Lowell folk fest
Deborah Clover
I've misplaced my info on the Lowell, MA folk fest. Can anyone give me the
details (like dates, etc) or tell me how to get in touch with the
organizers?
Thanks.
Deb Clover
Ithaca, NY
Tom Nelligan
In <Pine.SUN.3.95.970603...@light.lightlink.com>
Deborah Clover <dcl...@light.lightlink.com> writes:
>
>I've misplaced my info on the Lowell, MA folk fest. Can anyone give me
>the details (like dates, etc) or tell me how to get in touch with the
>organizers?
Dates for the 1997 Lowell Folk Festival are July 25th through 27th. The
contact phone number is (508) 970-5000. I wish I had a complete
performer list to post as well, but I don't have one handy. Among those
appearing will be Gino Delafose, Sol y Canto, and the Blind Boys of
Alabama. I will put in a plug, though: it's consistently one of the
best festivals of multi-ethnic roots music you'll find on this
continent!
--Tom Nelligan
Nate Goldshlag
In article <Pine.SUN.3.95.970603...@light.lightlink.com>,
Deborah Clover <dcl...@light.lightlink.com> wrote:
> I've misplaced my info on the Lowell, MA folk fest. Can anyone give me the
> details (like dates, etc) or tell me how to get in touch with the
> organizers?
The amazing Lowell Folk Festival is July 25-27. The web site is
http://www.nps.gov/lowe/FolkFestival/about.html
but is a little disorganized. At the site
http://www.nps.gov/lowe/FolkFestival/profiles97.html
you can find info on the performers. I have copied that info here:
******************************************************************
1997 Lowell Folk Festival Performer Profiles
The Blind Boys of Alabama
Don Walser
BR5-49
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie
The Lynn Morris Band
Sol Y Canto
Samba Ngo
The Edwin Johnson Family Fiddlers
Howard Armstrong
Shir Delite
The Raga and Rhythm Ensemble
Joe and Antoinette McKenna
Jessie Smith and Colm Gannon
Henny and the Versa J's
Les Freres Brunet, Réjean and André
Groupo Pilon Cola
The Copley Ceili Band
Rancho Folklorico de Hartford
Preacher Jack
The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama featuring Clarence Fountain have been at the
forefront of gospel music for over 60 years. Fountain co-founded the
group while at the Talladega, Alabama Institute for the Blind and Deaf
in 1937. The past decade has been the most successful ever for the
group, who appeared in the Obie award-winning Broadway show, The Gospel
at Colonus, and received a Heritage Fellowship award from the National
Endowment for the Arts.
Don Walser
Don Walser has been singing classic country music since he was in his
teens. Now, at sixty, he is achieving recognition as one of the finest
singers in the idiom. With his group, the Pure Texas Band, Don is
getting lots of airplay and touring the world as a roving ambassador for
Texas music. He's been featured on National Public Radio and was part of
the American Roots Fourth of July nationwide broadcast from the
Washington Monument grounds.
BR5-49
BR5-49 is the hottest band to come out of Nashville in many years. The
group plays a mix of country classics and original tunes with an
intensity, drive and sense of humor that are rare in the business. Oh,
yes, the group takes its name from Junior Samples' used car
advertisement spiel on Hee Haw.
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie is a Zydeco band from the Cajun
country of Southwest Louisiana. Although he's only 24 years old, Geno is
a seasoned music veteran, with over 16 years of touring and playing
experience under his belt. He's the son of the late master accordionist
John Delafose.
The Lynn Morris Band
The Lynn Morris Band is one of the most respected groups in bluegrass,
having garnered a huge following in recent years. Led by singer,
guitarist and clawhammer banjo player Morris, the band won several
awards this year, including "Song of the Year " for Morris' rendition of
Mama's Hands.
Sol Y Canto
Sol Y Canto, winners of Boston Magazine's 1996 Best of Boston award
serves up a delicious and constantly changing feast of Latin/Caribbean
music. Led by Rosi and Brian Amador, two of the founding members of the
noted band Flor de Caño, Sol Y Canto's music features a wide variety of
Latin American and Caribbean dance and song rhythms and genres. The
group's repertoire includes both traditional songs and original
compositions by group members and friends.
Samba Ngo
Samba Ngo, a native of Zaire, is a composer, singer, guitarist,
percussionist and player of the likembe (thumb piano). Now based in
California, Samba Ngo will appear with his group, The Ngoma Players, who
specialize in the richly textured, highly danceable, central African
music known as soukous.
The Edwin Johnson Family Fiddlers
The Edwin Johnson Family Fiddlers, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, features
master fiddler Paul Dahlin, 1996 NEA Heritage Fellowship winner for his
contributions to Swedish-American music. Paul often returns to Sweden to
play in his ancestral province of Dalarna and to teach the tunes he
plays which have been preserved only in his family. Paul learned to play
from his grandfather, Edwin Johnson, who brought this music with him
when he immigrated to Minnesota in 1924 from the province of Dalarna.
