Contents: Sarona, Jug Band Music, Colum Sands Woody Guthrie Manuscript Collection

Jerusalem Folk Club Change of Venue, the December JFC will be held at the Zoo. Buses 26, 12 and 33. More info in Calendar.

I am a newcomer to the Israeli folk scene, but I feel that something wonderful took place this month at Sarona and I hope it will become a regular part of our folk calendar. A bunch of lovely people, who share a love for making and listening to folk music, got together for a relaxed and informal weekend of music and friendship. Moshav Sarona, in the beautiful Tabor countryside made an ideal setting for the everyone to sit around, jam and shmooze.

There were many nice little touches: visiting the art galleries of moshav members, buying home- made jams and wine, and going out for humus at the local Circassian restaurant.

For me, the highlight of the weekend, though, was the Friday night dinner and show. There was a really pleasant atmosphere with candles, wine, and a nice catered meal around small tables. The show that followed was a truly memorable one, with a wealth of talent and great variety of instruments and styles. The discs that Larry G. is preparing are going to be in great demand! The evening ended with a community jam along with washboards, spoons and "walking men" joining the guitars, banjos, etc.

Congratulations to Della, Carol, Harold, and all those involved in making this wonderful contribution to the Israeli folk scene.

--Deena Rockowitz

When I first heard about the planned weekend, I was very excited, and really hoped that I would be able to make it. My idea about the weekend getaway was mostly the PEOPLE. I was really looking forward to spend some time in a quiet and relaxing atmosphere, with people whom I like and want to be with; the music was only secondary. Basically, this meant that I did not have high expectations about the variety, quality etc. of the music we were going to have.

Obviously, I was not surprised with Shelly Ellen and Eli Marcus and Marc Gittelson, whom I have known for many years. They always were my favorites and each is the best in the style of music they do. They fulfilled my expectations, but I was really impressed with the capabilities that other people showed, people who don't normally have the chance to display the full spectrum of their talents. I can't mention them all, but let me go over my highlights:

Larry Brandt showed his great musical talent plus a great sense of humor. The Brass Band Project of people who played wind instruments for the first time was indeed amazing.

Judi Ziv proved to be a EXCELLENT singer/performer in many ways, and Yoav Biran demonstrated his incredible ability to make music that is not his regular style. I felt privileged to be able to do some Seekers songs with them, and enjoyed myself very much.

Larry Gamliel demon- strated great talent and an awesome capability to play and accompany, mostly as a "one man band" each and every person in all styles. Indeed amazing. I would never have believed that Larry knew so many songs and so many styles of music. He is REALLY a master of the keyboard. A real treat!

Larry's set with Jane Gruman was very good. Much better than the set they played when I first heard them in Jacob's Ladder last May. Jane is making amazing progress in her presentation. I am sure that when she has more self-confidence, she will be a superb singer!!!

Ariela surprised me with pleasant Bossa-Nova singing and ... Penny Whistle playing. Keep on!!!

Harold Jacobs, in addition to the great organizing job he did, impressed me with his playing with so many different people. His harmonica playing improves every day, as do his guitar and banjo playing, but most of all his stage presence was indeed remarkable.

My favorite musician is Marcie Schreier. I had the honor to play two tunes with her. This weekend really exposed me to her amazing talents in many fields: Musically, flute, singing, acting, opera, humor, etc. I think that the "opera singing" spot together with Jane was one of the highlights of the weekend.

And last, but not least: I think we all should give big cheers to Carol and Larry for the great initiative, and to Harold, Della, but most of all to Carol for a wonderful organizing job. Absolutely faultless!! I can just hope that we will have the chance to attend such events in the future. Thanks a million!

--Shay Tochner

(ed.note: Comment by Bracha Fuchs on hearing the Nightmare: "Will someone put that animal out if its misery!")

