Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – August 19, 2025: The Original Sloth Band at 60

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/71585.html

Theme: The Original Sloth Band at 60.

The Original Sloth Band – teenaged brothers Chris Whiteley and Ken Whiteley and their friend Tom Evans – played their first gig in 1965. Their band name for that gig was Tubby Fats Original Allstar Downtown Syncopated Big Rock Jug Band but they soon evolved into the Original Sloth Band. Sadly, Tom Evans passed away from cancer in 2009, but, in June, Chris and Ken with some guest musicians played a concert at Hugh’s Room in Toronto to mark the milestone anniversary.

Original Sloth Band- The New Heartbreak Blues

Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

Samoa Wilson with The Jim Kweskin Band- (I Just Want to Be) Horizontal

I Just Want to Be Horizontal (Kingswood)

Tony Rice- Temperance Reel

Tony Rice (Rounder)

Jeff Healey- Sheik of Araby

The Best of the Stony Plain Years: Vintage Jazz, Swing and Blues (Stony Plain)

Amos Milburn- Johnson Rag

Rockin’ and Drinkin’: Greatest Hits and More 1946-1959 (Jasmine)

Original Sloth Band- Heaven

Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

The Dumptrucks- Stealin’

Selections (Laughing Cactus)

Original Sloth Band- I’m a Vulture (for Horticulture)

Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

Leon Redbone- Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone

Champagne Charlie (Warner Bros.)

Jenny Whiteley- Things are Coming My Way

The Original Jenny Whiteley (Black Hen Music)

Jay McShann- Sunny Side of the Street

Still Jumpin’ the Blues (Stony Plain)

Mose Scarlett- How Long Blues

The Fundamental Things (Pyramid)

Original Sloth Band- Get a Job 

Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

Maria Muldaur- Organ Grinder Blues

One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (NOLA Blues)

Duke Ellington & Ivie Anderson- Get Yourself a New Broom (and Sweep the Blues Away)

Ellington in Order, Volume 5 (1932-33) (Legacy)

Duke Ellington & The Mills Brothers- Diga Diga Do

Ellington in Order, Volume 5 (1932-33) (Legacy)

Jimmy Bracken's Toe Ticklers- It’s Tight Like That

Jack Teagarden: The Definitive Collection (Master Tape)

Original Sloth Band- Shout Baby Shout

Hustlin’ & Bustlin’ (Woodshed)

The Boswell Sisters- Cheek to Cheek

Cheek to Cheek (Classic)

The Central Park Sheiks- Honeysuckle Rose

Honeysuckle Rose (Flying Fish)

Bessie Smith- Gimme a Pigfoot (and a Bottle of Beer)

Bessie Smith: The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection (Big3)

Carolina Chocolate Drops- Memphis Shakedown

Carolina Chocolate Drops & Joe Thompson (Music Makers Recordings)

Original Sloth Band- Hustlin’ and Bustlin’ for Baby

Hustlin’ & Bustlin’ (Woodshed)

Ken Whiteley- Fast Freight Train

Unseen Hands: 12 Songs 12 Strings (Ken Whiteley)

Chris Whiteley- I’ve Got to Split

It’s the Natural Thing to Do (Electro-Fi)

Next week: Songs for August and Highway 61 Revisited – Revisited.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – April 8, 2025: A Tribute to Doc Watson

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/69695.html

Theme: A Tribute to Doc Watson (1923-2012).

Doc Watson was one of the most influential guitarists and singers of folk and related musical styles of all time. Blind since infancy, Doc was from Deep Gap, North Carolina and began his professional career playing electric guitar in a country and western band in the early 1950s. Doc had a deep repertoire of traditional folk songs and by the 1960s was performing folk music on acoustic guitar and banjo. Doc died in 2012 at age 89.

Doc & Merle Watson- Brown’s Ferry Blues

Doc Watson On Stage (Vanguard)

Doc & Merle Watson- Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down

Doc Watson On Stage (Vanguard)

Bill Garrett- Winters Night

Seems to Me (Borealis)

Jody Stecher- Way Downtown

Going Up On the Mountain (Acoustic Disc)

Michael Jerome Browne- The Coo Coo

Michael Jerome Browne & The Twin Rivers String Band (Borealis)

Si Kahn- To Hear Doc Watson Play

Thanksgiving (Strictly Country)

Doc Watson- Deep River Blues

Doc Watson (Vanguard)

Jean Ritchie & Doc Watson- Go Dig My Grave

Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson At Folk City (Smithsonian Folkways)

Doc & Merle Watson- Freight Train Boogie

Elementary Doctor Watson (Tomato)

