Hello there folk nuts.

We at IFS, as well as a number of other people involved in the local folk scene, often get queries from artists living abroad

about what it might take to visit Israel and perform. While we haven't been inundated with a flood of foreign visitors, it is note- worthy that in recent years, more and more performers have visited and performed in home hoots and folk clubs that are not connected with Jacob's Ladder.

I'm sure it won't surprise anyone to learn that the FolkStuff Society are eager and willing to do what ever it can to assist anyone who wishes to visit Israel and perform. To this end, a

couple of us drew up a letter which we send in response to any inquiries we get. We thought you might be interested in seeing it. Please rest assured that that even though it appears here as a form letter, it is hand tailored for each individual request. Here it is:

Shalom,

I/We have heard wonderful things about you and your music.

About your question whether anyone there could ever arrange a house concert/folk club tour for me/us next year. I/we am/are the right address.

Here is our "form letter answer". It should answer your questions, but feel free to ask more.

IFS is frequently contacted by performers from all over the world, who wish to come to Israel and who ask for our assistance. For instance, they often ask us to help organize tours for them.

We are pleased at the opportunity to do what we can, and it is always

gratifying when artists indicate that they have heard of us and ask for our

aid. However, it must be understood that while IFS can certainly promote

artists' visits, we are not in a position to organize com- mercial tours as such. Which is to say, that if artists expect (or even hope) to come here and get rich (or even reimbursed for the international travel expenses), it just is not going to happen.

What we can, and would be delighted to do is:

a. Spread the word through our nationwide network of the impending visits;

b. To assist with home appearances (home hoots);

c. To facilitate performances at the various folk clubs through out the country, which are advertised, and often covered by the local media in both languages. IFS itself, has a monthly newsletter of high quality. At these venues, the artists can sell their CD's or tapes to their hearts's contents. It should be noted that fre- quently the artist earns more from the sale of CD's than from the actual performances.

We wish to stress that it is regrettable that Israel is not a primary location for immense concert tours (unless you are Peter, Paul and Mary, in which case you probably don't need us). However, you should not doubt for an instant, that we are ready, eager and willing to do what we can.

And what can we do? Among other things, we can arrange for places to stay and eat for the artist; please don't bring your entire entourage. We can organize sightseeing. We can introduce you to a lot of great music in our country, and if you like to jam, there is no better place in the world. If, after all this, you are still planning to come to Israel, and want us to set up some activities for you, then get in touch with us at once.

We will put you in touch with the organizers of the various folk clubs and other music venue places.

If anybody thinks this letter should be changed or amended in any way, why not drop us a line or give us a call.

--Larry Gamliel

So there's good news and there's bad news-which do you want first? Don't really matter, most of it's goooooood!

First, the venue and new date, both are splendid. Great facilities and scenery. We shared a room in the hostel with friends and so we had to schlep a whole 20 metres (!) to get to the main stage grass. And the temperatures were actually bearable! Best of all, I didn't have to miss the Wimbledon Tennis Finals just so I could listen to a bunch of folkies whoopin' it up!

On the other hand, some things never change. The main program got under way no less than two hours late because of the time it takes to do balance for several groups (although to hear Woody Mann & Bob Broznan go through their balance routine with the sound engineer was in the best tradition of absurd theatre and worth the price of admission on its own). Menachem, this is getting truly tiresome. May I suggest a solution? Start the day off upstairs in the Lecture Hall with a couple of smaller acts (individuals or duos, e.g. Judy and Lynn Lewis, Betty Maoz) that can be set up fast. In the mean- time finish balancing the main stage and slightly shorten the main program but start on time! This will have the added advantage of missing the worst of the high winds that always blow around then.

Now for my reactions to folk I got to see. For me, the Tranzit Country Band was decent and pleasing, but unoriginal and old hat. Not really the act to start the festival off with a bang. As for the Arava Riders, I'm sure they will improve with lots of experience of playing together, and perhaps they would have been acceptable a few years ago, but standards at JL. have been on the rise, and they sounded rather too amateurish.

