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

The Palace was more than four hundred years old and had served its purpose; it would be unbecoming to despise it for showing its age. But there was now one spot within it of something new. Turn your thought to it for a moment. One incongruous new idea amid a marsh of stagnant facts. — Steven Brust’s  Brokedown Palace
grapes1

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.

grapes1Gary came up with quite a number of archived reviews covering the academic writing of Jack Zipes about one of our favorite topics, fairy tales. Let’s see what he’s found.

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.’

grapes1Despite knowing hardly anything about cooking, J.J.S. Boyce bravely (or foolishly?) decided to review a couple of complex books by Lesley Chamberlain — and try to cook some of the recipes therein! Fortunately, he was able to enlist the assistance of a Ukrainian uncle who knows his way around the kitchen. Find out how they fared in these detailed reviews of Chamberlain’s The Food and Cooking of Russia and The Food and Cooking of Eastern Europe.

grapes1Lahri Bond tracked down a video of the Tam Lin movie directed by Roddy McDowall! ‘For years I’ve heard of a rumor of a movie version of this classic tale, but could not find more details, until a friend found it an online video catalogue. What a surprise to have found that actor Roddy McDowall would have chosen this tale as the basis for his first (and only) turn as a film director. Filmed in 1968 (rendering him unable to reprise his role of Cornelis in the Planet of the Apes sequel) McDowall set the tale in London and the Scottish Borders during the “swinging Sixties.”

grapes1Jack Merry gaily took up the task of reviewing Grimm’s Grimmest with illustrations by T. A. Dockray, and an introduction by Maria Tatar. ‘Grimm’s Grimmest serves up tales that you won’t want to tell your daughter if you want her to sleep tonight. But these are tales that any adult interested in the folk process should read. Just keep the light burning brightly by your side as you read them — and watch out for the things that move in the dark corners of your room.’

grapes1Gary here with music. In new releases, I review a couple of jazz fusion albums, Yonglee & the Doltang’s Invisible Worker, and Michael Sarian’s Esquina. ‘I’m definitely a sucker for the jazz-rock fusion of my youth: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis, Return To Forever, Weather Report. Especially if it has some complicated time signatures and lots of Fender Rhodes electric piano. I’m not alone, because it’s a sound that’s been popular with plenty of musicians right up to the present day, including these two recent releases.’

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.’

 

grapes1To go with all those reviews of folklore and children’s lit, here’s an archival review by Mia of the Folkmanis’s Pirate, Princess, Knight, Witch, and Jack-in-the-Box puppets. ‘All in all these are some pretty cool toys for children or adults. Like all Folkmanis they are sturdy and finely crafted and should last for a very long time. I’d not bother with the Jack-in-the-Box myself, but the rest are definitely worth the purchase price.’

grapes1

Posted in Commentary | Comments Off on 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

What’s New for the 27th of April: Tim Pratt & Heather Shaw’s fiction and Flytrap zine; Tea with Jane Austen; a fine French fairy tale film; some new jazz and archival francophone music reviews; and the Stones!

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.

T.A. Pratt’s Blood Engines
grapes1

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…

grapes1To 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.

grapes1It’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.’

grapes1April 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.’
grapes1

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.

grapes1

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).’

grapes1For 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.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on What’s New for the 27th of April: Tim Pratt & Heather Shaw’s fiction and Flytrap zine; Tea with Jane Austen; a fine French fairy tale film; some new jazz and archival francophone music reviews; and the Stones!

A Kinrowan Estate story: A Most Beguiling Cookbook

grapes1

Dear Anna,

I’m going to pitch a book for that culinary folklore seminar you’re teaching next Winter here for those visiting food writers, as I really think it’ll be a good addition to that endeavour.
One of Several Annies, Iain’s library apprentices, was literally squealing with delight in the kitchen this week over a book that just got added to the collection of cookbooks and culinary history we have here at the Kinrowan Estate. It was Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook by Jane Yolen and her daughter, Heidi E. Y. Stemple. And I would be remiss not to note that the illustrator is Sima Elizabeth Shefrin, whose work here is simply charming.

The recipes look really great, with easy to follow instructions that allow even an inexperienced cook to make each dish easily. Our reviewer noted that ‘When I think of the books I loved as child, I get hungry. There was Pooh lapping up honey and cream teas, Mary Poppins handing out magical gingerbread, while Frodo chowed down on mushrooms and lembas. Food surely is an integral part of children’s literature. After all, where would Cinderella be without her pumpkin coach? Would Alice in Wonderland be half as memorable without the magic mushrooms and the strange bottles labeled “Drink Me?”‘

This is traditional fare like you find here with lots of butter and the like: no thought about healthy cooking is here! But then food centered on Jewish folklore would hardy be concerned about counting calories and getting enough greens in your diet, would they?

Iain used it in a course on Jewish traditions for his Several Annies several years back, as he firmly believes learning should be fun. And this is a very fun book.

I’ve got other books that I’ll bring to your attention but the person skiing down to the Post in the village as the road’s closed again wants to get going.

Warmest regards, Gus

grapes1

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on A Kinrowan Estate story: A Most Beguiling Cookbook

What’s New for the 13th of April: Anthony Bourdain in print and video; Calexico, Giant Sand and related music; new recordings of ragas, Nordic songs, and vocal jazz, ‘The Night They Drive Old Dixie Down’ performed by The Band

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, “Na, na, la, na, na, la”

The Band’s ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’
grapes1

What’s that? A Maypole going up in the courtyard in front of the Green Man Pub? There can be no surer sign that summer’s ‘acumin’ in!’ It looks like the denizens of the pub’s Neverending Session may be lured outside, along with staff members tucked away in offices in the most unlikely places.

Yes, spring has burst out all over, and some of the folks around here seem to be feeling the effects of the impending May Day. Who was that slipping into Oberon’s Wood just now? Well, spring is as good an excuse as any, I suppose.

We’ve got spring greens in our salad, and some of the winter vegetables roasting on the grill, along with some tender lamb steaks, braised with mint and garlic. Are we starting early? I suppose, but this is the Green Man Staff, after all.

So pull up a chair, fill your plate, get Finch to pour you a pint, and feast your eyes on this week’s set of reviews, mostly about Anthony Bourdain, along with music selected by Gary as usual, and ‘The  Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’ performed by The Band.

grapes1

We’re looking back at some of the late Anthony Bourdain’s productions that we’ve covered, starting with Denise’s review of The Nasty Bits. ‘I’ve always heard that cooks would use “the nasty bits” — pieces nobody else would want, unpalatable to most — to make the most amazing things. Sausages, soups, stews … everything goes in, and the end result is mouthwatering. So it is with The Nasty Bits, a collection of older bits and pieces that have been given new life, and are all the more delectable for being blended together into a single volume.

Joseph praised Medium Raw, in which Bourdain spends more time with those nasty bits. ‘While crassly dropping names and telling foodie stories with an amazing braggadocio, Bourdain’s memoir reveals him to be much more than a superstar chef with a hit show. At heart he is a satirist, whose life requires no exaggeration to act as a mirror to society. Bourdain skewers the foibles of the culinary world with William Thackeray’s surgical precision.’