Mitch Greenhill & Mayne Smith- Freight Train Blues

Storm Coming (Folklore Productions)

Maria Muldaur with Doc & Merle Watson- Honey Babe Blues

Waitress in a Donut Shop (Reprise)

Ian & Sylvia- Handsome Molly

Ian & Sylvia (Vanguard)

Tom Paxton- Leaving London

The Compleat Tom Paxton (Even Compleater) (Rhino Handmade)

Doc & Richard Watson- St. James Infirmary

Third Generation Blues (Sugar Hill)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle- St. James Hospital

Heartbeats Accelerating (Private)

Paul Mills- Doc’s Guitar

The Other Side of the Glass (Borealis) 

Peter Rowan- Doc Watson Morning

The Old School (Compass)

Rory Block & Lee Berg- Your Long Journey

Woodstock Mountains: More Music from Mud Acres (Rounder)

Doc & Merle Watson- I’m a Stranger Here

Sittin’ Here Pickin’ the Blues (Rounder)

Happy Traum- Willie Moore

Relax Your Mind (Kicking Mule)

Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer- Shady Grove

Voice on the Wind (Rounder)

Jim Ringer- Sittin’ On Top of the World

Any Old Wind That Blows (Philo)

Laurie Lewis & Kathy Kallick- Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar

Together (Rounder)

Doc & Merle Watson- Along the Road

Watson Country (Flying Fish)

Doc & Merle Watson- Snowbird

Two Days in November (Poppy)

Doc & Merle Watson- Down Yonder

Songs Doc Didn’t Sing (FLI)

Next week: “All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir.”

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – April 2, 2024: The Musical Adventures of Jim, Geoff & Maria

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/64607.html

Theme: The Musical Adventures of Jim, Geoff & Maria.

Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur & Jim Kweskin (1964) photo: Joe Alper

Geoff Muldaur and Maria Muldaur were both members of Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band in the 1960s – the pre-eminent jug band of the ‘60s folk revival – and this show will explore a few of the many directions that Jim, Geoff and Maria have taken over the past 60-plus years – including numerous collaborations with each other.

Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band- Jug Band Music

Jug Band Music (Vanguard)

Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band- Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me

Jug Band Music (Vanguard)

Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band- Wild About My Lovin’

Unblushing Brassiness (Vanguard)

Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band- Richland Woman

See Reverse Side for Title (Vanguard)

The Even Dozen Jug Band- Come On In

The Even Dozen Jug Band (Elektra)

Geoff Muldaur- Jelly Roll Baker

Sleepy Man Blues (Prestige)

Jim Kweskin- Make Me a Pallet On Your Floor

Relax Your Mind (Vanguard)

Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band- Chevrolet

See Reverse Side for Title (Vanguard)

Geoff & Maria Muldaur- Brazil

Pottery Pie (Omnivore)

Geoff & Maria Muldaur- Georgia On My Mind

Pottery Pie (Omnivore)

Paul Butterfield’s Better Days- Rule the Road

Paul Butterfield’s Better Days (Rhino/Bearsville)

Jim Kweskin- Sugar Babe

Jim Kweskin’s America (Reprise)

Maria Muldaur- Midnight at the Oasis

Maria Muldaur (Reprise)

Geoff Muldaur- Livin’ in the Sunlight (Lovin’ in the Moonlight)

Geoff Muldaur is Having a Wonderful Time (Reprise)

Jim Kweskin & The Neo-Passé Jazz Band- Jazzbo Brown

Jump for Joy (Vanguard)

Geoff Muldaur's Futuristic Ensemble- Futuristic Rhythm

Private Astronomy: A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke (Edge Music)

Maria Muldaur- He Ain’t Got Rhythm

Let’s Get Happy Together (Stony Plain)

Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur- Sweet to Mama

Penny’s Farm (Kingswood)

Jim Kweskin & Maria Muldaur- Let’s Get Happy Together

Never Too Late: Duets with My Friends (StorySound)

Geoff Muldaur's Futuristic Ensemble & Martha Wainwright- There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth the Salt of My Tears

Private Astronomy: A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke (Edge Music)

Jay McShann & Maria Muldaur- Confessin’ the Blues

Goin’ to Kansas City (Stony Plain)

Jim Kweskin & Samoa Wilson- Remember Me

Never Too Late: Duets with My Friends (StorySound)

John Sebastian & The J-Band & Geoff Muldaur- Minglewood Blues

Chasin’ Gus’ Ghost (Hollywood)

Jim Kweskin & Fiona Kweskin- Side by Side

Never Too Late: Duets with My Friends (StorySound)

Next week: Songs I’ve Heard Tom Rush Sing.