So, Southbound Train was the first hit of the evening-they provided the perfect set for us to gnaw our barbecued chicken and crunch our potato chips to.

Then to Bob Brozman & Woody Mann. Here, I have a problem. They are undoubted geniuses of technical skill on their instruments-amazing sounds came pouring out. But I want performers who view themselves as the medium through which their music is transmitted to the audience. I don't want artists who regard the music merely as a medium through which they present themselves to the audience -"Look at me! Am I great or what?." I remember a Rosh Hashanah service in New York. led by a cantor and choir who clearly regarded any active praying by the congregation as an affront and interference with their gorgeous performance. Bob and Woody had plenty of originality, but didn't light up the stage for me.

But when Esev Bar took the stage, it became positively incandescent. They are mar- velous musicians, but use their skill to serve the music rather than as an opportunity for self- advertisement. Originality, drive, renewal - just wonderful.

Steve Haggard and the Rangers-a player I respect described them to me as "a wedding band from Nashville". Nuff said.

Irish Cream-see my comments on Esev Bar above-just wonderful stuff, my heart is still jigging away as I write.

I didn't stay for Mojo & Co. The thought of sleeping with 3 gorgeous ladies was too much to resist.

So to Saturday. Betty Maoz got things underway upstairs in the lecture hall. She is an accomplished performer, neat guitar work, good voice and choice of songs and a pleasure to hear. I think she could improve her performance by building her songs a bit-she tends to start on one level and stay there all the way through.

We then went out to hear Jug O' Punch. If rehearsing just twice a year gets them so ready to belt out all those great songs with such style and aplomb-I think I'll stop practicing alto- gether and be a huge hit!. Then came the Bean Blossom Boys, fine musicians who gave us a very nice set. A pity their voices are not on a par with their playing, they need a specialist lead singer.

Next, I went inside to catch Ray Scudero. I'm delighted to hear he has a CD in the works, he's one of the best singer/ songwriters around-total originality. Larry Gamliel is always good value for money, but suffered from following Ray, they should have switched around.

But for me the surprise hit of the festival was Joyful Noise-commitment, attack, sensitivity and musicianship aplenty.

Finally we were able to catch Noah Zacharin-just as well, since we were due to host him at a home hoot in our house later in the month. Again, a musician who carries his virlightly-seeing it as a medium for full expression of his songs-themselves very agreeable, but more suited toa more intimate venue than outside with half a gale blowing up.

All in all, we had a great time and heard some great music. See y'all next year.

--Amiel Schotz

"Despite the indifferent sound produced by Steve Haggard & the Rangers (someone said to me "in the States they'd just be another roadhouse band") I feel that some mention should be made of Nils Tuxan who played a pedal steel guitar, a Dobro and sang one song and played an electric guitar. The latter instrument was played with more flair than the rest of the band. I think it was the first time that the pedal steel guitar (hereafter referred to as PSG) has been played publicly by a professional musician who played it beautifully. When I hear a PSG played well, it gives me the shivers and despite the warmth of the evening and day at Karei Deshe, I certainly shivered, especially during Nil's solos during the two Dylan songs performed by the Rangers. There were also a couple of "chicken pickin'" breaks on the up-tempo numbers which were unbelievable. It could be that he is a musician's musician and that many of the audience didn't really appreciate what and when he was playing or that there was a difference between the PSG and the lead electric guitar. I was surprised that more people didn't ask about the instrument even though I

gave a brief explanation of the "ten string ironing board" when emceeing the Saturday afternoon stage. I spent the whole of their Friday night set glued to the side of the stage, just watching him. I actually once built a PSG and tried my hand at playing it with minimal success but this was the first time that I'd had the opportunity of seeing one played up-close in the flesh - I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a pity that the material played was not of a higher caliber. Nils also played a couple of songs on the Dobro, which I also play and did a masterful job - not with the same elan as Bob Brozman but with an expertise, which suited the music he was accompanying. It turned out that he was a really nice guy too and that we had mutual Dobro- playing acquaintances in the U.K. Nils now lives in Germany where he has his own recording studio."

