes, but it does suggest something ’bout the bleeding together of the various Celtic traditions over the past thirty or so years.’
Evangeline Made is just the sort of music that Kim loves: ‘Cajun music is a beguiling, seductive, heady mixture of influences –rhythms borrowed from the Creole, French fiddle and accordion, full voice American vocal styles in which notes are emphatically held and the voice wavers around the tone. Along with its cousin Zydeco, it is one of the best strains of North American roots music: danceable, rhythmic, and oh so congenial’ . Now read her review to see why she was apprehensive about this particular recording.
Red Dog Green Dog’s Good Afternoon, This is Roughly Speaking is also to the liking of Kim: ‘Wow. Get this disc now! You’ll be dancing to a twisted, psychedelic mixture of bagpipes, accordion and hurdy gurdy that’s written after the French folk dancing music tradition. It’s great, man. You won’t be disappointed!’ Sadly this is the only album from this group despite them being around for many years.
We get a three-fer in April’s review of a Disney/Dark Horse collab on Roald Dahl’s The Gremlins: a book, a cookie, and especially some action figures. ‘They stand several inches high and they’re quite substantial, with no moving parts but great dynamism. Each is armed with one of the Gremlin mischief-causing tools (a small pick, a large nail, and a Gremlin-sized, old-fashioned drill, which probably wouldn’t have been nearly so old-fashioned in the 1940s).’
For the Coda, some live music. One of my favorite podcasts, The Rest Is History, just started a series on the Rolling Stones, which is highly recommended for fans and newbies alike. To get you in the mood, here’s a rendition of Paint It, Black from Lyon in 2019.
What’s New for the 11th of May: Special Jack Zipes edition on fairy tales; an obsure Tam Lin film treatment; songs that tell stories; new jazz, Danish fiddle tunes, Norwegian women’s vocal music; Russian and Eastern European food and cooking, and more
Ahhhh, plump pork sausages sizzling in their own fat, eggs any way you like them, palacsinta thick with lekvár, gulyás topped with sour cream, fresh brewed coffee with cream so thick it stands up… Sound good? It is. After a night of playing music, the musicians are always hungry, quite hungry indeed.
So Béla, our long-resident Hungarian violinist, pleased the lot of them — fussy though they be at the best of times — by delivering a crate of spicy Kolbasz sausages packed in ice and sawdust along with another crate that contained Páter Sör, a most excellent Hungarian wheat beer. and yet a third crate loaded with yet more Hungarian goodies for later.
We could even smell it in our rooms under the eaves up on the fourth floor, so we got up, dressed, and went down to the feast! Of course we got music as well, as Béla and several other musicians started playing some of the tunes collected by Béla Bartok, which you can find in Yugoslav Folk Music, his monumental four volume collection.
Cat was highly impressed with Jack’s sprawling The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales. ‘If you purchase only one reference book about the fairy tale tradition this year, this should be it. I have more books than I can count that are devoted to the subject of European fairy tales and their origins, but this is the first comprehensive guide that I’ve seen in print. The subtitle of the book is quite accurate: “The Western fairy tale tradition from medieval to modern.” ‘
And he was more than impressed with The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature. ‘Any library with a more than bare bones children’s section needs this, as does anyone who is more than simply a fan of this literature. It is good enough that I expect to reference it a half dozen times a week. It’s certainly worth its weight in silver doubloons, fairy gold, dragons’ teeth, and gossamer wings!’
Chuck Lipsig reviewed at least five of Zipes’s books. He starts with two related works, Zipes’s Utopian Tales From Weimar, and Hermann Hesse’s The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse, edited and translated by Zipes. ‘I hesitate to choose any nation to be the nation of fairy tales. However, if I had to make a list, Germany, with its early 19th-century outpouring of tales, most notably by The Brothers Grimm, would merit consideration. With Utopian Tales From Weimar and The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse, both edited and translated by Jack Zipes, more recent incarnations of Germany’s fairy tale heritage, from just before World War I to the rise of the Nazis, are presented.’
He gave props to Jack’s Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry: ‘I am not, I suspect, the intended audience for Jack Zipes’s Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales, Children, and the Culture Industry. Zipes is a solidly on the political left, bemoaning the capitalist culture industry, especially Disney. I’m a pro-laissez faire celebrator of consumer culture and, specifically, a Disney fan. So when I say this is an excellent book, take it seriously.’
Faith reviewed a modern edition of folklore collected by 19th century scholar Thomas Frederick Crane, as edited by Jack Zipes. ‘Italian Popular Tales is a work of serious scholarship, but you don’t have to be a serious scholar to find it interesting. Where the scholar will find an excellent introduction to the early collections of Italian folktales, the casual reader will encounter a number of fascinating tales.’