Howard Armstrong
Howard Armstrong, at 88 years young, has had a musical career that spans
seven decades. A native of Tennessee, Howard started out playing string
band music and blues, moved on to Chicago where with his group Martin
Bogan and Armstrong, spend decades playing before being "rediscovered"
in the early 70s. Howard has recently moved to the Boston area and
continues to delight audiences with his bluesey fiddle, wonderful
repertoire and sharp wit.
Shir Delite
Shir Delite is a klezmer (Jewish) ensemble from the Washington, D.C.
area which plays the music brought to this country from Eastern Europe
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The group travels all over
the East Coast, playing concerts, weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and
teaching and leading Israeli folk dances.
The Raga and Rhythm Ensemble
The Raga and Rhythm Ensemble is the creation of Dr. Krishna Raghavendra,
who runs the Ragha School of Music in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Dr.
Raghavendra is also affiliated with the Karnataka College of Percussion
in Bangalore, India and is working on bringing several Indian master
musicians to the U.S. this summer, which marks the fiftieth anniversary
of Indian Independence.
Joe and Antoinette McKenna
Joe and Antoinette McKenna are Irish musicians of extraordinary skill
and grace, coming to the States to perform at the Lowell Folk Festival
after an absence of many years. Joe is a master of the uillean pipes
while Antoinette plays the Irish harp. They will be joined by
Antoinette's sister, Mary Bergen, on tin whistle.
Jessie Smith and Colm Gannon
Jessie Smith and Colm Gannon are two of the best of a new generation of
Irish-American musicians emerging from a remarkable renaissance of
traditional Irish music and dance. Jessie, the son of noted pianist
Donna Long, learned to fiddle from master player Brendan Mulvihill.
Colm, who plays accordion, is part of the thriving Boston Irish scene.
They will be joined by champion step dancers.
Henny and the Versa J's
Henny and the Versa J's are a noted Polish polka band from McKeesport,
Pennsylvania. The group has always been a family band, representing
several generations including 12 year old violinist Ryan Ogrodney, who
has been playing with the group since he was six. His mother Dee-Dee has
been voted Favorite Female Vocalist for the past five years by the
International Polka Association.
Les Freres Brunet, Réjean and André
Les Freres Brunet, Réjean and André, are brilliant young French-Canadian
multi-instrumentalists from the province of Quebec. Réjean plays piano,
accordion and bass, while André plays violin, guitar and piano. Both
brothers are vocalists and beat out a foot rhythm while playing, a
hallmark of Québécois music. Although only in their early 20s, the
Brunets already have three recordings to their credit. They will be
appearing at the festival on Saturday, July 26.
Groupo Pilon Cola
Groupo Pilon Cola are immigrants from the Cape Verdean island of Fogo,
who have brought their music and traditions with them to their new
communities of Roxbury and Dorcester. The group will be leading parades
at the festival and performing at Faneuil Hall in Boston, as they do in
their community on Colas (Saints' Days) and Carnival.
The Copley Ceili Band
The Copley Ceili Band is an all-star assemblage of musicians who play
for contra dances in the region. With caller Tony Parkes they will hold
forth on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the Festival for a public
dance in the Market Mills Courtyard.
Rancho Folklorico de Hartford
Rancho Folklorico de Hartford is a group of Portuguese-Americans
dedicated to preserving their traditions in their new home. The group
consists of musicians, dancers, and singers from the Hartford Portuguese
community who get together regularly to socialize, dance, and make
music. They will be appearing at the festival on Sunday, July 27.
Preacher Jack
Preacher Jack has been passionate about music since his days growing up
in Malden, Massachusetts. Over the past thirty years, he has played
regularly in clubs around Boston and today, is a house specialty at
Frank's Steak House is Cambridge, Massachusetts. Every Thursday and
Friday night Preacher Jack delights fans with his zealous brand of
finger-flying piano flowing effortlessly from gospel to rockabilly to
boogie-woogie to rock `n' roll.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Lowell National Historical Park, 67 Kirk
Street, Lowell, MA 01852-1029, telephone: (508) 970-5000 (V/TDD).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information: Contact Lowell National Historical Park.
Last modified: April 18, 1997
Send any comments about this web page to the following address:
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Copyright © 1997 Lowell National Historical Park
*********************************************************************
Hope to see all of you there!
Nate
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nate Goldshlag "People ask me why I don't get fat
na...@reflection.com it's cause I like to dance like that.
http://www.ziplink.net/~nateg I eat as much as I can hold
Cambridge, MA and go out and do the zydeco."
-- Marcia Ball