The lie wasn’t meant to be believed. It was just social grease, intended to keep wheels turning. — Aliette de Bodard’s Fireheart Tiger
Ahoy, matey! Gary, music editor, here with another new edition to shiver yer timbers. With International Talk Like A Pirate Day just around the corner, I’ve ransacked the Archives for some of GMR‘s reviews of books, movies, and music with a piratical theme. That includes everything from the wide range of books and movies inspired by Peter Pan, to space operas, high seas adventures, romantasy, sea chanteys and more. And there’s a whole raft of new music reviews by Daryana and me. So let’s dig into this treasure chest together.
Cat in his review of J. M. Barrie’s original Peter Pan book (based on his earlier play) to be rather darker than the Disney version (big surprise there!). ‘Hook and his crew of pirates are predictably nasty, but so are the Lost Boys, who ‘are the children who fall out of their perambulators when the nurse is looking the other way. If they are not claimed in seven days they are sent far away to the Neverland to defray expenses.’
I found pirates known as Freeporters in Elizabeth Bear’s latest space opera The Folded Sky. ‘Dr. Sunya Song is an expert at teasing information out of ancient archives. She has travelled long and far to an exotic location to do just that, surviving an attack by pirates along the way, only to discover that her wife and their two children have unexpectedly arrived before her, as a surprise.’
In S.E. Hinton’s Hawkes Harbour, the protagonist Jamie is recounting to his doctor what led up to his being in a mental hospital, says reviewer J.S.S. Boyce. ‘Jamie regails us with exciting tales of the high seas. Pirates, smuggling, and reckless scams attempted by him and his partner in crime are recounted immodestly. I was drawn in immediately and could have read without stopping if I’d had a large enough block of time available to me. As it is, the book went by far too quickly.’
Jayme dug into William Goldman’s The Princess Bride (that’s right, the book; see below for a review of the movie). ‘There’s a lot of fun here, and anyone looking for a straightforward narrative is likely to be very confused. There are no dark overlords, no magic rings to be thrown into burning mountains. Anyone not looking for those things will be pleasantly surprised. Goldman proves you don’t have to be a Tolkein clone to write rousing fantasy. It’s just too bad that more writers today don’t seem believe that.’
‘Xich Si is a tech scavenger, living in Triệu Hoà Port, and scavenging tech to sell and support herself and her daughter, when she’s captured by pirates.’ Thus Lis begins her review of Aliette de Bodard’s romantic space opera The Red Scholar’s Wake. ‘I love these characters, their world, and their struggles to make it better.’
Robert was not entirely satisfied with Kage Baker’s short novel Or Else My Lady Keeps the Key. ‘The supernatural elements that provided strong resonance in “Maid,” an other-worldly quality to the narrative, are not so pervasive here, and have little effect on the mood of the story. There was a certain surreality there that doesn’t survive here, and I, for one, missed it — it somehow sparked “Maid” up a level, added an air of numinosity to the story that infused the whole tale.’
Finally, Warner took a look at an academic work on pirates and piracy, Gabriel Kuhn’s Life Under the Jolly Roger: Reflections on Golden Age Piracy. ‘Overallii, Life Under the Jolly Roger is an excellent look at the golden age of piracy from a somewhat political point of view. The book cites sources well, makes arguments cleanly and succinctly, and has the integrity to admit when an answer is not clear.’
Gary here with music. Daryana is back with another artist interview, this time with Patrick Vignoli, one of the voices in the Corsican vocal group Tempvs Fvgit. Patrick says, ‘In our concerts, it is not merely a question of performing musical pieces, but of sharing a moment of truth and humanity. Every voice, every breath, every silence becomes an invitation to enter into an emotional communion. We aim to offer the audience an experience that goes beyond listening — a space where they can recognize themselves, be moved, find calm, reflect, or simply feel.’
In new music, Daryana has a review of an album of Balkan music, Kulin Ban’s Ad Drinum. ‘Unlike the more accessible world music approach of their 2006 debut, Ad Drinum dives into the raw depths of sevdah. It tells local stories of Zvornik and Bosnia while echoing universal themes of longing, love, and spirituality. Byzantine modes, Sufi traces, Orthodox chants, and Ottoman echoes intertwine with saz, kaval, and bendir, yet also with guitar and piano motifs.’
I have a stack of new reviews this time. I’m leading off with a new one from Oregon’s Anna Tivel, which often puts a tear in my eye, as I point out. ‘To be fair, I generally get weepy when I listen to any of her records, but the songs on Animal Poem are right up there with her most poignant.’