--Lynn Lewis

Jacob's Ladder this year was superb! I'm sure that Menachem got the message by now that the festival should never be moved back to the stifling heat of July. The weather was ideal, much to the delight of all the fantastic performers, the dancers, the record number of spectators, and even the tiny babies in the audience who bounced around cheerfully to the beat of the music. The international flavor of the festival was prominent, including musicians from the U.S., Canada, Scotland, Russia, Denmark, Slovenia, and Israel of course, as well as music ranging from American blues & country to Hawaiian, calypso, Arabic, Spanish, Irish, Scottish, & the unique peace-aspiring sounds of Israeli group Esev Bar. The variety of musical instru- ments was mind- boggling! Just to mention a couple of my personal (local) favorites - Transit, Southbound Train, Irish Cream, and the first- time musical collaborations of Marc Miller & Harold Jacobs (amazing musical chemistry) and Shelley Ellen & Muriel Dixon. All in all, it was a great festival & an enjoyable weekend. Let's keep it in springtime, please…

--JoAnn Arinsberg

Hats off to Judith and Menachem for the best JL ever.

There was only one small criticism (there always is) that there were not sufficient ladies rooms and the long slow moving lines proved that point. Besides that, we were all there for the music and being part of the folk community which was surprisingly and happily populated by many young families. There's hope yet

for a new generation of retro-folkies.

Rather than going through the list of the wonderful musicians and the glorious musical gifts which I'm sure someone else will review, I will just say that the quality and enjoyment level was very high indeed, and I hope that the results were equally satisfying for our hard working organizers so that they will be inspired to produce many more future JL festivals under similar

conditions. This time round, it's kol hakavod to J&M.

-- Harold Jacobs

Dear Artists, Helpers, Fans and Family,

Jacob's Ladder 2000 proved to be one of the most enjoyable "Ladders" ever held! The venue, the weather, the music, the atmosphere - all were top quality!

People had nothing but praise for almost every aspect of the festival - except for the ladies toilets (which will be taken care of next year).

-------(edited text)…

Our thanks to all of you; Josh, Judy'n'Lynn Lewis, Hal Wrobel, Larry Rosenfeld, Bruce Brill and Sarah Marcus - for the excellent Kabbalat Shabbat - Ray Scudero, Marc Gittelson, Harold Jacobs, Don Slovin, Larry Gamliel. Marc Miller (The One and Only), Betty Maoz, Hachmoni, Ada Dahan, Shelley Ellen, Vivian Brill, Ari Meerson, Charlie the Clown - cause of much cachinnation, Mili the very, very tall lady in colourful clothing, Evergreen, Eli Marcus - and last but not least Trish Baron and the Judo girls- for their excellent work at the Kupa.

Itzik Weinstein and Ira Kravitz kindly loaned amplifiers - never have we been so electrified.

If there's anyone whose name we have inad- vertently omitted, we apologize - we appreciate what you all did. Please pass this message on to all the members of your bands or groups - those not on e-mail.

We look forward to a festival just us successful as this one was - next May.

-- Menachem & Yehudit

I first met Marc Miller in the early 1980's, both of us were guest performers at the old Friday night folk night at the old synagogue ruins across the road from the main gate of Kibbutz Machanayim. The odds of two guys who play acoustic Ragtime guitar in Israel are astronomical enough, but for both of them to be fans of Mose Allison and the eclectic Kinky Friedman is absolutely impossible!!! Strange but true, this really is the case. In all the years since that meeting, we have barely been onstage together more than 6 times, but each time is a new experience for me.

Some might call Marc a diamond in the rough, but that implies that he would

need some cutting and polishing to bring out the better qualities. I say that Marc is like a natural pearl, his imperfections and special form are what make him unique and oh so rare. Marc has a playing style that is very deceptive in its simplicity, but if one tries to copy his playing you discover how complex and subtle it really is. His voice is also a quality that cannot be duplicated, and one that I think I would have to smoke cigarettes and drink hard liquor for at least 30 years before I could come close to what makes his voice just so.