--Mike Regenstreif

 

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday June 27, 2023: Songs of Bruce Cockburn

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web. 

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/60977.html

Theme: Songs of Bruce Cockburn.

The show features songs from Bruce Cockburn’s new album, O Sun O Moon, and versions of some of his songs by other artists.

Mike Regenstreif & Bruce Cockburn (2017)

Bruce Cockburn- On a Roll

O Sun O Moon (True North)

3's a Crowd- Bird Without Wings

Christopher’s Movie Matinee (Dunhill)

Tom Rush- One Day I Walk

Ladies Love Outlaws (Columbia)

Teresa Ennis- Going to the Country

Space (BeaverBank Empire)

Claire Lynch- All the Diamonds in the World

North By South (Compass)

Claudia Schmidt combines Bruce Cockburn’s song, “For the Birds,” with her poem, “Replenish.”

Claudia Schmidt- For the Birds/Replenish

Reimagining (Claudia Schmidt)

Bruce Cockburn- When You Arrive

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Canadian Brass- 13th Mountain

Canadiana (Linus/Canadian Brass)

Bruce Cockburn- To Keep the World We Know

O Sun O Moon (True North)

ES:MO (Elizabeth Shepherd & Michael Occhipinti)- Lovers is a Dangerous Time

The Weight of Hope (ES:MO)

David Wiffen- Up on the Hillside

Coast to Coast Fever (EMI)

Colin Linden- Anything, Anytime, Anywhere

Raised By Wolves (True North)

Bruce Cockburn- Colin Went Down to the Water

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Grace Griffith- Wondering Where the Lions Are

Minstrel Song (Blix Street)

Salamander Crossing- Child of the Wind

Henry Street – A Retrospective (Signature Sounds)

Special Consensus- Mighty Trucks of Midnight

Great Blue North (Compass)

The Squirrel Hillbillies Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse All Night Long

Rhizomes (The Squirrel Hillbillies)

Bruce Cockburn- Into the Now

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Judy Collins- Pacing the Cage

Portrait of an American Girl (Wildflower)

Maria Muldaur- Southland of the Heart

Southland of the Heart (Telarc)

Christine Collister- The Whole Night Sky

The Dark Gift of Time (Koch)

Bruce Cockburn- O Sun By Day O Moon By Night

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Bruce Cockburn- Haiku

O Sun O Moon (True North)

Next week: Songs and Conversation with Sneezy Waters.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday February 21, 2023: Remembering Dr. John on Mardi Gras Day

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/59458.html

Theme: Remembering Dr. John (1941-2019) on Mardi Gras Day.

Mac Rebennack – whose stage name was Dr. John, and who died in 2019 at age 77 – was a New Orleans musical legend who drew on traditional jazz, blues, folk music, rock ‘n’ roll and even classical motifs, all with a distinctly New Orleans influence, in his music. Dr. John performed a lot of Mardi Gras music over the years, so it seems appropriate that we honor his legacy on Mardi Gras Day.

Dr. John with The Neville Brothers- Litanie des Saints

Goin’ Back to New Orleans (Warner Bros.)

Dr. John- Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya

Gris-Gris (Atco)

Paul Asbell- Such a Night

Steel String Americana (Busy Hands)

Deacon Jones with Dr. John- I Didn’t Want to Do It

Deacon John’s Jump Blues (Vetter Communications)

Odetta with Dr. John- Oh Papa

Blues Everywhere I Go (M.C.)

Odetta & Dr. John- Please Send Me Someone to Love

Blues Everywhere I Go (M.C.)

Dr. John- Didn’t He Ramble

Goin’ Back to New Orleans (Warner Bros.)

Dr. John & The WDR Big Band- My Indian Red

Big Band Voodoo (Orange Music)

Dee Dee Bridgewater & Dr. John with Irvin Mayfield & The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra- Big Chief

Dee Dee’s Feathers (Okeh)

The Wild Magnolias- All on a Mardi Gras Day

Life is a Carnival (Metro Blue)

Dr. John- Iko Iko

Dr. John’s Gumbo (Atco)

Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Dr. John- Winin’ Boy Blues

Preservation (Preservation Hall)

Dr. John & Danny Barker- I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say

Goin’ Back to New Orleans (Warner Bros.)

Dr. John- Milneburg Joys

Goin’ Back to New Orleans (Warner Bros.)  

Maria Muldaur & Dr. John- Layin’ Right Here in Heaven

Louisiana Love Call (Black Top)

Irma Thomas with Dr. John- Be You

Simply Grand (Rounder)

Dr. John & Rickie Lee Jones- Makin’ Whooppee!