Mia was less than impressed with Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour. ‘The real problem with this book lies in Bourdain’s choppy narrative; one would expect the chapters to follow his journey chronologically, but scenes in Vietnam are interspersed throughout the book. Did he return to Southeast Asia repeatedly, or did he just need a good editor? Impossible to tell, and the book suffers from the nonexistent continuity.’

grapes1In addition to reviewing Bourdain’s book Medium Raw (see above), Joseph took a look at a DVD of the Iceland Special Edition of the cook’s show No Reservations, which shows Bourdain warts and all. ‘Whoever chose to create and release this DVD is a genius. By showing the misery of his job (albeit with funny commentary and cutting remarks), Bourdain reveals his human side. He becomes one of us with good days and bad.’

While Gary was pulling Calexico reviews from the Archives for the Music section, he came across a review of an excellent performance DVD. ‘Calexico is one of the most interesting bands performing right now, both aurally and visually, and World Drifts In captures the band in all its glory during a festival at London’s Barbican hall in November 2002.’

grapes1Our reviewer J.J.S. Boyce found Masufumi Yamamoto’s The Manga Guide to Relativity to be ‘muddled.’ It’s part of the well regarded Omsha Manga Guide series, but he thought it didn’t reach the standards of their other guides. ‘It’s also surprisingly clumsy at times, both over- and under-explaining its thought experiments, and failing to make use of numerical, graphical, or visual approaches any experienced teacher of this topic ought to be familiar with.’

grapes1Gary here, with music. First up, Daryana reviews another outstanding recording from Siberia, Diva Ethno Future Sound’s third album Şăltăr Vitĕr Şol Korănat. She says: ‘DIVA reimagines tradition. Drawing from the songs of Chuvash recruits across the vast geography of the Chuvash people — Turi, Anatri, Anat-Enchi, and others from Samara, Bashkir, Orenburg, and even Siberia —this album breathes new life into folk expressions from the 18th to 20th centuries. Through the group’s signature fusion of haunting vocals, earthy acoustic textures, and shimmering electronic elements, the past is not only remembered, it’s relived and reframed for the future.’

I was inspired to write up Sudeshna Bhattacharya’s Mohini, which presents three lovely ragas. ‘Bhattacharya plays the sarod, which looks rather like the more familiar sitar, but its neck is made of smooth wood or stainless steel and it has no frets, which requires greater precision on the part of the player and also allows more flexibility in playing microtones. She’s an internationally recognized master of the instrument currently residing in Norway, where she has taught advanced students at the Norwegian Academy of Music — and thus her appearance on this recording by Norway’s Motvind label.’

I greatly enjoyed Erlend Apneseth’s Song Over Støv, played with a large ensemble of top Norwegian musicians. ‘This album is a deep, complex and engaging exploration of the borderlands where Norwegian traditional music meets chamber folk, art song, and avant garde minimalism. We’re in good hands with Hardanger fiddler and composer Erlend Apneseth at the helm.’

I don’t review much vocal jazz, but I very much enjoyed two recent releases, Gary Smulyan’s Tadd’s All, Folks; and Alfie!’s The Songs of Burt Bacharach. ‘American baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan’s project Tadd’s All, Folks brings a batch of Tadd Dameron’s lesser known compositions into the light, assisted by a top-notch combo of pianist Pete Malinferni, bassist David Wong and drummer Matt Wilson, and a new voice sure to make waves in the future, singer Anaïs Reno … Stina Ágústsdóttir, an Icelandic singer who’s one of the top jazz vocalists in Scandinavia, fronts the Stockholm-based quartet they call Alfie!, after that well known Bacharach song. With a repertoire that consists solely of these timeless Bacharach melodies (and lyrics for the most part by Hal David), they’ve captivated Stockholm audiences and now have releaed a debut album.’

From the Archives, a sojourn in the Southwest inspired me to pull out some reviews of my favorite Arizona musicians including Calexico and Giant Sand.

First up is what remains one of my desert island discs. ‘In Feast of Wire the Tucson, Arizona-based Calexico has made the most overtly political statement in its brief but prolific history. Their fourth full-length CD offers a cohesive vision of the collision of cultures in the desert borderland between the U.S. and Mexico. It also rocks.’

Next, a live show from around the same period. ‘It was a night of sublime “desert noir” for the fans of Calexico at Portland’s Aladdin Theater. The seven members of this road-tested Tucson, Arizona-based combo seemed relaxed but energized as they performed nearly 20 songs old and new in a one-hour and 45-minute show.’

Follow that with Convict Pool, an EP that contains some songs the band still features live more than 20 years on. ‘The prolific desert-rock combo Calexico, after touring for a year behind their latest CD Feast of Wire, offered this EP as a sampler of what’s new in their live show. It features three cover songs that showcase some of the band’s diverse influences, and three originals that show off frontman Joey Burns’ continuing growth as a songwriter.’

Calexico’s Edge of the Sun was one of my favorite albums of 2015 and remains high on my list. ‘To me it’s one of Calexico’s more successful albums in quite a while. The songs have strong melodies – both on the catchy upbeat numbers and the more pensive ones – and deeply felt lyrics that lean frequently toward the melancholy, with glimmers here and there of hopefulness. In the time that I’ve been listening to this album, just about every one of its songs has at one time or another been my favorite.’

My first reviews of anything by the genius behind Giant Sand was a two-fer: Howe Gelb’s The Listener and The Band of Blacky Ranchette’s Still Lookin’ Good to Me. Of the latter, I noted, ‘It’s a lost Marty Robbins classic album, if Marty had been influenced by The Beatles, Captain Beefheart and the Meat Puppets, instead of the other way around.’

The first time I saw Gelb live he was touring behind his 2004 release, Giant Sand … Is All Over the Map, which I said. ‘ …has all of the elements Gelb’s fans have come to expect from another excursion into the world of Giant Sand. There are acoustic ballads, punk rave-ups, punkabilly romps, loping blues-rock, a tango, and piano instrumentals that range from rags to Phillip Glass style prepared piano works. And lyrics that range from heart-rending poetry to absurdist non-sequiturs.’

Gelb parlays his admiration for Thelonious Monk into an idiosyncratic style of piano playing, as evidenced on Ogle Some Piano. ‘It’s a curious disc, even by Gelb’s eccentric standards — 19 tracks of piano meanderings in a variety of styles: jazz, rock, pop, tin pan alley and experimental avant-garde weirdness.’

Also from Tucson comes Naim Amor and his Soundtracks Volume II. ‘This is his second volume of Soundtracks music, the first he’s released on Howe Gelb’s OwOm label. It’s a delightful and quirky instrumental recording that blends jazz, lounge and experimental rock in what Naim calls “avant-French pop.” ‘

Giant Sand’s Danish members have their own band, The DeSoto Caucus, and I reviewed their fourth release, called simply 4. ‘They play a kind of laid-back desert rock that owes a lot to the sound of Giant Sand, but on this album they’ve added a major country-soul vibe, in addition to occasional elements of psychedelica. The lyrics of their songs are mostly co-written and co-sung by Anders Pedersen and Nikolaj Heyman, and this new approach now finds the music closely matching the lyrics.’

