These reviews by Fred Koch appeared in the May, 1998 issue of “Chicago Parent Magazine.” Reviewed in this column:
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One of the benefits of modern recording technology is that some classic children's music recordings that recently were unavailable are being repackaged and reissued on compact disc. Listening to these recordings, I realize that the great folk and ethnic songs that appealed to previous generations of children are still fresh and compelling to today's kids. A new release which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of Folkways Records, and at the same time documents a big chunk of children's music before the Raffi era, is the Smithsonian Folkways Children's Music Collection (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1998). This is an incredible assortment of 26 songs, games and poems performed by various artists, from the Smithsonian's archive of over 200 recordings for children. It features the original recordings of such classics as the 1951 version of "Riding In My Car," written and performed with childlike charm by Woody Guthrie, "All Around The Kitchen" and "I Had A Rooster," sung by Pete Seeger, and Lead Belly's 1942 recording of "Ha-Ha This-A-Way," and "Mary Mack" from the historic 1966 Ella Jenkins recording You'll Sing A Song, I'll Sing A Song. Other outstanding selections include Langston Hughes reading his poems "Youth" and "Dreams," and a very danceable Calypso version of "Merrily We Roll Along" by Lord Invader. You'll also find a diverse selection of African, Latin American, rural American, Native American, French and Jewish songs and poems. The accompanying booklet is as impressive, too. In the introduction, Anthony Seeger (curator and director at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) tells us that Moses Asch, the founder of Folkways Records, "thought children should be exposed to good, authentic music from many different musicians and many cultural backgrounds." Asch's first children's record was by Lead Belly, an African-American musician. He asked popular artists such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Cisco Houston to produce children's recordings. "Asch also encouraged young performers to make a career out of making music with and for children, among them Ella Jenkins, one of the most important children's musicians of the century," Seeger says. Every song in this marvelous collection is accompanied by the complete lyrics, original album title, record number, year it was recorded and information about how to order the complete recording. (When Smithsonian acquired the Folkways Records catalogue, they agreed to keep all of their recordings available to preserve the sounds and genius of the artists for future generations.) You can also visit the website (www.si.edu/folkways) for more information about recordings distributed through the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife Programs & Cultural Studies. Check it out. With a searchable database of approximately 35,000 tracks from more than 2,300 recordings, it's pretty amazing. Go Back to Top Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Fishes (Little and Big) by Pete Seeger (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 1998), is another reissue celebrating Folkways' 50th anniversary. It combines two previously released albums: Birds, Beast, Bugs and Little Fishes, for young children, and Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Bigger Fishes, for older ones. Favorites of mine from this 28-song/story collection include "Frog Went A-Courting," "Mister Rabbit," "Mole In The Ground," "Old Paint," "The Fox," "Bear Hunt" and the charming story of "The Foolish Frog." Seeger is a folk music icon who has always stood out as an irresistible children's entertainer. Originally released in 1955, when his three children were under the age of ten, these stories and songs have truly stood the test of time--they continue to delight and captivate to this day. Many of these songs were originally transcribed from Library of Congress field recordings by Pete Seeger's stepmother, Ruth Crawford Seeger, and published in her books, American Folk Songs for Children (Doubleday) and American Animal Songs for Children (Linnet Books). Together the Seegers have educated a generation on the importance of preserving cultural heritage by passing down stories and songs. Go Back to Top Through their Family Heritage Series, Sony Wonder (www.sony.com), the children's music division of Sony Music, also is remastering and repackaging archival children's recordings. Sony's Pete Seeger reissue, For Kids And Just Plain Folks (Sony Wonder, 1997), is a varied and rich, 14-song anthology including Woody Guthrie's "Put Your Finger In The Air" and "This Land Is Your Land" as well as Pete Seeger's "If I Had A Hammer" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Other noteworthy performances include "Michael Row The Boat Ashore," "Be Kind To Your Parents" (from Broadway tunesmith Harold Rome) and the Civil Rights anthem, "If You Miss Me From The Back Of The Bus." (Seeger sang this while marching with his friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) Go Back to Top I'm also enjoying Burl Ives' A Twinkle in Your Eye (Sony Wonder, 1997), another Family Heritage Series release. It includes traditional children's songs like "Mr. Froggie Went A-Courtin'" and "Mr. Rabbit," that are found on other reissues. But it also features memorable Ives tunes such as "The Lollipop Tree" and "The Little Engine That Could." The only song that is missing is my childhood favorite, "Little White Duck." Despite that omission, hearing Ives' distinctive and soothing voice singing classic children's songs, backed up by real musicians playing real instruments (not synthesizer sounds or computer-based music), makes for an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Go Back to Top If cowboy western songs are what you long for, you'll probably enjoy another Family Heritage Series release, Always Your Pal, Gene Autry (Sony Wonder, 1997). On this 16-song collection, Autry sings classics like "Back In The Saddle Again," "On Top Of Old Smokey," "Rusty The Rocking Horse," "The Old Chisholm Trail" and "Clementine." In this era when we're constantly bombarded with new products, it is refreshing to revisit artists who created meaningful music for children long before children's music emerged as a market niche. Enjoy these recordings as you journey back to a simpler time when we didn't rely so heavily on music technology and when singing with family and friends was the norm. Go Back to Top And don't forget to keep in touch and to make recommendations about children's music and/or artists you think I should know more about. Write to me in care of Chicago Parent or e-mail me directly (fkoch@lfelem.lfc.edu). Go Back to Top |