In a Sentimental Mood (Warner Bros.)

Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Dr. John- It’s All Over Now

Voodoo (Columbia)

Dr. John with Chris Barber’s Jazz and Blues Band- Right Place Wrong Time

Live from London (The Store for Music)

Dr. John with The Neville Brothers, Al Hirt & Pete Fountain- Goin’ Back to New Orleans

Goin’ Back to New Orleans (Warner Bros.)

Next week: A Tribute to Josh White.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday February 7, 2023: Songs Mississippi John Hurt Sang for the Library of Congress

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at …  https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/59321.html

Theme: Songs Mississippi John Hurt Sang for the Library of Congress.

Mississippi John Hurt, who died in 1966 at age 73, was one of the most influential and important of the African American blues artists and songsters rediscovered in the 1960s. The songs on this program – some of which were written by Mississippi John Hurt – were all sung and recorded by him for the Library of Congress in 1963.

Mississippi John Hurt- See See Rider

Mr. Hurt Goes to Washington (Sunset Blvd.)

Bruce Cockburn- My Hometown Avalon (Avalon Blues)

Rarities (True North)

Michael Jerome Browne & Mike Regenstreif (2005)

Michael Jerome Browne- Sliding Delta

Sliding Delta (Borealis)

Maria Muldaur with John Sebastian- Richland Woman Blues

Richland Woman Blues (Stony Plain)

Mississippi John Hurt- Coffee Blues

Mr. Hurt Goes to Washington (Sunset Blvd.)

Doc & Merle Watson- Corrina, Corrina

Then and Now (Tomato)

Mississippi John Hurt- Stack O’Lee

Mr. Hurt Goes to Washington (Sunset Blvd.)

Rhiannon Giddens- The Angels Laid Him Away (Louis Collins)

Freedom Highway (Nonesuch)

“Philadelphia” Jerry Ricks- Keep On Knocking

Many Miles of Blues (Rooster Blues)

Tim Williams- Pallet on the Floor

Evenings Among Friends (Cayuse)

Mississippi John Hurt- Trouble I’ve Hall All My Day

Mr. Hurt Goes to Washington (Sunset Blvd.)

Dave Van Ronk- Spike Driver Blues

Down in Washington Square (Smithsonian Folkways)

Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur- Frankie

Penny’s Farm (Kingswood)

David Essig & Mike Regenstreif (2014)

David Essig- Candy Man

Redbird Country & High Ground (Appaloosa)

Mississippi John Hurt- Got the Blues That Can’t Be Satisfied

Mr. Hurt Goes to Washington (Sunset Blvd.)

Rosalie Sorrels- I’m Satisfied

Miscellaneous Abstract Record No. 1 (Green Linnet)

Martin Grosswendt- Pay Day

Pay Day! (Martin Grosswendt)

Peter Keane- Nobody’s Dirty Business

Rural Electrification (Peter Keane)

Mississippi John Hurt- Funky Butt

Mr. Hurt Goes to Washington (Sunset Blvd.)

Happy Traum- Monday Morning Blues

Bright Morning Stars (Lark’s Nest Music)

Andy Cohen- Talkin’ Casey

Tryin’ to Get Home (Earwig)

Eve Goldberg & Mike Regenstreif (2013)

Eve Goldberg- My Creole Belle

Ever Brightening Day (Sweet Patootie)

Mississippi John Hurt- Hot Time in Old Town Tonight

Mr. Hurt Goes to Washington (Sunset Blvd.)

Next week: Love Songs.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday October 25, 2022: Songs of Yip Harburg & Hoagy Carmichael

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs was prerecorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/58052.html

Theme: Songs of Yip Harburg (1896-1981) and Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981).

Part 1 – Songs of Yip Harburg. E.Y. “Yip” Harburg – who died in 1981 at age 84 – was a lyricist who collaborated with several composers. This show includes some of Harburg’s collaborations with Jay Gorney, Harold Arlen, Earl Robinson and Burton Lane.

Yip Harburg (circa 1950)

Deborah Holland- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime

The Panic is On: Songs from the Great Depression (Gadfly)

Ella Fitzgerald- Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is Dead

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook (Verve)

Stephen Mendel- If I Only had a Brain

Sing Me a Story (Stephen Mendel)

Ian Tyson- Somewhere Over the Rainbow

All the Good ’Uns Vol. 2 (Stony Plain)

The Juggernauts- Lydia, the Tattooed Lady

Live Lunch (The Juggernauts)

Chaim Tannenbaum- It’s Only a Paper Moon

Chaim Tannenbaum (StorySound)

Josh White- Free and Equal Blues

From New York to London: The Classic Recordings (Jasmine)

Happy Traum- How are Things in Glocca Morra?