Another band with Tucson roots is XIXA, and I latched onto their EP Shift and Shadow. ‘The real treat here is the opening title track “Shift and Shadow.” After a squalling, feedback-drenched distorted guitar noise intro, we hear a catchy melody played on a woozy electronic keyboard that’s made to sound like a cheesy ’80s Casio on its last legs. The dry baritone vocals and lyrics on the verses reflect Gelb’s influence, before the song shifts into a cumbia chorus with Topanga Canyon multi-part harmonies.’

grapes1

Matthew got what he considered a choice assignment, reviewing a couple of classic Folkmanis character puppets: Troll With Hedgehog, and Pinocchio. ‘Some general features of Folkmanis puppets: They are made from a mix of fibers, mostly nylon. The construction shows the greatest care, with areas of high stress being double-stitched and reinforced to withstand multiple uses. Each puppet also comes with an identifying tag, telling you what the puppet is. On the inside of the tag are facts and stories about the character.’

grapes1

Anyone here remember The Band? My favourite song by the is ‘The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down’.

it’s a story about the American  Civil War told in the first-person voice of a losing side farmer as written by The Band’s guitarist Robbie Robertson, and sung by The Band’s southern drummer Levon Helm,  which bthe chronicles the final days of the War Between the States through the eyes of a southern farmer and Confederate soldier named Virgil Caine.

Robertson in Testimony told the origins of the song, discussing the fact that he, like everyone in the group but Helm, was from Canada and admitted he was not at all that familiar with the story  the Civil War.

So here is The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down’

 

 

 

Posted in Commentary, Uncategorized | Comments Off on What’s New for the 13th of April: Anthony Bourdain in print and video; Calexico, Giant Sand and related music; new recordings of ragas, Nordic songs, and vocal jazz, ‘The Night They Drive Old Dixie Down’ performed by The Band

A Kinrowan Story: We Lost The Cheshire Cat

P

We’ve gone and lost the Cheshire Cat again. Silly little bugger will wander into the conservatory. It’s quite a nasty place, you know. Started out very pretty — glass dome, fountains, marble cupids–all the Victorian doodads. But then the second baronet, Sir Malis Grimmantle, started doing his experiments there. Drawing pentagrams on the floor with chalk, animating the artwork (I never liked cupids, but the ones with fangs—they really give me the willies!).

No, you really don’t want to go in there. What? You want me to guide you? It’s really not a good idea. I’ve been a gardener here these past 160 years and nothing but trouble ever came out of that conservatory.

Now hold on! Don’t call the management down on me. I’ll show you ’round, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

You’ll need to carry a few things with you for protection. Let’s see: torch, sharpened stake, sprig of rowan, salt, iron, red thread, 7 garlic cloves, 3 horseshoes and a pair of earplugs for them damn noisy sirens that live in Jenny Greenteeth’s fountain. All right, if you insist, here we go.

Observe the alchemical designs on our hand-forged, wrought iron gates. They depict the marriage of Heaven and Hell and were crafted by the great Samuel Yellin.

Be sure and notice the mosaics we’re walking on. They’re very recent, done by Philadelphia’s Isaiah Zagar. Be careful how you look at them. Stare at them too long and you’ll be hypnotized. You really want to keep your wits about you here what with the carnivorous plants and all.

Do watch where you step. It’s unnerving when the puddles scream back at you. Oh, yes, they all have faces. It got that nice Prof. Tolkien a bit upset…Cattails with heads? Yes, Sir Malis did have some unusual notions about horticulture. I always bring a bit of fish with me when I come here, saves me from getting scratched up.

Mind the harpies, now! They do like to throw that muck about.

We’re on the Rose Walk now, heading toward the Fountain Court. The body on the bench? Professor Plum. Miss Scarlett got life, but as you can see, other forces were at work here. Once you sit in one of those benches, they just won’t let go.

You can just kick the pods out of the way; they’re dormant this time of year.

To your right, just inside our fernery, there is a very unusual statue of The Green Man sent to us by an admirer from Innsmouth, MA. Very odd features, almost fishlike. A family resemblance? Me? Surely you jest.

If you look up at the ceiling right here, you’ll see some remarkable murals. They represent our galaxy as seen from Betelgeuse. The ceiling actually cranks open so that you can compare our sky with theirs.

The vines wrapping themselves around your legs? A special super kudzu developed by Sir Malis. Once it gets a hold of you, there’s no way to detach. It’s less painful if you don’t fight it. The Transformation happens very quickly. Soon you will be one of us. I must say you look very fine with that ivy growing out of your ears and the wild roses in your teeth.

Welcome to the fold!

P

 

Posted in Stories | Comments Off on A Kinrowan Story: We Lost The Cheshire Cat

What’s New for the 30th of March: Space Opera by Niven & Pournell, Arkady Martine, C. J. Cherryh, Elizabeth Bear, Simon Jimenez and more; Kage reads for us ‘The Empress of Mars’, a novella she wrote; a grab bag of music including new Buryat folk music; The Ukrainians; live music from the Scottish band Iron Horse; Gail Simone graphic novels; Farscape; and of course chocolate

 


I danced in the morning
When the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon
And the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven
And I danced on the earth,
At Bethlehem
I had my birth.

“Lord of The Dance”

P

The tulips such as the one in the vase on my desk here in the Estate Library are the predominant flowers this time of year as every Estate Gardener for the past three centuries has had a rather keen interest in them. The more recent ones are acquired by Gus, our Estate Head Gardener for three decades now, in trade with MacGregor, a fellow tulip enthusiast who goes to the Turkish tulip markets to get the much rarer heirloom tulips. Just don’t get Gus talking about tuplips unless you’re planning on being there quite awhile!

If you’re really interested in all things tulips, you can drop by his workshop late this afternoon as he’s giving the Several Annies, my Library Apprentices, a practical exercise in how history really happens, using the Dutch Tulip Mania as his example. And we’ve reviewed a book on their origins in the guise of  Ottoman Tulips, Ottoman Coffee: Leisure and Lifestyle in the Eighteenth Century, which has a nice article on the actual history of the so-called Tulip Period of the Ottoman Empire. Do beware that these papers are dry at times as they’re intended for other scholars.

I’m off to the Kitchen as soon as I get this Edition done and  I suspect you’ll want to join me in heading for the Kitchen after you read and listen to our offering this time as Mrs. Ware and her talented staff are serving up just baked Toll House chocolate chip cookies with glasses of Riverrun Farm whole milk. Yes whole milk — bet you’ve never had that!

PCat starts off our Space Opera reviews with Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven’s The Mote in God’s Eye which he say of that ‘Until the likes of Iain M. Banks with The Culture series and Neal Asher with the Polity series came along, quite possibly the best Space Opera of all time was this forty year-old novel that took the Space Opera novels of the 1930s and 1940s and very, very nicely updated them.’

This novel is what happens when a series, no matter how short-lived, becomes beloved by legions of viewers. Firefly was a one-season space opera created by Joss Whedon that was brilliant. Unfortunately the network didn’t think the ratings were good enough, so they killed it after a single season, though they wrapped it up in a movie called Serenity. Stephen Brust, a writer many of you will know, wrote My Own Kind of Freedom and Cat says it’s quite true to the series.

