Variety, April 26, 2001: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> Eclectic all-star tribute to folk archivist </h3></center> | <center><h3> Eclectic all-star tribute to folk archivist </h3></center> | ||
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<center>Phil Gallo </center> | <center> Phil Gallo </center> | ||
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'''Hal Willner's Harry Smith Project <br>(Royce Hall, UCLA; 1,838 seats; $70 top)''' | '''Hal Willner's Harry Smith Project <br>(Royce Hall, UCLA; 1,838 seats; $70 top)''' | ||
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This was the third, and most likely the last, of producer Hal Willner's Smith extravaganzas (the first two were held in London and New York in 1999), and many of the performers put considerable thought into how to approach the murder ballads, hymns and blues that filled the evening. When all was said and done after five hours and 10 minutes, concert's historical importance far outweighed the actual performances. | This was the third, and most likely the last, of producer Hal Willner's Smith extravaganzas (the first two were held in London and New York in 1999), and many of the performers put considerable thought into how to approach the murder ballads, hymns and blues that filled the evening. When all was said and done after five hours and 10 minutes, concert's historical importance far outweighed the actual performances. | ||
Smith's ''Anthology'' was reissued in 1997 by Smithsonian/Folkways, and its importance was immediately reflected in its registering the top spot among reissues in the Village Voice's annual critics poll. To folkies, this is a holy grail, just as ''Nuggets'' is to 1960s garage rockers and the ''Complete Robert Johnson'' is to blues fans; a good 90% of the music performed appears on the compilation. | Smith's ''Anthology'' was reissued in 1997 by Smithsonian/<wbr>Folkways, and its importance was immediately reflected in its registering the top spot among reissues in the <i>Village Voice</i>'s annual critics poll. To folkies, this is a holy grail, just as ''Nuggets'' is to 1960s garage rockers and the ''Complete Robert Johnson'' is to blues fans; a good 90% of the music performed appears on the compilation. | ||
Smokey Hormel and Bill Frisell, the two guitarists who held together this behemoth with consistently interesting work, led a well-prepared band of horn-woodwind player Ralph Carney, D.J. Bonebrake on drums and alternating bassists Larry Taylor, Adam Dorn and Eric Mingus. Several of them have experience in the bands of Tom Waits, and it showed as they clanged and chugged their way through songs that, when many of us heard them on vinyl decades ago, sounded like recordings of static and scratches with music in the background. Fiddler Richard Greene, a bluegrass legend, was a furtive spark in much of this dark material, and his leading of a string quartet, with a wordlessly cooing female chorus, on Hoyt Ming's brilliant 1928 instrumental "Indian War Whoop" was a highlight. | Smokey Hormel and Bill Frisell, the two guitarists who held together this behemoth with consistently interesting work, led a well-prepared band of horn-woodwind player Ralph Carney, D.J. Bonebrake on drums and alternating bassists Larry Taylor, Adam Dorn and Eric Mingus. Several of them have experience in the bands of Tom Waits, and it showed as they clanged and chugged their way through songs that, when many of us heard them on vinyl decades ago, sounded like recordings of static and scratches with music in the background. Fiddler Richard Greene, a bluegrass legend, was a furtive spark in much of this dark material, and his leading of a string quartet, with a wordlessly cooing female chorus, on Hoyt Ming's brilliant 1928 instrumental "Indian War Whoop" was a highlight. | ||
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Beyond Marianne Faithfull, Bob Neuwirth and Glass, few artists put Smith or the music into context or even attempted to explain their personal connection to a number. Garth Hudson ended the evening at 1:15 a.m. with a rambling multi-genre'd jam on the Royce organ. A quite fitting conclusion. | Beyond Marianne Faithfull, Bob Neuwirth and Glass, few artists put Smith or the music into context or even attempted to explain their personal connection to a number. Garth Hudson ended the evening at 1:15 a.m. with a rambling multi-genre'd jam on the Royce organ. A quite fitting conclusion. | ||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} | ||
'''Presented by UCLA Performing Arts. | |||
'''Performers: Elvis Costello, Beck, Don Byron, Marianne Faithfull, Steve Earle, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Van Dyke Parks, Richard Thompson, Bob Neuwirth, Gavin Friday with Maurice Seezer, Philip Glass, David Johansen, David Thomas, Percy Heath, the Folksmen, Robin Holcomb, Todd Rundgren, Eric Mingus, Adam Dorn, Eliza Carthy, Daniel Lanois, Steve Young, Garth Hudson. Band: Bill Frisell, Smokey Hormel, Richard Greene, D. J. Bonebrake, Ralph Carney, Larry Taylor; music director, Hormel. | |||
'''Opened and reviewed April 25, 2001; closed April 26. | |||
{{Tags}}[[The Harry Smith Project]] {{-}} [[Harry Smith]] {{-}} [[Bill Frisell]] {{-}} [[Don Byron]] {{-}} [[Eliza Carthy]] {{-}} [[Steve Earle]] {{-}} [[Hal Willner]] {{-}} [[Kate & Anna McGarrigle]] {{-}} [[Tom Waits]] {{-}} {{-}} [[The Folksmen]] {{-}} [[Bob Neuwirth]] {{-}} [[Richard Thompson]] {{-}} [[Spinal Tap]] {{-}} [[Todd Rundgren]] {{-}} [[Don Byron]] {{-}} [[Henry Lee]] | {{Tags}}[[The Harry Smith Project]] {{-}} [[Harry Smith]] {{-}} [[Bill Frisell]] {{-}} [[Don Byron]] {{-}} [[Eliza Carthy]] {{-}} [[Steve Earle]] {{-}} [[Hal Willner]] {{-}} [[Kate & Anna McGarrigle]] {{-}} [[Tom Waits]] {{-}} {{-}} [[The Folksmen]] {{-}} [[Bob Neuwirth]] {{-}} [[Richard Thompson]] {{-}} [[Spinal Tap]] {{-}} [[Todd Rundgren]] {{-}} [[Don Byron]] {{-}} [[Henry Lee]] | ||
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'''Yahoo, April 27, 2001 | '''Yahoo, April 27, 2001 | ||
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[[Phil Gallo]] reviews Elvis Costello with Kate & Anna McGarrigle | [[Phil Gallo]] reviews the Harry Smith Project, including Elvis Costello with [[Kate McGarrigle|Kate]] & [[Anna McGarrigle]], Wednesday, [[Concert 2001-04-25 Los Angeles|April 25, 2001]] at Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles. | ||
{{Bibliography no images}} | {{Bibliography no images}} | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[https://www.yahoo.com Yahoo.com] | *[https://www.yahoo.com Yahoo.com] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yahoo 2001-04-27}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Yahoo 2001-04-27}} | ||
[[Category:Bibliography]] | |||
[[Category:Bibliography 2001]] | [[Category:Bibliography 2001]] | ||
[[Category:Yahoo| Yahoo 2001-04-27]] | [[Category:Yahoo| Yahoo 2001-04-27]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Online articles]] | ||
[[Category:2001 concert reviews]] | [[Category:2001 concert reviews]] |
Revision as of 07:12, 2 March 2021
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