There’s a Bright Side Somewhere (Lark’s Nest Music)

Part 2 – Songs of Hoagy Carmichael. Hoagland Howard “Hoagy” Carmichael – who died in 1981 at age 82 – was among the most successful songwriters of the Tin Pan Alley era.

Hoagy Carmichael (1947)

Ray Charles- Georgia on My Mind

Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles (Concord)

Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- Bread and Gravy

Beyond the Boundaries (Ripple)

Amos Garrett- New Orleans

Amosbehavin’ (Stony Plain)

Maria Muldaur with Hoagy Carmichael- Rockin’ Chair

Sweet Harmony (Reprise)

David Clayton-Thomas- Stardust

Combo (Antionette)

Dave Van Ronk & Christine Lavin- Two Sleepy People

Hummin’ to Myself (Gazell)

Martha Seyler & Robert Resnik- Skylark

Martha Sings & Robert Plays (Martha Seyler & Robert Resnik)

Cindy Church, George Koller & Joe Sealy- I Get Along Without You Very Well

The Nearness of You: A Tribute to the Music of Hoagy Carmichael (Seajam)

Judy Henske- Baltimore Oriole

The Elektra Albums (Ace)

Loudon Wainwright III with Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks- Heart and Soul

I’d Rather Lead a Band (Search Party) 

Jeff Healey- Hong Kong Blues

The Best of the Stony Plain Years: Vintage Jazz, Swing and Blues (Stony Plain)

Junior Brown- Riverboat Shuffle

Mixed Bag (Curb)

Hoagy Carmichael- Lazybones

Stardust Melody (Bluebird)

Leon Redbone- Lazy River

Up a Lazy River (Rounder)

Geoff Muldaur & Amos Garrett- Washboard Blues

Geoff Muldaur & Amos Garrett (Flying Fish)

Cindy Church, George Koller & Joe Sealy- In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening

The Nearness of You: A Tribute to the Music of Hoagy Carmichael (Seajam)

Next week: Radio.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday October 18, 2022: Songs of Jimmie Rodgers

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs was prerecorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/57953.html

Theme: Songs of Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933). Rodgers, who died of tuberculosis in 1933 at age 35, was known as The Singing Brakeman and The Blue Yodeler and is widely regarded to be the father of country music.

Jimmie Rodgers- Ben Dewberry’s Final Run

First Sessions, 1927-28 (Rounder)

Merle Haggard- Train Whistle Blues

Same Train, A Different Time: Merle Haggard Sings the Great Songs of Jimmie Rodgers (Capitol)

Swing & Tears- Hobo’s Meditation

Swing & Tears (Swing & Tears)

John Sebastian- Waiting for a Train

Cheapo-Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian (Reprise)

Iris DeMent- Hobo Bill’s Last Ride

The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers: A Tribute (Egyptian/Columbia)

Jimmie Rodgers- My Rough and Rowdy Ways

On the Way Up, 1929 (Rounder)

Ian & Sylvia- Travelin’ Blues (listed as Jimmie’s Texas Blues)

The Lost Tapes (Stony Plain)

Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- Drunken Bar Room Blues (Gambling Bar Room Blues)

Never No More Blues (Ripple)

Jimmie Rodgers- T.B. Blues

America’s Blue Yodeler, 1930-1931 (Rounder)

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott- Whippin’ That Old T.B.

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott Sings Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rodgers & Cowboy Songs (Monitor)

Maria Muldaur- Any Old Time

Maria Muldaur (Reprise)

Peter Keane- Nobody Knows but Me

Rural Electrification (Little Hat)

Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley- He’s in the Jailhouse Now

Gold Cadillac (G-Three)

Jimmie Rodgers with Louis Armstrong- Blue Yodel No. 9

America’s Blue Yodeler, 1930-1931 (Rounder)

Odetta- Muleskinner Blues

Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (Tradition)

Finest Kind- Why Should I Be Lonely?