Elizabeth Bear has two splendid  space operas out now with the third in the White Space series out in May, Ancestral Night and its not quite sequel Machine. Gary reviewed both. He says ‘Ancestral Night is the tale of Haimey Dz, a nominally lesbian engineer on a little salvage tug whose ship mind is named Singer and which is piloted by her friend Connla Kurucz. Both Haimey and Connla live nearly full time in zero gravity, so of course their bodies have been modified in many ways, including replacing their feet with “aft hands.” The three of them make their living in the vastness of interstellar space by going to the rips in spacetime caused by unsuccessful transfers out of white space back into Newtonian space, and salvaging the wrecks they find there … if there’s anything left or worth salvaging.’

In the second one, he says, she ‘is playing a long game in Machine, the second installment in her White Space series with third, Folded Sky, out this June. The series is shaping up to be an exploration of those dark places – not to say dystopian spaces – that are always found around the edges of any apparent utopia. Via that path she’s casting her eye on some of the current ills facing humanity in the 21st century — and tossing out some thoughts about how we might resolve some of those issues before it’s too late.’

Gary also reviews a book of literary criticism about the Culture series. He says Simone Caroti’s The Culture Series ‘is valuable reading for anyone who wants to move into a deeper understanding of what that series is really about, where it stands in the history of SF and literature, and why it’s important.’

Gary reviewed a debut SF novel, Simon Jimenez’s The Vanished Birds. ‘Aside from the adventure and space opera aspects of The Vanished Birds, this is a tale of traumatized persons. Everyone — Fumiko, Nia and her crew, the boy, the farmers exploited on their backwater planets — has been buffeted in some way by the corporate system and the cruelly competitive life it spawns.’

He also reviewed Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Calculating Stars. It’s the first in her Lady Astronaut series, an alternate history in which a planetary disaster in the 1950s hastens the race to the Moon and Mars. ‘Kowal handles the story masterfully, with just enough scientific jargon and facts to keep it feeling authentic but not enough to bog it down; her dialogue is solid and contributes to the believable characters; and especially she conveys the inner reality of a woman of the pre-feminist 1950s and ’60s who believes in her own capabilities and chafes against society’s restrictions, but often doesn’t even recognize many of the sexist assumptions she unwittingly accepts.’

Gary liked Arkady Martine’s j even better than its prequel, A Memory Called Empire, which he reviewed last time. ‘With her first two novels, Arkady Martine has emerged as the author of some of the best military/political science fiction of the era. Her memorable and not always likable characters capture and hold our imaginations as they navigate a host of big meaning-of-life questions in life-or-death situations. This is space opera for the ages. I have high expectations and many questions that I hope are met in the next installment. Like, I wonder if I’m right about the kittens?’

Robert came up with a series that is quintessential space opera, with a twist: C. J. Cherryh’s The Chanur Saga, including Chanur’s Homecoming, and the sequel, Chanur’s Legacy: ‘C. J. Cherryh’s The Chanur Saga is an almost-omnibus edition of her tetralogy about Pyanfar Chanur and her ship, the interstellar trader The Pride of Chanur. Because of length, the “omnibus” volume contains the first three in the series . . . , and one would be well-advised to be sure that Chanur’s Homecoming, issued separately, is within easy reach, lest one be left hanging off a cliff.’

PApril was … disappointed is too mild a word … with a hot chocolate mix. ‘ …Hammond’s Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa was quite the disappointment. They may do candy very well, but this mix falls very short for fans of high quality cocoa. Might as well grab some Swiss Miss or Nesquik from your local grocery story rather than plunk down almost $7 for this tin.’

Robert, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised by some chocolates he tried from Green & Blacks. ‘Maya Gold contains a minimum of 55% cocoa, with orange and spices. Considering my general reaction to what I consider “adulterants” in chocolate, it was with some trepidation that I took my first bite, but I have to admit I was completely captivated.’

P

So how do you wrap-up up a great SF series? ? Jayme yell us: ‘Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars is a miniseries that never should’ve existed. That’s true on several levels. Firstly, there would never be a need to wrap up the major plot threads with a miniseries had the Sci-Fi Channel honored its commitment to produce a fifth season of the acclaimed space opera. But when Vivendi-Universal — the parent corporation at the time — ran into financial duress, its subsidiaries were ordered to cut costs, and contract or no, Farscape was toast. But TV series that die stay dead, as a rule. Sure, Star Trek had a revival, but that took more than a decade to come about. Battlestar Galactica wandered the syndication galaxy for 24 yahrens before it was brought back — ironically — by the Sci-Fi Channel. But a quirky, sexy, self-aware show populated by spacefaring muppets? Not a chance.

P

Robert dug into Gail Simone’s Secret Six series, in which a handful of the villains in the DC universe join forces for self-protection. Here he talks about two of them, Six Degrees of Devastation and Unhinged. ‘These two collections are really DC in top form. Gail Simone’s stories are complex and twisty enough to keep us engaged and although they run to formula, they’re fresh enough that we don’t really notice. And, at the risk of belaboring the obvious, the “heroes” of this series aren’t really. They are not good guys, but they are living in that morally murky world that most of us inhabit — although not on their life-or-death scale — and ours is not so sharply defined.’

He enjoyed those two so much that he went back to the origin story, Villains United. ‘The first part of this volume, concerned with the recruitment for the Society, is a little jumpy, being that it consists of scenes lifted from the associated comics. Once Simone takes control of the story line, however, it gains focus and, while it’s still episodic, it’s lot more coherent. Characterizations are key here — we really get the feeling that this is a bunch of not-good-guys who have to work together if they’re going to survive at all.’

PGary here with music. First, I reviewed Chet Baker’s When Sunny Gets Blue, a 1986 record re-released on vinyl. ‘The program consists of five standards and one original, “Two In The Dew” by Lacy, and the best parts of the album are, sad to say, all played by the rhythm section. Never blessed with highly technical chops at his best, Baker wasn’t having his best day in the studio, frequently sounding tentative or just not very focused, and clearly unable to reach some notes.’

I also reviewed Väntenätter, an album by the Swedish/Norwegian trio Mojna, who play guitar, Hardanger fiddle, and bass clarinet — a unique combination. ‘Fans of the Swedish trio/duo Väsen should definitely check out Mojna. This trio follows a somewhat similar template, playing tradition based music with modern arrangements and sensibilities that make it very appealing to contemporary listeners.’

Daryana reviewed a recent nominee to the 2025 Russian World Music Chart by the Buryat band Nuker, which blends traditional songs with traditional and rock instruments and vocal styles. ‘Nuker’s debut Hamta, long-anticipated by some of my Russian musical colleagues and me, in my opinion showcases Nuker’s creative prowess. Their ethno-rock sound, filled with dynamic compositions and rich traditional influences, will captivate fans of ethnic music and rock alike.’

From the Archives, Big Earl loved the music on The Ukrainians’ debut self-titled album and the second, Respublika. ‘After months and months (and months!) of reviewing music that was a little too “pretty” for my tastes, the smack of The Ukrainians is an extremely welcome repast. Although the debut is great, Respublika is definitely in my top five discs of the year. It might be a tad heavy for some listeners, but for Old Man Punks like me, it’s a kick in the World booty.’

John agreed  with Big Earl in his reviews of two more albums from The Ukrainians, Diaspora and Istoriya: The Best Of The Ukrainians. Of the former, he says, ‘Twenty years after guitarist Peter Solowka dragged violinist and singer Len Liggins into John Peel’s studio for what was to be a one-off, Diaspora has hit store shelves. It is the band’s sixth studio album of new material and the first to appear since 2002’s Respublika. It was well worth the wait.’ Regarding the latter, ‘My marketing critique aside, this is a great introduction to this band of Englishmen who play an unholy marriage of Ukrainian folk and punk.’

