Album Notes

The Bluestein Family is a real family who grew up singing and playing music together. The late American Studies professor, Gene Bluestein with his four children Joel, Evo, Jemmy and Frayda recorded numerous albums in the 1970s and 80s. They also performed around the United States and in other countries.

This collection is a retrospective look at recordings by The Bluestein Family band and other musical combinations by its members. It starts by sampling Evo and Jemmy’s Roundtown Boys Oldtime Stringband lp “Deadheads and Suckers” (1978) and continues with cuts from six Bluestein Family lps, two solo lps by Evo, a duet album by Evo and Jemmy, and a cut by their zydeco band, Bad Boys Zydeco. Special guests include step dancer Ira Bernstein, Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa and mandolinist Kenny Hall.

The cd features full family harmony singing on traditional American folk songs (Let the Dove Come In, Only A Miner, Don’t You Hear the Bells A-Ringin’?) and classic renditions of works by important composers such as Jean Ritchie (Cool of The Day), Malvina Reynolds (We Don’t Need the Men), and Richard Thompson (Strange Affair). Pete Seeger lauded Frayda’s rendition of Bread and Roses in the Labor song book Carry It On. Also included are two selections that were originally on the Bluestein Family Jewish folk album Where Does Love Come From? (Paper Is White and Dee Grine Cousine).

Contact the artist for the dvd concert tribute to Gene Bluestein by The Bluestein Family.