For Honour & For Gain (Fallen Angle)

J.W. McClure- My Carolina Sunshine Girl

Interpretations of Jimmie Rodgers (J.W. McClure)

Doc Watson- My Blue Eyed Jane

Portrait (Sugar Hill)

Jimmie Rodgers- Gambling Polka Dot Blues

Down the Old Road, 1931-1932 (Rounder)

Leon Redbone- Roll Along Kentucky Moon

Sugar (Rounder)

Dakota Dave Hull & Sean Blackburn- Miss the Mississippi and You

North By Southwest (Arabica)

Robin & Linda Williams- Mississippi Delta Blues

Visions of Love (Sugar Hill)

Arlo Guthrie- When the Cactus is in Bloom

Son of the Wind (Rising Son)

Mary Chapin Carpenter- Somewhere Down Below the Mason Dixon Line

The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers: A Tribute (Egyptian/Columbia)

Jimmie Rodgers- Yodeling My Way Back Home

Last Sessions, 1933 (Rounder)

Next week: Songs of Yip Harburg and Hoagy Carmichael.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday September 13, 2022: Songs of Gordon Lightfoot

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs was prerecorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/57590.html

Theme: Songs of Gordon Lightfoot.

Gordon Lightfoot- Sit Down Young Stranger

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

Eva Cassidy- Early Morning Rain

Imagine (Blix Street)

Spanky & Our Gang- Steel Rail Blues

Live (Mercury)

Mara Levine- Bitter Green

Facets of Folk (Mara’s Creations)

George Hamilton IV- Long Thin Dawn

Canadian Pacific (RCA)

Gordon Lightfoot- Rich Man’s Spiritual

Lightfoot! (United Artists)

Frida’s Brow- The Way I Feel

Frida’s Brow (Frida’s Brow)

Frank Christian- Did She Mention My Name

Mister So and So (Palmetto)

Gordon Lightfoot- Sixteen Miles

Lightfoot! (United Artists)

Ronnie Hawkins- Home from the Forest

The Giant of Rock & Roll (Monument)

Ian & Sylvia- For Lovin’ Me

Early Morning Rain (Vanguard)

Josh White, Jr.- Wherefor and Why

Live at the Raven Gallery (Silverwolf)

James Keelaghan- Canadian Railroad Trilogy

Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (Borealis/NorthernBlues)

Gordon Lightfoot- Don Quixote

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

Rick Fines- Ribbon of Darkness

Solar Powered (Rick Fines)

Gathering Time- If You Could Read My Mind

Old Friends (Triple-G Records)

Claire Lynch & Bryan McDowell- It’s Worth Believin’

North By South (Compass)

Punch Brothers- Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Hell on Church Street (Nonesuch)

Gordon Lightfoot- Old Dan’s Records

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

Nanci Griffith- Ten Degrees and Colder

Other Voices/Other Rooms (Elektra)

Jesse Winchester- Sundown

Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (Borealis/NorthernBlues)

Maria Muldaur- That Same Old Obsession

Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (Borealis/NorthernBlues)

Stephen Mendel- Song for a Winter’s Night

Sing Me a Story (Stephen Mendel)

Gordon Lightfoot- The Pony Man

Songbook (Warner Archives/Rhino)

Next week: At the Intersection of Folk Street and Jazz Avenue.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday June 7, 2022: Disney Songs

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and at https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs was prerecorded at home and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/56478.html

Theme: Disney Songs

This theme was inspired by Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, and other Florida Republicans who picked a fight with Disney because Disney ultimately stood up for the LGBTQ+ community in the wake of Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay law.

Ken Nordine, Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, Natalie Merchant, Michael Stipe, Mark Bingham, The Roches/Los Lobos- Opening Medley: Hi Diddle Dee Dee (An Actor’s Life for Me)/Little April Shower/I Wanna Be Like You
Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films (A&M)

Louis Armstrong- Whistle While You Work
Disney Songs the Satchmo Way (Buena Vista)
Mary Martin with Tutti Camarata & His Orchestra- Heigh-Ho
Disney’s Jazz Album: Big Band & Swing (Disneyland)
Imany- Someday My Prince Will Come
Jazz Loves Disney (Verve)

Dakota Dave Hull & Sean Blackburn- Blue Shadows on the Trail
River of Swing (Arabica)
Louis Armstrong- Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
Disney Songs the Satchmo Way (Buena Vista)
Scatman Crothers, Phill Harris, Thurl Ravenscroft & Liz English- Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat
Disney’s Jazz Album: Big Band & Swing (Disneyland)

The Amazing Keystone Big Band- Steamboat Willie
Jazz Loves Disney (Verve)

Louis Prima- Chim Chim Cher-ee
Let’s Fly with Mary Poppins (Walt Disney)
Julie Andrews- A Spoonful of Sugar
Disney’s Jazz Album: Big Band & Swing (Disneyland)
Gia Malone- Sister Suffragette
Let’s Fly with Mary Poppins (Walt Disney)
Duke Ellington- Let’s Go Fly a Kite
Mary Poppins (Reprise)
Louis Prima & Gia Malone- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Let’s Fly with Mary Poppins (Walt Disney)