Chuck reviewed The Tannahill Weavers’ 14th album, Epona. ‘As for the music, happily, the Tannahill Weavers are on top of their game with none of the tracks faltering. There appears to be a certain pairing of themes among the songs with lyrics — “The Great Ships” and “Rich Man’s Silver” are a pair of economic case studies from the pen of Mr. Gullane that are a heck of a lot clearer than most anything found in college texts.

Long a fan of Linda Thompson, I enthusiastically reviewed her third post-hiatus solo album. ‘Won’t Be Long Now is an intimate recording featuring many members of her family that masterfully mixes dark and light, sadness and humor, all sung in the remarkable instrument that is Thompson’s voice, somehow equally fragile and durable.’

I did some raving about Easy, Kelly Willis’s second album for Ryko. ‘Willis also has a good grasp of many sides of the country-folk idiom, plus she can write her own songs, and she has an excellent ear for others’ songs to cover. Witness her deliciously catchy take on the late Kirsty MacColl’s “Don’t Come the Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim!” her bluegrass-gospel cover of Paul Kelly’s “You Can’t Take it With You,” and the torchy “Find Another Fool” by Marcia Ball.’

I also spoke highly of what turned out to be John Prine’s final album, The Tree of Forgiveness. ‘Like any longtime musician he’s had his ups and downs, but the high points are really high with Prine. That includes that incredible debut album, and 1978’s Bruised Orange, then a real comeback with 1991’s The Missing Years. And I’ll go on record predicting that The Tree of Forgiveness will join that pantheon of great John Prine albums.’

Mia fell in love with the music of S.J. Tucker at a live show, and took home a CD, as one does. Turns out she liked the recording nearly as much as the live show. ‘Haphazard is an exciting piece of work from an exciting singer: pagan/blues/folk rock full of fire.’

Michelle reviewed singer-songwriter David Celia’s Organica. ‘The lyrics, which range from corny to hilarious, work best when Celia doesn’t force Big Folk Themes about brotherhood and truth, but uses his wit to get the message across. Though this is a solo debut, it’s nostalgic in both theme and sound — the most memorable songs have the spirit of ’60s pop-folk with newer instruments.’

Patrick had kind words for Susan McKeown and Lorin Sklamberg’s Saints & Tzadiks. ‘McKeown, who practically reinvented traditional Celtic music, and Sklamberg, lead singer of the genre-bending group The Klezmatics, meld songs with themes common to almost any culture on earth: love, desire, betrayal, pride, war, drink, life and death. And by doing so, they prove that music really does transcend language: soul speaking to soul.’

P

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 for us ‘The Empress of Mars’, a novella she wrote.

P

In Roger Zelazny’s To Die in Italbar, there’s a character frozen at the edge of death who has no heartbeat but instead always has classical music playing as a sort of substitute for the silence in his chest.

If you visit me in the Estate Library, you’ll always find something playing and recently I’ve been listening to a lot of music by a Scottish neo-trad band called The Iron Horse who were active starting some thirty five years ago. I’ve got two cuts from them performing live at the Gosport Easter Festival, April  of  ’96,  ‘The 8-Step Waltz’ and ‘The Sleeping Warrior’.

Posted in Commentary | Comments Off on What’s New for the 30th of March: Space Opera by Niven & Pournell, Arkady Martine, C. J. Cherryh, Elizabeth Bear, Simon Jimenez and more; Kage reads for us ‘The Empress of Mars’, a novella she wrote; a grab bag of music including new Buryat folk music; The Ukrainians; live music from the Scottish band Iron Horse; Gail Simone graphic novels; Farscape; and of course chocolate

A Kinrowan Estate story: Our Rooms

P

Kinrowan Hall’s a vast sprawling edifice going back far longer than one would suspect and it’s been added onto more often than perhaps was for the better. What that means is that we who are staff here each have private space that’s unique.

The rooms here used as living space are eclectic to say the least. Myself and Catherine, my wife who’s a musician, have rooms on the fourth floor that consist of a bedroom, living room and a third room. What, no bathroom or kitchen, you ask? Well there are shared bathrooms on every floor and of course the Estate Kitchen is second to none in terms of feeding everyone here.

What’s interesting about our rooms is that they were completely renovated for us before we moved in some twenty years ago. The heating system was upgraded to the latest forced hot water compete with the flat wall radiators which are amazingly effective and keep us comfy even in the coldest weather. The trade-off for this is that we don’t use the fireplace that was here as it, like all such fireplaces, was really horrid at both heating this space and being energy efficient. I admit a fire probably felt nice.

The bedroom is generously sized and has a lot of built-in storage, which is great for us. It looks over a near-by apple orchard, which of course means amazing smells in the spring. We’ve got a cozy sitting area with built-in bookcases, a comfortable couch and chair, reading lamps and a Turkish rug that’s centuries old. Again it looks out upon Oberon’s Wood. The third room I mentioned is actually the largest room which is how it can be both her work space and our personal library.

The rooms are up on the fourth floor which means it’s a quiet enough space. Reynard and his wife have quarters here as they moved into the space occupied by the former Steward when Ingrid took that position over.

It’s particularly nice during one of the fortunately rare blizzards we get as the storms are awesome from this viewpoint — you can see the walls of snow coming across the landscapes!

P

Posted in Stories | Comments Off on A Kinrowan Estate story: Our Rooms

What’s New of 16th of March: A variety of mysteries; some new Scottish music by an old band, new jazz, and splendid archival reviews; ballads in graphic novel form; and chocolate in Paris

A girl could feel special on any such like.
Said James to Red Molly, my hat’s off to you
It’s a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952
And I’ve seen you at the corners and cafés it seems
Red hair and black leather, my favourite colour scheme
And he pulled her on behind
And down to Boxhill they did ride

Richard Thompson’s ‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning’

P

It’s almost  Spring today and we’re getting one of those rare days where the temperature is over twenty Celsius, there’s full sun and not a hint of a cooling breeze, so Ingrid, our Steward, has declared there shall be an outside feast under the stars followed by a contradance in the evening with fires going to keep everyone warm in the slate-covered Courtyard with Chasing Fireflies being the band and Gus the caller.

My staff has set up the outdoor taps — there’s a cask of Spring Peeper Ale, another cask of the Shut Up and Dance IPA and yet another of a three-year aged cider Bjorn, our Brewmaster, calls Cheddar Cider as its got a nice sharp bite like an aged cheddar. Join us if you can as it’ll be a lovely evening!

P

First is a Tenth Doctor Who story, ‘The Unicorn & The Wasp’ which Cat reviews: ‘One of my favourite episodes of the newer episodes of this series was a country house mystery featuring a number of murders and, to add an aspect of metanarrative to the story, writer Agatha Christie at the beginning of her career. It would riff off her disappearance for ten days which occurred just after she found her husband in bed with another woman. Her disappearance is a mystery that has never been satisfactorily answered to this day.’

