A Green Man Review

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.

Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have alwaysmbeen the two most beautiful words in the English language. –– Henry James

The piper at gates of dawn has resumed his or her ritual after taking most of the summer off. Now from just before the first light hits the high meadow with its benediction of the new day ’til several minutes later  when it’s the slate roof of  Kinrowan Hall which the sunrise glistens on the moss covered slate roofing tiles up there, the piper plays on. Some say the instrument is Great Medievalo Pipes but I doubt that as I’ve never seen them here; more likely is that they border pipes or uilleann pipes.

I’m now inside our Kitchen this morning as it’s bone numbing cold this morning. No not just chilling but rather a brutally cold damp with the promise of rain and strong winds later today. Autumn’s not even here but the weather’s giving us an early taste of November is usually like. Even the Estate felines and canines who like going outside are sticking close to the fireplaces and other warm spots inside Kinrowan Hall today.

In between lots of coffee and setting up my ‘office’ which is  myself, a large mug of Blue Mountain coffee and my iPad, in the sitting corner of the Kitchen, been  editing this Edition which includes our usual look at book and music, so go ahead and see what we we found for your interest.

The manor house and the woods that surround that A.A. Milne lived in as that inspired the tales of Pooh and friends is for sale for a staggering number of pounds, but for considerably less you can read  The Red House Mystery, a classic English manor house novel by him that gets a look-see by Lory: ‘The story is not really a “whodunit” — the “who” is pretty clear from the outset — the question is “how” and, even more, “why” he did it, and Milne keeps us guessing until the end. The plausibility of the solution is not one that would hold up to heavy scrutiny, but the pleasure lies not in the verisimilitude of the puzzle but in the ingenuity of its construction and unravelling, and the witty repartee among the characters.’

Denise has been holding on to her review of Crystal King’s Feast of Sorrow, but that’s just because she couldn’t resist going back to it over and over again.  If you’ve a taste for a story full of intrigue, Ancient Rome, and flamingo tongues, you need look no further.  And if you just want a page-turner, you’ve come to the right place as well.  ‘Sorrow is so thoroughly researched it feels as if her tale is exactly what happened, instead of what possibly could have. … Come for the fascinating premise, stay for the amazing characters and wonderful way King has with prose.’

Marian looks at a trilogy by the late John Jane Yolen that deserves to be a classic. First up is ‘The Books of Great Alta  which is the compilation of Yolen’s two books in the series,  Sister Light, Sister Dark and White Jenna. It is the story of the women of Dale, who worship Great Alta, the mother goddess and what happens to them for better or worse.’

If you’ve read these already, then do read Marian’s review of  the final volume, The One-Armed Queen, but otherwise do not as it has major spoilers about what happens in the first two novels.

Robert has a book that should resonate with all those who are familiar with images such as the Green Man: Garth Dahl’s Masks from Around the World: ‘Masks occur in every human culture I’ve ever run across, and their purpose is always the same: disguise. In the theater of ancient Greece, the disguise served to submerge the actor in the persona of the god or hero he portrayed. Among the Cherokee and Iroquois of North America, the fearsome headgear served to frighten malignant spirits away. In Mycenae, masks were funerary effigies, a practice found throughout the ancient world and also found among the great pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas.’

American indie folk-rockers Deer Tick have returned from hiatus with a self-titled two-disc set, Deer Tick Vol. 1 & Deer Tick Vol. 2. The former is mostly acoustic folk-rock, the latter mostly electric rock of the punk or garage variety, but built around lyrics that largely wouldn’t be out of place in folk-rock. Gary says it ‘is an impressive release, one not to be missed by fans of thoughtful, independent-minded music, whether you call it folk or rock.’

English singer-songwriter Jack Cooper usually plays in a two-man band called Ultimate Painting. But he’s just released his first solo album. Gary says Cooper’s Sandgrown ‘is a song cycle of sorts painting a sonic picture of his hometown, the port city of Blackpool on the Lancashire coast in northwestern England.’

Gary also looks at the modern Balkan album Dvoijka by Sarajevan Damir Imamovič and his band Sevdah Takht. The music comes from a mix of tradition and innovation, he says: ‘Growing up in Sarajevo, he steeped himself not only in the roots of legends of sevdah like his father and grandfather, but also in the other Sarajevo, the city of rebels and bohemians.’