Jack’s Creative Storytelling: Building Community, Changing Lives is an academic book of interest to educators who teach fairy tales, but it is very accessible, Chuck says. ‘However, this is not a book for those with casual interest. One needs a strong interest in either education or fairy tales — or better yet, both — for this book to be worthwhile reading. On the other hand, it does not take a scholarly background to read this book. Zipes is happily free of the gobbledygook that passes for academic writing these days.’
He was also positively impressed with a collection of Jack’s essays entitled When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition. ‘Overall, When Dreams Came True is an excellent resource. The essays on the Brothers Grimm, fairy tales in Victorian England, and L. Frank Baum stand out as strong, detailed, and insightful. While not the ultimate compendium, the 20-plus page bibliography is a handy reference source on its own.’
Mia found the 38 versions of the Red Riding Hood tale a bit tedious (a lot, actually) in Jack’s The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood, but found the political context interesting. ‘There are some great pieces in this book, but frankly, unless one is obsessed with the Red Riding Hood story, reading it over and over is quite dull. The more modern stories and poems are infused with humor or make use of quirky twists on the tale, and they can be quite enjoyable.’
Robert found the arguments Jack used in Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller to be strained. ‘All told, I’m afraid this book was a disappointment, although Zipes does introduce some interesting concepts, such as the idea of revenge being a means of righting an imbalance in our personal moral order. It didn’t really broaden my understanding of Andersen and his role in nineteenth-century literature to any significant degree, or add to my appreciation of just why his fairy tales have remained the force that they are in literature and film as a whole.’
In related books, our Jack Merry took a deep dive into Maria Tatar’s The Annotated Brothers Grimm, which he compares and contrasts with Zipes’s similar tome. ‘If you’re looking for all two hundred and forty-two of the tales, including the thirty-two commonly omitted tales, you must get Zipes’ The Complete Brothers Grimm, as Tatar, like almost all other translators, selects a mere handful of them to reflect her tastes, forty-six for this collection, with nine of them being for adults, more with female protagonists than not.’
The Danish instrumental folk trio Dreamer’s Circus has a new album out called Handed On. ‘The majority of these 13 tunes are originals, starting with the delightful dance “Uhrbrand’s Cabin” composed by Busk as a tribute to the Uhrbrand family and other residents of Fanø Island and their music; it’s led by Sørensen’s fiddle. It’s the most traditional Danish tune among those composed by the band, although Carr’s Quebecois style tune “The Iron Hall” has strong elements from that tradition …’
I also review a couple of new albums by Norwegian women’s vocal groups singing in different folk traditions: Øyonn Groven Myhren and Marit Karlberg’s Tostemt, and Kvedarkvintetten’s Tagal. Of the former, I note, ‘Using only their voices and simple sparse accompaniment on the lyre (Myhren) and the langeleik zither (Karlberg), they present 13 songs, largely Hardanger fiddle tunes to which lyrics have been added over the years or to which they sing in a type of wordless mouth music, in mesmerizing two part harmony.’
From the Archives, inspired by all the books about fairy tales, I looked up some tasty reviews of ballads, songs that tell stories.
Since Martin and Eliza Carthy are in the middle of a rare U.S. tour, I pulled David’s archived review of Martin Carthy’s The Carthy Chronicles. ‘The Carthy Chronicles is a massive set. Sure there are lots of 4 disc boxsets on the market, but this one includes more rare and unreleased tracks than almost any one I’ve ever seen. It leaves the listener hungry for more!’
David also reviewed one of a trio of Charlie Louvin’s latterday albums. ‘Charlie Louvin could sing the phone book and make it interesting I think, but here he Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs and totally captivated this listener.’
‘Nashville’s Eric Brace has teamed up with fellow singer-songwriter Karl Straub to write a “folk opera” set during the California Gold Rush, based on the story behind “Sweet Betsy From Pike,” one of the most durable folk songs to come out of the American Westward migration,’ I noted regarding Brace & Straub’s Hangtown Dancehall. ‘The players and singers are top-notch, the songs are well-written, and if you string them all together they tell a poignant story that puts flesh on the dry bones of history.’
I reviewed Anaïs Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer’s Child Ballads: ‘American singer-songwriters Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer have taken something of a middle tack in their superb little album Child Ballads. They do take a strictly acoustic and folk approach, but with arrangements and production that somehow have a modern feel to them.’
I enjoyed Chuck Brodsky’s The Baseball Ballads: ‘Jealous lovers with guns. Racism. Illicit drugs. The pain and confusion of growing up. And … spies? All of these, except perhaps the last, are typical fodder for American singer-songwriters. But this isn’t a typical record of folk songs. Troubador Chuck Brodsky has made an entire album of ballads inspired by baseball.’
Scott brought us a review of Russian Songwriter: A Collection From Boris Grebenshikov. ‘Backed by a frequently changing assortment of musicians known as Akvarium, Grebenshikov has written and sung an enormous volume of songs over the last thirty years. In this collection, he presents a number of his songs that characterize the Russian singer-songwriter tradition, along with his own versions of one traditional song and three covers of Russian songwriters who exerted a particularly heavy influence on him.’