An English country house murder mystery also gets reviewed by David: ‘As traditional as the genres he chose might have been, in Altman’s hand they were turned upside-down, and sideways. Warren Beatty and Julie Christie became anti-hero and opium addict in Altman’s “western” McCabe & Mrs. Miller, set to the music of Leonard Cohen! A laconic Elliott Gould became Raymond Chandler’s private dick Phillip Marlowe in an updated LA for Altman’s “detective” classic The Long Goodbye. Robert Altman has been the most American of directors, and now, in Gosford Park, he takes on the English country house murder mystery. Altman’s Agatha Christie film? What could this mean?’

Lory waxes about an unusual mystery in Farthing: ‘Jo Walton has a knack for genre fiction with a twist. In the World Fantasy Award-winning Tooth and Claw, she gave us a Victorian family saga — complete with siblings squabbling over an inheritance, the woes of the unwed daughters of the house, and the very important question of What Hat to Wear — with a cast of dragons, literally red in tooth and claw. Now in  Farthing, her material is the mid-century British country house murder mystery. The story is told in alternate chapters through the eyes of Lucy Kahn, a reluctant visitor to the family estate of Farthing, and over the shoulder of Inspector Carmichael, who has been sent from Scotland Yard to investigate the death of one of the other guests.

Evidence of political backbiting, personal blackmailing, and marital mismatches piles up as usual in such scenarios, but the most startling piece of all (and the most overlooked by the central characters) is that this Britain of 1949 has been at peace with Hitler for eight years, letting him take the Continent in exchange for leaving Britain a nominal independence.’

Michael looks at James Stoddard’s The High House and The False House: “Welcome to the House that God built. Evenmere, the High House, that unending ever-changing building which crosses and contains worlds. It is, and represents, all Creation, an enigma, a parable, a mystery. Within its halls and rooms, passages and basements, attics and terraces, are the undreamt worlds, the lands of dream, places like Ooz and Innman Tor and Arkalen. The House bridges upon our own world, but is far more than a house. It just Is.”

Lory notes, ‘In the early years of the twentieth century, A. A. Milne was a well-known writer of plays as well as humorous essays and poems. The Red House Mystery, published shortly before he became world-famous as the creator of Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh, is his only detective novel. In his tongue-in-cheek introduction, written after the Pooh craze had struck, he explains that “it is obvious now that a new detective story, written in the face of this steady terrestial demand for children’s books, would be in the worst of taste.” For mystery enthusiasts, this is a pity — for Milne’s take on the genre was as breezily accomplished as any of his other pursuits.’

Robert finishes off a look at ‘Moonheart may very well be the first novel by Charles de Lint that I ever read. I can’t really say for sure — it’s been awhile. It certainly is one that I reread periodically, a fixture on my “reread often” list. It contains, in an early form, all the magic that keeps us coming back to de Lint. (And be reminded that Charles de Lint may very well be the creator of what we call “urban fantasy” — he was certainly one of the first to combine contemporary life and the stuff of myth.) It’s a novel that is centered on a Place, a location that is a portal between worlds.’

PKelly had a splendid experience in Paris at Chapon Chocolatier, sampling their Chocolate Mousse made with a 100% Venezuelan chocolate bar. ‘For €5, a generous but not too large portion is served in a paper cone. The price is well worth the effects, not the least of which is taste.’

P

Debbie has a review of the four issue self-published The Book of Ballads and Sagas: ‘How do you add a new dimension to (and perhaps the enthusiasm of a new generation for) the wonderful world of folk ballads and sagas? One solution is to use an art form that is not usually associated with such things. In this case, I speak of the comic book, or as it is more usually known these days, the graphic novel.’

PGary here. This time I start my reviews with The Edinburgh Rollick, a delightful set by the American period music ensemble Ruckus, with Scottish American fiddler Keir GoGwilt. ‘The Edinburgh Rollick is highly recommended for fans of Scottish fiddling and Celtic songs and dance music in general. The combination of GoGwilt’s modern fiddle with the period instruments and superb arrangements is consistently appealing.’

The Denmark-based jazz label Steeplechase recently signed with a publicist who provides GMR with a lot of jazz and world music. Said publicist provided a big tranche of late 2024 releases, from which I selected four albums of modern straight ahead music to review: Kirk Knuffke’s Super Blonde, Steve Johns’s Mythology, David Janeway’s Forward Motion, and Alex Norris’s Table For Three.

Word came this week that Cuban American pianist and composer Aruán Ortiz is one of two “composers of extraordinary gifts” awarded with the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. By coincidence, I had just pulled from the archives my review of his 2012 release Orbiting, and you can read it here. ‘Ortiz, a native of Santiago, the second-largest city in Cuba, is equally inspired by the diverse sounds found there and the explorations of American and European 20th century classical composers like Arnold Schoenberg and Aaron Copland, plus the late 20th century funk of James Brown, Sly Stone and the like. Mix it all together in a big, hot pot and you get this Orbiting jazz fusion.’

From the Archives, here’s a random grab bag of fine music reviews.

David liked a CD re-release of the first solo album from Texas Americana legend Doug Sahm, simply titled Doug Sahm And Band, with contributors that included Bob Dylan, Dr. John, David Bromberg and more. ‘Throughout the album the songs echo the kind of material he had done with the Sir Douglas Quintet (think “Mendocino”) and they foreshadow the work he would do with the Texas Tornados ’til his untimely passing. There’s blues, and Tex-Mex, a touch of folk and some ragged harmony singing to top it all off.’

I reviewed Laurie Lewis’s One Evening In May. ‘This live disc recorded in May 2013 at the famous Freight and Salvage venue in her hometown of Berkeley, Calif., is a good reminder why Lewis is so special as an entertainer. A big part of that is her band members, the superb Tom Rozum on mandolins and guitar and vocals, Nina Gerber on guitars, and Lewis herself on banjo, fiddle and guitar.’

Judith found the music on De Amsterdam Klezmer Band’s Limonchiki pretty zippy! ‘Looking for a spicy klezmer band? From Holland, De Amsterdam Klezmer Band might be the band for you. Assigned to Knitting Factory’s alternative sub-label, their music is at times so spiced up with Eastern European ingredients that it’s almost not klez.’

She also reviewed a couple of world music releases, Kristi Stassinopoulou’s Echotropia, and Ziroq’s Ziroq. ‘Both these discs are fun, but not quite the same. The production that makes Echotropia so effective weakens some of its ties with reality; the album is not so much centered on Stassinopoulou’s voice as it is on the atmosphere it helps create. On the other hand, though Ziroq seems thinner and lighter, the “American” music can be a little irritating.’

Mike went outdoors in January to review the Swedish folk band JP Nyströms’ Stockholm 1313 Km. ‘The tunes are great out of the gate, and I actually became nostalgic upon hearing the fourth and fifth selections, “Pojkarna pa landsvagen” and “Hambomazurka efter Blomqvistarn,” respectively. They recall ethnic music from the roadhouses of the American Midwest of the 1920s and ’30s, the kind of stuff that until relatively recently could be found only on 78 rpm records.’

No’am was pleased to be able to review Dave Evans’s The Words In Between, a beloved record from the Sixties, when it was reissued. ‘This is basic, almost unadorned contemporary folk — excellent guitar picking, slightly odd tunes with meaningful lyrics sung by a voice which is well-worn and can carry a tune, but would never find itself at the top of the hit parade. Think of the classic sixties British folk guitarists such as Bert Jansch or Davey Graham, and you have an idea of what this album sounds like. Probably because of the paucity of instrumentation, the songs don’t sound dated at all, even though hardly anybody plays in this style any more.’