Clouds of dust billowed from the stampeding hoofs of the herd while the horses frantically tried to escape their corral. Ears perked up, nostrils flared and eyes glistened with fear. They sensed that something was terribly wrong. The cause of this great panic was -- no, not the three tenors, but one tenor (banjo) and two 5 string banjos, an ensemble named The Kvetching Banjos by their leader Yitz Hochstein. Anyone riding into Sarona could easily see and hear the musical mayhem. Some incredulous individuals even photographed the event. Others sat on the grass and watched the epic panorama in disbelief while tapping their toes to the rhythmic syncopation of banjos and hooves.

After the herd calmed down it was time to get the opening act assembled. Larry Brandt graciously brought along a collection of brass band instruments, and quickly trained a rag-tag army of recruits for the gala opening number. He demonstrated how to blow into the trumpet mouthpiece by tightly puckering up his lips and exhaling, producing a luscious raspberry. He said that if this was repeated while smiling, it theoretically changes the note. All I got was a spluttering Bronx cheer, so I elegantly cut a retreat and stuck to what I know -- the mouth organ.

The initial idea of a musical retreat/weekend and the subsequent contact work was done by Carol Fuchs, while the bella Della of Moshav Sarona coordinated the location, gala dinner and accommodations. The concept and program schedule was dispatched by e-mail to potential participants.

State-of-the-art cyber tools like mp3 files helped in e-mailing rehearsal material and in making digital recordings for crystal clear CDs of the unforgettable results.

Suffice it to say that many of us are already dreaming about the next S@S. I just hope it doesn't turn into a stampede -- horses excepted of course -- and stays as delectably intimate as this one was.

--Harold Jacobs

The weekend treat at Sarona was recorded so that those attending would have a keepsake of the wonderful times had by all. We used a mini-disc recorder for evening as well as various other jams and evethat took place. The discs were later converted to compact discs.

We are offering these discs for sale to those who participated. The price represents the actual cost of the materials used: blank discs, envelopes, jacket and labels. It doesn't

Carol Fuchs in producing the discs and jackets. It certainly is not for profit! (If we are lucky, we may recoup the costs.) The quality of the music is not a studio mix, but it is quite acceptable. If you attended the weekend and would like a set, or if you missed the fun and would like to hear for yourself, call Larry Gamliel at (053) 801-202, or Carol Fuchs at (053) 890-098.

On the margins of folk, traditional jazz, blues and ragtime is a somewhat neglected genre. After all, some of these musical streams are themselves marginal to the mainstream. So jug band music is on the margins of the marginal. Yet, it has had no mean impact on mainstream popular music. Let's explore a little what it's all about.

It all started when rural black folks wanted to play Dixieland jazz at the beginning of the 20^th century and couldn't afford instruments. They improvised with what they had. Guitars, ukuleles and banjos, washboards for percussion, harmonicas for the reed section, kazoos for the brass section, a washtub bass instead of an acoustic upright, and a jug instead of a tuba.

By the 1920s,there were a number of jug bands playing music and even getting recorded around Memphis, Tennessee. Some of the better known were Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, The Memphis Jug Band and King David's Jug Band. These musicians reached a level of virtuosity with their weird instrumentation and made jug band music into a genre in and of itself. The story of Gus Cannon's Walk Right In, which became a '60s hit, is well documented. He never saw a cent for it.

Skiffle Bands were marginally popular in Britain. They borrowed jug band instrumentation and attitude and applied it to the music hall scene. Once again, they were thought of as novelty acts and by and large weren't taken seriously.

There was a jug band revival in the '60s folk scene in the States, which saw groups such as the Jim Kweskin Jug Band get attention and popularity.

This music had an impact on popular mainstream music of the 60s as well. The Kinks, The Lovin' Spoonful and The Holy Modal Rounders, just to name a few 60's groups, made free use of jug band styles and repertoire in their music.

In short, this is serious material, which deserves more than being relegated to novelty status. In our Anglo folk scene, there are a few musicians who display a jug band consciousness in their music. Dave Cass, Eli Marcus, Dave Mencher, yours truly and of course Paul Moore come to mind.

