Holly Near, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Gilbert & Pete Seeger
HARP - A Time to Sing!
Four icons of modern folk and topical musical unite on 2-CD live set newly remastered and expanded from 13 to 26 songs.
Four of the giants of folk music and sociopolitical activism - Holly Near, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Gilbert, and Pete Seeger - assembled in 1984 for a handful of concerts that were recorded and released as a 13-song album called "HARP" (an acronym of the first letters of each musician's first name) on Near's Redwood Records in 1985. Near's recent discovery of a trove of unreleased songs from these performances has led to this expanded and remastered 26-song, 2-CD reissue, now subtitled "A Time to Sing!"
Former Weavers Seeger and Gilbert, the irrepressible Guthrie, and Near had previously played together in various configurations, but never as a quartet, so there is much unique musical and personal interaction captured here. Each musician brought original, traditional, or contemporary songs to perform, which led to an entrancing program of folk favorites. The repertoire includes old favorites such as "Wimoweh," "Guantanamera," "Twelve Gates to the City" and "The Water is Wide," cover tunes ranging from Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" (with riotous deadpan commentary by Arlo) to Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" to Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," and trademark originals by Near ("Singing for Our Lives, " "Emma," "Singing with You") and Guthrie ("You and Me," "All Over the World," and the hilarious "Oh Mom").
Political and social commentary are the underlying texts in many of these songs, recorded amidst the havoc of the Reagan administration. "These were very intense times," remembers Holly. "There were wars raging all over the world. The women's movement was reeling from the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment. AIDS was new and frightening. The gay rights movement was in full force. Here are four singers, different styles, different generations, same tradition. This [CD] is live and raw and real. And when I think about how spontaneous this recording is, I am impressed by the skill of this quartet. These are people who know how to sing and what to sing about."
With primary instrumental support by Pete, Arlo, and pianist/composer/arranger Jeff Langley, the four voices can be heard in varying combinations, sometimes uniting in a multi-generational rainbow of brilliant harmony. It was a time to sing and to sing out, captured for the ages on this invigorating and historic release.
Bios:
Holly Near has been a trailblazer in progressive music for the last three decades. Entering the field of topical and personal songwriting in the early '70s after an initial career as an actress, Holly's songs about war, feminism, world affairs, and people's complex everyday lives are accompanied by music that touches on folk, rock and musical theater. Following her work opposing the Vietnam War, Holly launched her own record label, Redwood, with the release of her first of more than 20 albums, "Hang In There." After Redwood Records closed its doors in the early '90s, Holly soon started another label, Calico Tracks. She has been honored by many awards from political and feminist organizations.
Arlo Guthrie is, of course, the son of the legendary topical folksinger and songwriter Woody Guthrie. Embraced by the Baby Boomer for his marathon anti-war talking blues, "Alice's Restaurant (Massacree)," Arlo became a hip household name for his starring role in the movie based on that song and for his 1969 appearance at the Woodstock Festival (and subsequent film). His version of Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" has become a radio standard. Maintaining an international following through tours, his eclectic songbag, and the dry wit of his storytelling, Arlo's other activities have included television acting roles, authoring an award-winning children's book, founding the Rising Son record label, and overseeing the Guthrie Center and Guthrie Foundation
Ronnie Gilbert joined with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Fred Hellerman in the early '50s to form the politically conscious Weavers, soon to be blacklisted during the hysteria of the McCarthy era. In the '60s, Ronnie became a solo singer and an active member of an experimental anti-war theater company. After recording several albums and appearing in plays on and off Broadway, she worked as a psychotherapist for several years before returning to theatrical work. A friendship and musical partnership with Holly Near resulted in two collaborative records and a solo album on Redwood during the '80s. Ronnie has since started her own label, Abbe Alice Music. As a playwright and lyricist, she wrote a one-woman play based on the life of
legendary American labor activist Mary "Mother" Jones, and another inspired by Studs Terkel's book, "Coming of Age."
Ronnie is presently at work on her memoirs.
Pete Seeger is a worldwide spokesperson for the power of folk music as a social and political force. As a member of the Weavers, a solo artist, and inveterate musical collaborator, Pete has written, adapted and sung songs that have brought the spirit of humanity, activism, humor and hope to all corners of the globe for the past half-century as the unassuming conscience of the anti-war, anti-death penalty, pro-civil rights and pro-environmental movements. Despite a lengthy blacklist that followed him for many years after his Weavers career, Pete has received the Presidential Medal of the Arts, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His achievements in music and activism have been recognized by many of the greats of the folk, singer-songwriter, folk and blues world through their performances on three Seeger tribute CDs released by the Appleseed label since 1998.
Folk: Political