Naomi was moved by the women’s vocal group Libana’s two albums A Circle Is Cast and Night Passage. ‘With Libana’s first release A Circle is Cast we are treated to music from France to Russia, from Renaissance England to pre-colonization America. It is a fascinating journey on many levels, that instilled a sense of wonder and awe in me.’

Stephen was pleased with Dick Gaughan’s Outlaws & Dreamers. ‘This is the 11th solo album from Dick Gaughan and to my mind it’s his best in years. I should perhaps qualify that statement by pointing out that there’s absolutely no such thing as a poor Dick Gaughan album. I’m just one of many who think that he sounds best “in the raw,” just voice and acoustic guitar, which in the main, is exactly what’s on offer here.’

Scott began his review of the American band Romashka’s debut self-titled album with a little background on the group. ‘In a little over a year, Romashka have built a reputation as one of the most exciting and energetic bands in New York City’s world music scene. Before converging on Brooklyn, the band’s eight members cut their musical teeth in different locations, including a number of Ivy League institutions. Lithuanian-born singer Inna Barmash co-founded the Princeton-based outfit the Klez Dispensers, wind player Jeff Perlman spent four years with the Yale Klezmer Band, and guitarist Joey Weisenberg served as musical director of the Columbia Klezmer Band.’

P

Lets finish off with ‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning’, a Richard Thompson penned song as covered by the all female Red Molly band. It was assumed when this song was released by them as there’s a red haired Molly in the song  that they’d named the band after this song but instead it’s because there’s a red headed Molly in the band. We’ve reviewed several of their recordings including Love and Other Tragedies.

Posted in Commentary | Comments Off on What’s New of 16th of March: A variety of mysteries; some new Scottish music by an old band, new jazz, and splendid archival reviews; ballads in graphic novel form; and chocolate in Paris

A Kinrowan Estate story: Pub Ghoulies

P

From the archives of Sleeping Hedgehog, the in-house journal published here for centuries now.

Welcome, laddy-buck. Come in and find a seat here by the fire, and tell me your pleasure! Take a settle; they’re cushioned and wide enough for two, should fortune favour you. It’s quiet now, but there’s no end of entertainment due — we’ve a master storyteller, one Charles de Lint, come to regale us, and he’s a marvel and delight. And the lovely Mistress Elizabeth Bear, too, who they tell me is a bold lady, will be telling ghost stories for them as likes.

Well and so — ’tis the season of ghosts and witches soon, and we’re to smarten up the Pub for the celebrations. What’s to celebrate in ghosts and witches, I wonder? But, there — not my place to set our course, not here and now. I know a bit about ghosts and witches, though, that I do; being in the way of being both, you might say.

Oh, don’t shy so! We’re all ghosts from time to time in life, boyo. And can you claim I’m the first you’ve met in a bar? I’ve met ’em, more than once. Aye, that’s better, give us a smile — you’ve a good smile, and I’ve ever had a weakness for a lad with a sweet mouth. That was my undoing, when I sailed with Jack Rackham. Now, here’s your ale; shift over a mite, and let me sit with you for a moment…

Anne is my name, and I’ve been called bonney in my time. But that’s just my little joke, see. It’s my pleasure now to serve ale here in the Green Man, and Reynard is too canny a hand to think he’s my master. But this time of year, when the fogs are coming in black off the sea and salt and frost both flavour the air, it’s good to have a warm harbour here. Why, even the ravens and crows come in for a sup and a nap by the fire – so watch your coin, or our Hooded Maggie will have it away for a play-pretty in her nest under the library eaves.

Aye, she drives Liath the librarian to distraction, fey though Liath is — for Maggie’s always after the gilding on the old books, she is, sharp as any sailor after a coin. But she’s a darling despite it, pretty Maggie — with her beak like a black marlinspike and her gold-doubloon eyes. Oh, you can keep your gulls, says I; no true seaman looks twice at one o’ them! But the ravens and the crows, for all they’re landsman’s birds, they’re fine enough. Reavers and rogues at heart, on the account as much as any buccaneer and merry with it while they may be. And not afraid of the dead nor the dark, neither.

See how she comes to my hand, the sweeting? Some of it’s the sparkle of my rings, to be sure — watch how sly she is, trying her beak all gentle to see if a gem can be slipped off my finger! But more than that, she wants her neck scratched. There, see how she mantles her feathers, ruffles ’em out for a kind finger to stroke. A lass likes a petting now and then. Maggie and I are of a mind, there.

So come, put your arm around a body and we’ll watch the fire a bit. Nay, don’t peep at the mirror yonder. Your cap is straight, and the glass’ll show nothing you want to see.

A fire is such a lovely thing — not just the warmth, but the colours and the sound. When a fire is big enough, wild enough, it roars like the surf on a shingle shore. Have you ever heard it so? It roared like that above the roofs of the towns on the Spanish Main, so it did . . . and ain’t the scarlet and the gold brave, now! Nothing brighter as they twine up a wall or a mast, like roses, and climb a mainsail faster than the best topman goes up the ratlines. All women love what sparkles, like Maggie and her trove; and I never saw anything sparkle fairer than the way wild fire glitters on a dark horizon, or a sacked galleon, or a dead man’s open eyes . . .

Ah, now, lad — I told you not to look in the mirror! What’s a reflection, after all? To be sure, here’s my hand, and the glass I bring you — here’s my smile for you, and my eyes that see you clear enough. You’ll see yourself in my eyes, if you look; no need to gaze at that tricksie glass. What matter that you don’t show in the mirror? It’s nothing to me nor to anyone else here.

‘Tis your season, after all.

P

Posted in Stories | Comments Off on A Kinrowan Estate story: Pub Ghoulies

What’s New of 2nd of March: Kibbles and Bits including ghostly stories, the Hotel California, music picked by Gary of course

The working title of “Hotel California” was “Mexican Reggae. — According to Don Feldrr in a Rolling Stones article

P

So have I mentioned that we get some of our nastiest weather this time of year? Thus it is this weekend with sleet, freezing rain and high winds keeping all save the staff that tend to our livestock inside. Which is why I’m in the Robert Graves Memorial Room sitting next to a roaring fire writing this update up for you. I’ve got a pot of Darjeeling first blush which needs no cream, so I’m as content as Hamish, one of our resident hedgehogs, who’s sleeping in a quilted basket near the fire. So let’s see what we’ve got for you this week…

But before we start, some words from one of our favourite people, Ellen Datlow, on why she likes Spring better than any other season: ‘I love spring in New York–even if it only lasts a few short weeks. I celebrate spring by trying to view the very few magnolia trees in bloom around my neighborhood (they’re in full bloom for only a few days so it’s quite easy to miss them completely).’ The rest of her reasoning for this choice is thisaway.

P

Just things of a haunted nature this time, some you decide wouldn’t want tomeet.