The handful of musicians around the world that continue the acoustic Ragtime tradition is pretty small, and so we are lucky to have another one of them among us here in Israel.

Give the disc a listen, it is a labor of love, not well polished, but natural pearls don't need to be...

--Eli Marcus

If you've been abroad lately, you might have been struck by the ubiquity of

contra dancing in most every major city. Overcoming my ignorance, embarrassment, and having "she-gets-people- dancing" Regina Sandler- Phillips in town, we hit the local contra action.

Whether I would like the dancing or not, a good time was guaranteed because the music was live consis- ting of traditional jigs, reels and hornpipes from the Scots-Irish tradition on both sides of the Atlantic.

Unlike square dancing, which is derived from quadrilles, contra dancing is

derived from Scottish/Irish- type line dancing withe fancy footwork. But, while the dance is formed from 2 lines (or 4 when the length of the hall is exceeded, which it was), unlike most line dances, 2 couples form a square and interact. However, these "couples" get shuffled and dancers revolve to every position producing a horizontal kaleidoscope effect like a quilt pattern in motion. It is exhilarating and left the dancers smiling and aerobic, albeit not as breathless as for some Israeli dances.

According to one know- ledgeable source (Harry Brauser), the dance originated in the 13 colonies -- George Washington seemed to enjoy it, but Tom Jefferson would even ride all night to participate. In the early 1800's, the dance was all the rage! In spite of its popularity, with the evolution of other popular

dance forms, the dance was all but forgotten by 1900. Only small local groups

of intrepid New Englanders maintained the tradition. With the folk revival of

the 1960's, Ralph Cage got hold of it and taught it to, among others, students -- who then graduated and went on to other university cities and introduced it so it took hold. Harry was one of these benefactors and was a kind of Johnny Appleseed spreading the fruit. He can boast introducing it to cities like Los Angeles where it has lived on long after he left. In Chicago you can dance contra every night of the week. I noticed the glint in his eye when I asked if he'd thought of bringing it to Israel and mentioned we had several outstanding bands capable of supporting such an endeavour. He reeled off several European cities where it already lives.

The beauty of the dance is that you can come in as a novice and, after the tradi- tional 15 minute introduc- tory lesson, dive right in. You learn what moves go with what calls, what to do if you muck up so that no one will notice, and that there is some fancier hand- and footwork if you feel like it, but not a requirement. The dancer age ranged from 25-50 (with some of us pushing the boundaries from the 2 ends) and between 50 and 75 folks (amazingly equal numbers of genders) showed up the night I was there. One dance takes up to 1/2 hour to complete so there's plenty of time to refine one's style. The band comes with a barrel full of medleys, so the music is never boring. Most of all it's just fun.

So if you're out somewhere and see it advertized, barge right in. You'll have a ball, I promise.

--judi ganchrow

In an attempt to involve more folks and liven things up, the Jerusalem Folk Club will change its format for July - we're going to have a sing around.

Everyone is invited to join us for our first go this summer. (see calendar) This will be an "open" night. Future "thematic" evenings are in the planning stages. Come join us for an informal music night. Bring

your instruments and come sing, listen and make requests!

Your suggestions and comments are more than welcome and can be passed

on to the management.

NOT TRAD ADS - fee is NIS 10 (NIS 5 for members).

**SHELLEY ELLEN guitar

lessons, available for performances (03) 674-5356.

**Jill Rogoff's "THE CELTIC CRADLE" and ACROSS THE NARROW SEAS (ALC 129) are available on cassette (NIS 40) or CD (NIS 60). Tel/Fax (02) 679-0410.

**SUZALEH'S SILK ART - Glassed and Framed, modestly sized and modestly priced, door signs, mazal tovs, etc. Handmade by Sue Tourkin- Komet (02) 676-3346.

