Harry Smith's paper airplane collection
3 Farms Festival on the East River. I think MB is involved? Our pal
Samoa is playing, and I'm interested in David Johanson's folk act, the
Harry Smiths. It ain't Jazzfest, but could be a good time.
Roger McGuinn's album
Treasures from the Folk Den has been growing on me. It's even more of a nostalgia trip than is usual with folk music.
McGuinn (best known as the leader of the
Byrds) cut his teeth in the folk/protest era of the late 50s and early 60s. He's been putting out new versions of the era's songs
online for some years. Now he's done a compilation album, re-recording these songs in the company of the artist associated with them back when. These include some real old-timers, like Pete Seeger and Jean Ritchie, as well as 60s staples like Judy Collins and Odetta. They no longer have the great voices of their youth, but most have gained an easy virtuosity over the years. Their art belies the simplicity of the performances, which seem more than ever modeled on the "authentic", unschooled style of rural singers, as exemplified by the Harry Smith
Anthology. Thirty years ago these folks were showy singers, trying too hard; today they've almost become the real thing.
Most of the songs are chestnuts, but they are durable, and a few may have escaped your ear. I particularly like
Dink's Song, which I've never owned a recording of. As told by Lomax, the
story of the song and its singer is sad, and the achy duet by McGuinn and Josh White Jr. does them justice (even in a bowdlerized version). I wondered whether the reference to "Norah's dove" was a corruption of
Noah's dove, but haven't found a clear statement on the point. Such "obvious" assumptions about traditional material often turn out to be wrong. Dylan sang it as "Noah's", which doesn't prove much, but
this over-worshipful account does present a funny picture of the young singer working on his own myth.
The Harry Smith Archives site has a
message board in case you want to ask him somthing.