Andrea looks at an Appalachian set tale for you: ‘Ghost Rider is the latest novel in Sharyn McCrumb’s “Ballad Series.” Ghost Riders is different from the others in the series in that there is no mystery (in the “mystery novel” sense of the word) to be solved. In the other books, the storyline goes back and forth between past and present, the stories linked sometimes obviously and sometimes tenuously. Usually in the “modern” story there is a mystery which the story in the past fleshes out or provides with a new insight. In Ghost Riders there are two separate tales from the past and a storyline set in the present. The narratives set in the past are linked by a chance meeting but still remain separate tales. One of these stories has a direct influence on the present. There are various characters, past and present, whose lives intertwine briefly in interesting and occasionally surprising ways.’

Cat looks at the urban legend retold yet again of a ghost girl asking for a ride home on the anniversary of her death: ‘Seanan McGuire decided to tell her own ghost story in Sparrow Hill Road which, like her novel Indexing, was originally a series of short stories published through The Edge of Propinquity, starting in January of 2010 and ending in December of that year. It appears they’ve been somewhat revised for this telling of her ghostly narrator’s tale but I can’t say how much as I’ve not read the original versions.’

Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas’ Haunted Legends anthology, says Gereg, is ‘something of a paradox: As a collection I found this volume kind of weak, but there are a lot of very fine stories in it. So many, in fact, that on going back over the anthology a second time, I wondered why I’d thought it was weak in the first place. As a reader, I’d probably just leave it at that; but as reviewer, I feel I owe it to my adoring public to tell you precisely why I feel the overall effect is weak. So I dove back into the book for a third time. Such travails are how I earn my fabulously high salary here.’

A woman who sees ghosts is the central character in a novel that Kathleen reviews for us: ‘Cherie Priest is a first time novelist. However, she writes with ease and a deceptive power, like the flow of the Tennessee River through her home city of Chattanooga. Four and Twenty Blackbirds is a Southern Gothic with a hint of hard boiled mystery: there’s grit in the magnolia honey and in the heroine as well.’

Possibly the earliest example of the American ghost story gets reviewed by Kestrell: ‘It is difficult to think of an American ghost story more well-known than that of Washington Irving’s short story ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. Though Irving’s original sources for the stories may have been local folklore based on the same stories which the Grimm Brothers would collect and publish back in the Old World, Irving’s tale would emerge as one of America’s first and most familiar stories until, like the best stories, it seeped into the American consciousness the way well water rises from some hidden source deep underground.’

And one  of my favourite literary treats with ghostly presences for Autumn evening nights is reviewed by Robert: ‘Peter S. Beagle’s Tamsin first saw the light of day as a story idea for a Disney animated feature. Disney never followed through. Beagle did, finally, for which I think we can all be grateful.’

P

In new music, Gary reviews the latest from one of his favorite musicians, Anouar Brahem’s After The Last Sky. ‘The album as a whole has a somber feel, due to the influence of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as these works were being composed and recorded. The title is the same as that of Edward Said’s influential book, a searing examination of Palestinian identity; the penultimate track is a haunting duet between Bates and Lechner entitled “Edward Said’s Meditation”; and the opening track “Remembering Hind” is a similar duet in memory of a victim of the Gaza war.’

For a change in tone, he reviews an album by La Baula, a new folk group from Catalonia. ‘Cançons a l’ombra is a good introduction to Catalan roots music with its lovely vocals and a wide variety of traditional instruments on updated arrangements of traditional songs.’

He also reviews the new album from the Finnish retro group Uusikuu. ‘Four of the twelve tracks on Piknik are Uusikuu originals, and the rest are a blend of humorous humppas (a peppy, jazz-adjacent dance music rather like a fast foxtrot), tangos, ballads, and iconic swing tunes. Among the latter is “Sä kaunehin oot,” better known here by its German title of “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen,” as sung by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald.’

Balkan music had a moment back around the turn of the century. We reviewed a lot of it then, and we still do so, as the music continues even though its casual fans have long turned elsewhere. From the archives, here is just a smattering of our Balkan coverage over the years, including some of the more obscure titles.

Big Earl had strong opinions about three Balkan related discs he reviewed: Los Niños de Sara’s Gipsyolé, Jony Iliev & Band’s Ma Maren Ma, and Besh o droM’s Nekemtenemmutogatol! (Can’t Make Me!) ‘… Besh o droM ups the stakes considerably. Hailing from Hungary, this group takes the tradition and moshes it into the modern era. Fast playing and tight arrangements make Can’t Make Me! the standout here.

Brendan Foreman reviewed one of the discs that brought Balkan music to the attention of Americans, the benefit compilation Balkans Without Borders. ‘This CD cuts across the spectrum of Balkan music from the Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea, from the Ural River to the Ruhr, and stretching even beyond those boundaries. Taken as a whole, it clearly shows the shared musical and cultural heritage that all of the people of the Balkans share, a heritage that, given the current violence of the region, is that much more heartbreaking to witness.’

Gary raved about Choban Elektrik’s Choban Elektrik. ‘Choban Elektrik’s music is billed as Balkan psychedelic jazz-rock, and that’s a pretty good description. The band is Jordan Shapiro on keyboards and guitar, Dave Johnsen on electric bass and Phil Kester on drums and percussion with Jesse Kotansky and Eva Salina Primack providing violin and vocals respectively on some tracks.’

He also enjoyed Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria’s Mechmetio. ‘This is powerful stuff, but never overly solemn. Its moods range from raucous to tender, playful to pensive, but it never feels like it’s done merely to impress. If you think you’ve heard all you need of Bulgarian women’s choirs, think again.’

And he reviewed Drumovi, a hybrid American Balkan recording from Zabe i Babe, a similarly hybrid band led by American folkie Tim Eriksen. ‘The group’s name, Zabe i Babe, translates as “grandmothers and frogs,” and is roughly the equivalent of the American idiom “apples and oranges,” used for comparing non-comparable items. But the elements go together better than that, at least most of the time.’

Judith enjoyed Adam Good’s Dances Of Macedonia and the Balkans. ‘Good includes traditional dances as well as his own compositions, which are played on the tambura, the four string lute used in Macedonia. On some of the tunes he is accompanied by a variety of village flute called a kaval and by drumming on tupan or dumbek, mostly by his bandmates in the American-Canadian group 9 Olives.’

Naomi reviewed Ciganine by the Pennsylvania based trio Sviraj. ‘This CD has 17 tracks, filled with a music containing so much passion it is impossible not to let it work its magic upon you. The lyrics are in both their original tongue and in English, allowing for a complete understanding of the song.’

Robert was favorably impressed by Boban Marković Orkestar’s Boban i Marko, which, he noted …”features a group of mostly traditional songs from the south of Serbia, fourteen tunes that range from the rollicking opener, “Balkan Fest,” complete with its marked “oom-pah-pah” rhythm, through “Southern Comfort,” a mellow, fluid piece with surprises in tempo and melody. There is even a samba, Serbian style.’

P

The Eagles penned a song, but not just any song. It was ‘ Hotel California ‘ and pretty much of all of the band in the form of Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey are credit is writing it. Released in February 19 77, it is truly magnificent with its never to be forgotten refrain as Glen Frey performing it

Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face

Plenty of room at the Hotel California

Any time of year (any time of year)

Here it is as performed thirty years in Burbank, California.

Posted in Commentary | Comments Off on What’s New of 2nd of March: Kibbles and Bits including ghostly stories, the Hotel California, music picked by Gary of course