Mazal Tov to Madeleine & Avery Ellisman on he birth of their daughter.

Mazal Tov to Kevin Jennings on his recent marriage.

Happy Birthday to: Judy Admon, Malcolm Admon, Scott Fields, Moshe Landsman, Lynn Lewis, Jade Marcus, Cecile Panzer, Larry Rosenfeld, Peter Singer, Ruth Vlessing,

And belatedly to Sylvia Ber.

Refuah shlema to Daphna Whetstone who's been in and out of hospital again.

DISCLAIMER: FolkNotes is the official publication of the Israel FolkStuff Society. Views are those of the writers, not necessarily those of IFS.

FolkNotes and all of the articles, photographs and material contained therein are, unless otherwise noted, copyrighted by IFS 2000.

ADVERTIZEMENT TARIFFS FOR FOLKNOTES MAGAZINE

Our Trad Ads section is free to IFS members. Display ads are priced according to the following schedule:

Full page NIS 450

Half page NIS 225

1/3 page NIS 180

1/4 page NIS 125

1/10 page NIS 60

Israel Dulcimer Society : Meetings have resumed - every 2nd Monday evening. or further information call Dena at (02) 561-8910 or Cyrelle at (02) 566-2682.

Thursdays, 8:30-11pm. Balkan Dancing at Moadon Hasport, 30 Hatsfira, Moshava Germanit, call Cyrelle (02) 566-2682.

Thurs. July 13. JERUSALEM FOLK CLUB at its latest (and hopefully permanent resting) place. Open evening - come and bring your instrument and/or voice for a real jam. Rise Up Singin' books welcome. 13 Helena Hamalka (Haganat HaTeva) 8:30 pm. Admission NIS 20 (free with an instrument)

Saturday, July 29, 9 pm. IFS/AACI Blues Evening, at AACI 5 Mane St. Admission: 30 NIS. Call Larry Gamliel (053) 801-202 or Carol 671-4007.

Wednesday, July 5, 8:30pm. TEL AVIV FOLK CLUB, Ada Dahan, Sandy Cash, duo - Danny Savyon and Asael Tsuria. Bikurei Ha'itim 6 Heftman St. For more details, call Ariela: (03) 683-7441.

Wednesday, July 19, 8:30pm. TEL AVIV FOLK CLUB, Julio's Friends and Jonathan Miller and the Grinders. Bikurei Ha'itim 6 Heftman St. For more details, call Ariela: (03) 683-7441.

Wednesday, July 26, 9pm. KIBBUTZ TZORA FOLK CLUB - the usual great line-up. Call: Judi & Lynn Lewis: (02) 990-8382 or (051) 348-061 or judilynn@tzora.co.il or Web-site: http://www.oocities.org/lynn_judi

Thurs., July 6th, 9 pm. Matnas Megadim. Special Folk Klub, featuring Lynn and Judy Lewis - details to come. Contact: Larry Rosenfeld (04) 990-2455.

Try to get your information to the appropriate persons for the Calendar, as early as possible, so we can meet publication deadlines (15th of each month). Contact Sue Tourkin-Komet (02) 676-3346 for Jerusalem activities; all areas: Larry Gamliel at (02) 641-1043 or (053) 801-202, or by fax to Carol at: (02) 675-8376.

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ISRAEL FOLKSTUFF SOCIETY Membership (clip and MAIL today)

Oh, yes!! I'd like to become a member of/renew my membership in IFS. Includes a subscription to FolkNotes, discounts on IFS-sponsored concerts and Home Hoots, etc. (Send to IFS, P.O.B. 12188 Jerusalem 91120 Israel)

Single: NIS 50 Family: NIS 65 Outside Israel: NIS 75

Name: __________________________________ Birth month: _____________

Address: _________________________________________________________

City:________________ ZIP_______email: ____________________________

Phones: Home: _____________ Work: ___________ Cellular: ______________

YES!!! I want to be active - write - organize - do something ________________

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