Mary Martin with Tutti Camarata & His Orchestra- I’m Late
Disney’s Jazz Album: Big Band & Swing (Disneyland)
Bill Lee- Cruella De Vil
Disney’s Jazz Album: Big Band & Swing (Disneyland)
Melody Gardot- He’s a Tramp
Jazz Loves Disney (Verve)
Missy Burgess & Michael Burgess- When You Wish Upon a Star
Pour Me a Song (Patio)

Phil Harris- Thomas O’Malley Cat
Disney’s Jazz Album: Big Band & Swing (Disneyland)
Eliza Gilkyson- Bare Necessities
Your Town Tonight (Red House)

Bonnie Raitt & Was (Not Was)- Baby Mine
Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films (A&M)
Guy Van Duser with Leon Collins- When I See an Elephant Fly
Stride Guitar (Rounder)

Madeleine Peyroux- The Golden Touch
Jazz Loves Disney (Verve)
Maria Muldaur with Dan Hicks- Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Swingin’ in the Rain (Music for Little People)
Aaron Neville- Mickey Mouse March
Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films (A&M)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet- Give a Little Whistle
Dave Digs Disney (Columbia)

Next week: Songs of Wade Hemsworth and Songs of Bill Morrissey

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday December 28, 2021: Top 10 for 2021

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs was prerecorded at home and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/54677.html

Theme: My Top 10 folk-rooted and folk-branched albums of 2021. Visit the Folk Roots/Folk Branches blog at https://frfb.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-10-for-2021.html to see the annotated and illustrated list.

#10 – Blues/Ballads/Cowboy Songs by Peter Keane

Peter Keane- Clay Pigeons
Blues/Ballads/Cowboy Songs (Peter Keane)
Peter Keane- Cool Water
Blues/Ballads/Cowboy Songs (Peter Keane)

#9 – Let’s Get Happy Together by Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny

Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny- I Go for That
Let’s Get Happy Together (Stony Plain)
Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny- Some Sweet Day
Let’s Get Happy Together (Stony Plain)
Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny- Swing You Sinners
Let’s Get Happy Together (Stony Plain)

#8 – Pay Day by Hans Theessink & Big Daddy Wilson

Hans Theessink & Big Daddy Wilson- Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right
Pay Day (Blue Groove)
Hans Theessink & Big Daddy Wilson- I Got Plenty
Pay Day (Blue Groove)
Hans Theessink & Big Daddy Wilson- Old Man Trouble
Pay Day (Blue Groove)

#7 – One Night Lonely by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Mary Chapin Carpenter- I am a Town
One Night Lonely (Lambent Light)
Mary Chapin Carpenter- Farther Along and Further In
One Night Lonely (Lambent Light)

#6 – Joyful Banner Blazing by Maria Dunn

Maria Dunn- Secondhand Skates
Joyful Banner Blazing (Distant Whisper)
Maria Dunn- Joyful Banner Blazing
Joyful Banner Blazing (Distant Whisper)

#5 – Hourglass by Murray McLauchlan

Murray McLauchlan- Hourglass
Hourglass (True North)
Murray McLauchlan- Wishes
Hourglass (True North)

#4 – On Solid Ground by Reggie Harris

Reggie Harris- Hello In There
On Solid Ground (Reggie Harris Music)
Reggie Harris- High Over the Hudson
On Solid Ground (Reggie Harris Music)

#3 – Archives – Volume 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) by Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell- Hunter
Archives – Volume 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) (Rhino)
Joni Mitchell- Urge for Going
Archives – Volume 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) (Rhino)

#2 – Song to a Refugee by Diana Jones

Diana Jones- Song to a Refugee
Song to a Refugee (Goldmine)
Diana Jones, Steve Earle, Richard Thompson, Peggy Seeger & Zahara Phillips- We Believe You
Song to a Refugee (Goldmine)

#1 – Outside Child by Allison Russell

Allison Russell- Montreal
Outside Child (Fantasy)
Allison Russell- Persephone
Outside Child (Fantasy)

Next week: The Folk Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Branches of Folk Music.

Find me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Top 10 for 2021

Here are my picks for the Top 10 folk-rooted or folk-branched albums of 2021. As in past years, I started with the list of hundreds of new albums (including reissues) that I listened to over the past year and narrowed it down to a short list of about 30. I’ve been over the short list several times over the past couple of weeks and came up with several similar – not identical – Top 10 lists. Today’s list is the final one. The order might have been slightly different, and there are several other worthy albums that might have been included, had one of the other lists represented the final choice.