And not far from the Balkans, at least geographically, is Italy. Robert gives us his take on two CDs of Italian music, Italia 3: Atlante di Musica Tradizionale — Roots Music Atlas and Italian Café: ‘Hmmm’ says Robert.

For our What Not this week, Robert gives us a look at one of his favorite places in Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo’s South Pond Nature Boardwalk: ‘If you’re visiting Chicago and need a break from the museums, architecture tours, shopping, and theater, check out South Pond in Lincoln Park, just south of Lincoln Park Zoo, for a nice relaxing hour or two. It’s another restoration project in the Park, this one under the auspices of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society, and it’s come along quite nicely — I call it “the Lakefront, BC — Before Chicago”.’

And as we linger on the last long summer afternoons, a song to to tuck away with our memories: ‘Summertime’ from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

Storms make trees take deeper roots. — Dolly Pardon

Dolly Parton passed on very recently and Gary has a look at some of the albums on which she played an important role;  that’s our entire focus this time so let’s get started…

In memory of Dolly Parton, here are a few of the reviews featuring her work that we’ve published over the years.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s Dolly returned to her roots with a series of bluegrass albums. David reviewed the second in the series, Little Sparrow. ‘The songs range from gospel hymns to country classics, from Dolly originals to Cole Porter! Each song, whether swinging or melancholic, utilizes the band well but ultimately centers on the crystal clear voice of Dolly Parton.’

A little while back I reviewed The Complete Trio Collection, a compilation of the recordings made by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, a three CD set of the two Trio albums plus a bonus disc of pre-Trio releases, which I liked best. ‘You can also get this disc separately, which I’d recommend. It has “Mr. Sandman,” “Cowgirls,” and A.P. Carter’s “Are You Tired Of Me,” plus a superb alternate version of “Wildflowers,” a great version of “Waltz Across Texas Tonight,” a stepped-up, fast gospel style version of Dolly’s “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind,” plus a rocking version of  the Staple Singers “You Don’t Knock.” ‘

I’ve also reviewed a couple of various artists projects that Dolly contributed to, including Divided & United, The Songs Of The Civil War, on which she sang with Stuart Duncan on “Listen To The Mockingbird.” ‘This album made my list of the Top 10 of 2013, and I’m surprised, nay shocked it didn’t make more such lists. All fans and supporters of American vernacular music ought to be listening to Divided & United, The Songs Of The Civil War. It’s that important, and it’s that good.’

The other VA compilation is a tribute to Dolly, Just Because I’m A Woman, from 2003. I said it had a pretty high ratio of good covers to mediocre ones, as these things go. ‘The highlights of this collection are Norah Jones’ cool, piano-driven cover of the title track from Parton’s 1999 bluegrass breakout, The Grass is Blue; and Joan Osborne’s classy take on one of Dolly’s folkier songs, “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind.” Jones’ particular brand of understated balladry is perfectly suited to this bluesy song, and Osborne’s warm vocals are deftly anchored in a simple, rootsy arrangement.’

Dolly sang an amazing song of hers with a then very young Emmy Rossum on a compilation taken from and inspired by the movie Songcatcher. It remains one of my favorite songs of the past 25 years, and the whole album is pretty good, too. ‘Sandwiched in between “Pretty Saro” and “Barbara Allen” is “When Love is New,” an utterly charming duet between Rossum and Dolly Parton, who wrote the song. Rossum’s achingly clear and unaffected alto blends perfectly with Parton’s sharp but undeniably mature “high-lonesome” soprano in this song that pits youthful passion against the wisdom of age in matters of love.’

Teddy Thompson is a big Dolly fan, and he included one of hers in his superb 2023 album My Love of Country. It’s a duet with Aoife O’Donovan on the song “Love And Learn” which she recorded in the ’60s. ‘On this album he rolls out a bunch of classics, a couple of deep cuts, and one well-placed surprise, and he does it all with tears in your beer authenticity that reveal his own love of the music.’

Fantasies of violence,
Breaking bottles on the wall.
Hungry for the motion, for the action,
For it all.

Cats Laughing

 There is no book section this time, well not really, but rather a selection of the reviews but a look atvsome the essays that Deborah Grabien.English folk rock is always a favourite of mine so it’s no surprise that Deborah Grabien‘s Haunted Ballads series is one I really like but many of you might not know that she is also an amazing music critic essayist. The writings by her that I’ve selected are but a few of the ones she has done for us here but they are reasonable sampling of what she’s done here.