I reviewed a new album, Mirra, from the progressive Norwegian Hardanger fiddler and composer Benedicte Maurseth, whose 2022 album Harr was one of my favorites of that year. ‘This is a deeply immersive work, its themes, motifs and sounds moving in patterns that repeat and modulate. The entire work follows the reindeer’s annual cycle of birth, searching for food, near constant movement, and grazing, and incorporates the grunting and pawing sounds they make as they feed and interact. The titles of the eight pieces that make up this suite reflect this cycle, such as: “Windy Days,” “The Calf Rises,” Hunting March,” “Fresh Snow Over Reindeer Moss,” “A Flock Of Birds Under The Moon.” ‘
Next from me is an omnibus review of two Latin jazz albums, Roger Glenn’s My Latin Heart, and Miguel Zenón Quartet’s Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard. Of the former, I note, “… it’s just one incredible groove-filled tune after another, laid back, tropically warm and beaming with good vibes. The three opening tracks, “Zambo’s Mambo,” “Cal’s Guajira” (an homage to Tjader), and “Brother Marshall,” feature Glenn on flute, vibes and alto sax, respectively. All three are beautiful tunes and showcase Glenn’s signature flawless improvisations — and will probably show up on my year-end favorites playlist.’ And of the latter: ‘The tracklist is mostly originals and all new material, six compositions by Zenón, plus his arrangements of a couple of Latin jazz classics: Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe’s “El Día de Mi Suerte” and Gilberto Santa Rosa’s “Perdóname.” ‘
I also reviewed a couple of new piano trio releases, John Taylor’s Tramonto, and Liv Andrea Hauge Trio’s Døgnville. The late U.K. pianist Taylor was an excellent composer, but as I note in my review of this live set, ‘He was also a superb interpreter of others’ works, of which two excellent examples are included on this album, the title track by Ralph Towner and Steve Swallow’s amazing “Up Too Late.” ‘ I was already familiar with the Hauge trio, and really enjoy this album and its dreamy atmosphere. ‘According to the album notes, it “…explores the feeling of being “døgnvill” – a Norwegian term describing the sensation of being out of sync with time and reality, like during jet lag or insomnia,” as much of it was composed by Hauge while she was in bed with a high fever.’
New York based roots musician Hilary Hawke has a new album out, which I review. ‘Her latest solo album Lift Up This Old World consists mostly of original material that I’d call indie folk with old time or bluegrass instrumentation. It has really grown on me over the past couple of months. There’s a theme here, of finding your own path and trusting your instincts as you follow your muse where it takes you, and this is an excellent album throughout.’
I dusted off my archival review of the second volume of Rogue’s Gallery, a star-studded compilation of pirate ballads, sea songs and chanteys. ‘Like a pirate chest dug up on the beach of a desert island, this set has riches galore. One of the best is the opener of the first disc, a rocking reel by Shane McGowan, “Leaving of Liverpool.” Others in this vein include Todd Rundgren’s dance hall take on “Rolling Down to Old Maui,” (Richard) Thompson’s “General Taylor,” Robyn Hitchcock’s electrified chantey “Sam’s Gone Away,” and a creative version of “Sally Racket” by New Orleans bounce artists Katey Red & Big Freedia with experimental folk rockers Akron/Family.’
Our What Not is from Kage Baker who was a storyteller beyond compare, be it in emails as Cat can well attest, at Ren Faires with her sister Kathleen serving up ale, lovingly critiquing quite old films, writing stories of chocolate quaffing cyborgs, whores who decidedly didn’t have hearts of gold, or space raptors who are actually parrots now. So it won’t surprise you that was a master narrator of her own stories as you hear as when she reads The Empress of Mars, a novella she wrote.
Now let’s see what we’ve got got a performance recording for you his time… Hmmm… That’ll do nicely. Here’s Iron Horse, the great Scottish sort of trad group, performing ‘The Sleeping Warrior’ at the Gosport Easter Festival in April of ’96.
What’s New for the 26th of July: Witches in fiction, both books and film; an Americana reissue and some music on a smoky theme
So we’ve got on this warm summer’s day, a bevy on fictional books and films on witches and witchcraft. Some like The Witches of Eastwick film will likely be familiar to you as will Roald Dahl’s now problematic The Witches; Sarah Avery’s Tales of Rugosa Coven perhaps not so much.
‘Rebecca Reisert’s novel The Third Witch is a re-telling of the “Macbeth” story from the point of view of one of the witches.’ says Andrea in her review. ‘Reisert brings the world of these impoverished women in 11th century Scotland to dirty, hungry life. As the story begins the three set out to glean — but from a battlefield rather than a wheat field — hoping to find useful or saleable items among the stiffening dead.’
Craig looks at a John Updike novel considered a part of the literary canon: ‘In the end, The Witches of Eastwick is a good novel. Oh It is not a great novel; it is not even a great witch novel. The research is at best minimal and often seems negligible. Nor does it compare favorably with the rest of the Updike canon, certainly not his tetralogy of everyman Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, whose libido gets him in enough trouble to fill four novels and a novella. The book is not a waste of time, as long as the reader appreciates the above mentioned prose and description style.’