There are fans, of course, even those who like the music but don't know where it comes from. Paul Moore represented this marginal community of musicians and fans at an international ukulele convention in New Jersey this September, where he was master of ceremonies as well as a performer. We marginals should be proud.

--Marc Miller

What You Missed!!

A son of Northern Ireland, Colum Sands has been telling stories set to music for years. He weaves a backdrop in an almost Pete Seegeresque way, interlacing humor and keen observation, compelling the listener to sit on the edge of the chair. Recently, his musical story line has focused on precursors, consequences and absurdities of conflict in his direct and honest approach.

--jg & lo

The American Folklife Center's Woody Guthrie Manuscript Collection

is now available online through the Library of Congress American Memory Web site at:

The Woody Guthrie Manuscript Collection includes correspondence between Woody Guthrie and staff of the Archive of American Folk Song (now the Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center) at the Library of Congress, written primarily in the early 1940s, shortly after Guthrie had moved to New York City and met Alan Lomax, the Archive's Assistant in Charge.

Although Guthrie pursued broadcasting and recording careers, meeting a cadre of artists and activists and gained a reputation as a talented and influential song- writer and performer, this collection highlights his talents as a prose writer. These occasionally illustrated reflections on his past, his art, his life in New York City, and the looming Second World War provide unique insight into the artist best known for his role as the "Dust Bowl Balladeer."

The online presentation contains fifty-three items (eighty-four pages) of manuscript material by, about, and to Woody Guthrie, 1940-50. It includes a biographical essay by Guthrie scholar Mark Jackson; a timeline of Guthrie's life and an encoded finding aid of archival materials featuring Woody Guthrie at the Library of Congress.

Other folklife-related online collections, selected publications of the American Folklife Center, and information about products and services are available from the Center's home page:

American Memory is a project of the National Digital Library Program of the Library of Congress, which, in collaboration with other institutions, is bringing important American historical materials to citizens around the world. Through American Memory, over 100 multimedia collections of digitized documents, photographs, recorded sound, motion pictures and text are now available online, free to the public for educational purposes. This collection is the twelfth collection from the American Folklife Center to be added to the American Memory Web site. All American Memory collections can be accessed through:

Please direct any questions to ndlpcoll@loc.gov.

--Eli Marcus

Folk Alliance is the US equivalent of IFS, only it is vast because of the population. This year it meets in Jacksonville, FL, Feb. 21-24. Singer song- writers galore; more famous folks like Sweet Honey in the Rock and a Hazel Dickens retrospective, jamming, business end of folk, exhibits, workshops, courses, films, anything you could imagine. They're looking for volun- teers to help here and there. You get your biography published if your register by Dec. 3. Conference costs $420 and you can find out more at http://www.folk.org or by email to fa@folk.org.

--jg

Happy Birthday to: Shelley Ellen, Deborah Fields, Don Ganchrow, Chaim Gefen, Jane Gruman, Noaa Hildesheimer, Yael Landau, Fern Meiersdorf, Ben-Zion Rivkin, Nechama Silberman, Sue Tourkin-Komet, Dina Trachtman, Arlene Yaakov

Happy Anniversary to: Marc and Ora, Dena & Hadar Matmon

Mazal Tov to David Decklebaum on the birth of his first grandchild

Mazal Tov to Rahel Jaskow on winning the

the 2001 Just Plain Folks music awards in the ethnic music category for her CD Day of Rest.

Refuah Shlema to: Lynn Lewis after his surgery

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

**SHELLEY ELLEN - guitarlessons, also available for performances (03) 674-5356. **Jill Rogoff's THE CELTIC CRADLE and ACROSS THE NARROW SEAS (ALC 129) are available on cassette and CD. Tel/Fax (02) 679-0410.

** Voice and/or flute lessons. Call Marcie Schreier: (053) 834-174.

**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.

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 2001.

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FolkNotes Staff: Sherry Whetstone, Larry Gamliel, Carol Fuchs, Cecile Panzer