Nothing
compares with being in the midst of a group,
singing with good courage. From my soprano
days in a boys’ choir to leading audiences
on choruses, it’s the most fun that I’ve ever
had and continues to be so.
Folk and Traditional Music
Voices of New York
Sara Milonovich, a brilliant fiddler, singer, songwriter, and bandleader, released her CD Daisycutter in 2009. Described as “rural roots with an urban/world edge,” this album’s songs and music encompass folk, bluegrass, Celtic, zydeco, and American roots-rock music.
Songs to Keep
This essay describes the Traditional Arts of Upstate New York (TAUNY) project to share the documentation of traditional folk music of the North Country with recordings made between 1942 and 1967 by Marjorie Lansing Porter (1891–1973), with the production of a 40-page songbook, a 17-song CD, and a PBS documentary.
Hilt Kelly
Hilt and Stella Kelly and the Sidekicks were long central to Roxbury’s annual Fiddlers! programs, which started in 1994. Not only during these years but long before, Hilt and his music were important to old-time square dancing and music throughout the Catskills
region.
Remembering Yacub Addy
Yacub Addy, Ghanaian drum master from Latham, New York. A master of traditional music of the Ga ethnic group, a creator of new works rooted in tradition, and a committed educator, Yacub Addy is part of the renowned Addy family of drummers, singers, and dancers from Avenor, Accra, Ghana.
Good Read
Finally, there is a book worthy of Caffè Lena’s rich history. This big, beautiful, oversized hardcover is a love letter to the Caffè, the many musicians who’ve graced Lena’s tiny stage, and to folk music itself.
Voices in New York
Artist Spotlight: Devesh Chandra
DEVESH CHANDRA has been learning the Tabla since the age of 3. He learned Indian Classical Music by accompanying his mother, renowned Sitar exponent Veena Chandra and he continues to perform with her. Their mother and son duo has received national and international...
Writing the Songs of our Ancestors: A Folk Songwriting Process
James “The Rooster” Corcoran was a 19th century gang leader in New York City whose life and exploits became the gist for a song cycle. Author Vincent Cross describes the song-writing process.
Joanie Madden
Irish flute player, Joanie Madden is named a 2021 National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Corona Virus Song
Folk singer, Stanley Ransom, composes a song for Coronavirus, to the tune of “Days of ’49”.
Upstate
The author’s search for a humorous song, collected by Frank and Anne Warner from Lena Bourne Fish who was born in the Adirondack region.
Roslin Castle and the Battle of Plattsburgh
Ransom explores the association of Scotland’s Roslin Castle and the Battle of Plattsburgh.
Upstate
An essay about the present and future of Adirondack folk music and the places to hear it.
ALN8BAL8MO: A Native Voice
Bruchac chronicles the biography of Joanne Shenandoah, an Oneida singer-songwriter born in 1957 on the Oneida Territory, Syracuse, NY.