Jennifer read Sarah Avery’s Tales of Rugosa Coven and adored it. The Atlantic Ocean is almost a character in these stories. I could smell the salt breeze and feel the sand in my shoes. Plus, real witches on the Jersey Shore doing real witch stuff, like washing their sneakers, loving each other’s dysfunctions, and disagreeing about, well, everything magical!
Mia looks at the first of two films involving witchcraft: ‘Based on the Alice Hoffman novel of the same name, Practical Magic stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as Sally and Gillian Owens, sisters who also happen to be witches. Sally is sweet, sensible, and longs for a normal life. Gillian is lusty and vivacious and uses her witchcraft mostly for the purpose of ensnaring a series of lovers. Sally and Gillian were orphaned and consequently raised by Frances and Jet, their wise, witty, and unconventional aunts.’
Not at all well received among Neo-Pagans is a film reviewed by Michelle: ‘There’s no denying the negative stereotyping in Nicolas Roeg’s The Witches, based on Roald Dahl’s novel of the same name. It’s a guilty pleasure, watching sophisticated women degraded by a little boy whom they’ve turned into a mouse. Adults will have an easier time than the intended young audience in recognizing the satiric elements of the film, but for some viewers that may not make it more tolerable; works of art like this one contribute to the demonization of Pagans and practitioners of folk medicine historically and in our own era.’
‘I’ve learned that the things you like about a record at first blush quite often change as you listen to it over a couple of decades,’ I note in my new review of a deluxe reissue of The Handsome Family’s 2003 album Singing Bones. ‘That favorite track might no longer top your list of songs from that record, and a song you glossed over has in the meantime revealed deeper layers of meaning for you.’ That’s definitely true of this album, as you’ll see in my review.
From the archives … well, let’s see if you pick up on a theme…
David has reviewed a lot of Americana for us, including the compilation Hoyt Axton’s Flashes of Fire: Hoyt’s Very Best 1962-1990. ‘ “Smoky,” one of only three non-Axton tracks included, is the theme song from a film in which Axton appeared. His version of the song was not included on the soundtrack. It’s a catchy tune, 12-string guitar and harmonica, and Axton’s smoky vocals.’
I really enjoyed Chris Eckman’s Harney County, an indie folk rock album of fictional stories set in a real place, one of Oregon’s high desert locales. ‘Eckman evokes sense-memories in songs like “The Conifer Smoke,” a tale of estranged siblings meeting in some sort of encampment, something to do with “lost causes.” ‘
‘Imagine someone so lost and lonely that her only good dreams are of sharing a bottle in an alley, but she clings to that memory to keep out much worse thoughts,’ I said in my review of Anna Tivel’s excellent Small Believer. ‘Tivel can do more to set a mood with just a few words than many can do in a whole raft of verses, like the opening lines of (“Alleyway”): “Smoke against the window pane / just the semis breathing on the interstate / and the gray upon the gray of October…” ‘
Way back in the day I reviewed a couple of albums from the Illinois Americana trio Dick Smith, including one entitled Smoke Damage. ‘The overall sound draws on Grisman and Garcia’s “dawg music,” with a little of the psychedelic weirdness and irreverence of the Holy Modal Rounders and the down-home corn of Goose Creek Symphony thrown in for good measure.’
I’ve reviewed a lot of albums by the late great Doc Watson, including Doc Watson at Gerdes Folk City, an important historical document from the folk revival. ‘Everybody has to start somewhere, and this brand new CD catches Doc in his first series of public appearances as a solo musician. It’s part of the First Time North Project, which is presenting archival recordings of the earliest urban performances of blues, bluegrass and folk musicians. It was recorded in late 1962 and early ’63 at the eponymous club in New York’s Greenwich Village.’
Christy Moore’s Smoke And Strong Whiskey was a departure of sorts for the Irish folk icon, Richard hsaid in his review. This one has lots of political and social commentary, he noted. ‘The choice of songs, too, is a long way from the traditional repertoire; indeed, there is not one “trad.” in sight, not even a “trad. arr.” Instead we have three of Moore’s own compositions, plus three co-written with other musicians, including Shane McGowan, one of whose own songs is also featured.’
So lets us finish off with some choice music from Nightnoise, to wit ‘Toys, Not Ties’ which was performed at Teatro Calderón de la Barca, which is a theater in Valladolid, Spain, some thirty years ago. For more on this superb sort of Celtic band, go read our career retrospective here. Nightnoise had its origins in members of the Bothy Band and Skara Brae, august bands indeed, and also included fiddler Johnny Cunningham for a while.