1. Allison Russell – Outside Child (Fantasy). On this brave and compelling song-cycle, Allison Russell – known for her work with Po’ Girl, Sankofa, Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters – documents the childhood sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her step-father and how she was able to overcome and break that cycle of abuse. On a personal note, I’m about 25 years older than Allison and didn’t yet know her at the time of the abuse she writes and sings about – we first met in 2003 when she was a member of Po’ Girl and they were guests on my Folk Roots/Folk Branches radio program in Montreal – but Allison as a child lived about a block away from me. I had no idea, at the time, that such things were happening in my neighborhood. Now, of course, we understand that such things happen in virtually every neighborhood.

2. Diana Jones – Song to a Refugee (Goldmine). Over the course of 13 poignant and moving songs, Diana Jones sings about the plight of refugees in the modern world. Some of these songs, like “We Believe You,” with Steve Earle, Richard Thompson and Peggy Seeger joining Diana, are addressed to refugees. Others, like “The Sea is My Mother,” are sung from the perspective of refugees. As I mentioned to Diana when she was my guest on the July 13 edition of Stranger Songs, these are magnificent songs that I wish did not have to be written.

3. Joni Mitchell – Archives – Volume 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) (Rhino). This 5-CD set includes home demos, studio outtakes and alternate versions, and several concerts recorded live, including a 1968 set recorded here in Ottawa at the legendary Le Hibou coffee house – which I featured in its entirety on the December 7 edition of Stranger Songs. These often-enthralling recordings provide valuable insight into Joni Mitchell’s masterful songwriting as she developed and went beyond her folk roots.

4. Reggie Harris – On Solid Ground (Reggie Harris). On his second solo album, after many as a duo with Kim Harris, Reggie Harris offers another inspired and inspiring set of mostly original songs including topical songs, civil rights songs, love songs, and a glorious tribute to Pete Seeger. He also includes superb interpretations of songs from Malvina Reynolds, John Prine, and, perhaps surprisingly, The Beatles.

5. Murray McLauchlan – Hourglass (True North). On one of the finest albums of a career that has stretched back more than a half-century, Murray McLauchlan offers a largely topical set of songs that comments on such contemporary issues as income inequality, racism, refugees, and threats to democracy. Most of the songs were played when Murray was my guest on the July 27 edition of Stranger Songs.

6. Maria Dunn – Joyful Banner Blazing (Distant Whisper). Maria Dunn’s inspiring original songs, deeply rooted in folk and Celtic music traditions, capture the good in the human spirit and the essence of communal common cause. She also includes a stunning version of “From Dublin with Love,” written by the late, great Newfoundland songwriting legend, Ron Hynes.

7. Mary Chapin Carpenter – One Night Lonely (Lambent Light). In November 2020, during the pandemic, Mary Chapin Carpenter was filmed and recorded at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia, near Washington, DC, performing a PBS concert with no audience. Now available as a 2-CD set, One Night Lonely, is a beautiful solo performance of many of the finest songs from throughout her career.

8. Hans Theessink & Big Daddy Wilson – Pay Day (Blue Groove). Hans Theessink is a Dutch-born, Austrian-based, singer and guitarist who has long been one of my favorite blues artists. On Pay Day, he offers a wonderful and subtle collaboration with Big Daddy Wilson, a fine North Carolina blues singer, who has primarily toured and recorded in Europe over the past several decades. The album includes in-the-tradition original songs from both, and exceptional interpretations of classics drawn from Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James and Washington Phillips.

9. Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny – Let’s Get Happy Together (Stony Plain). On her latest collection, Maria Muldaur is backed by Tuba Skinny, a marvelous group of traditional New Orleans jazz musicians, for a set of wonderful old, mostly obscure, songs from the New Orleans tradition. There’s much joy in Maria’s singing and Tuba Skinny’s playing.

10. Peter Keane – Blues/Ballads/Cowboy Songs (Peter Keane). As indicated by the title, Peter Keane’s latest album is a terrific collection of mostly old songs from blues, folk and country sources (plus one original), that are mostly performed solo by just Peter and his archtop Gibson guitar – with some limited and tasteful overdubs on a few tracks. If I have one criticism of this set it’s that at just 26 minutes, it’s over much too soon.

I will be featuring songs from each of these albums on Stranger Songs, Tuesday December 28, 3:30-5 pm, on CKCU. The program is now available 24/7 for on-demand streaming by clicking "Listen Now" at this link.

Find me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

–Mike Regenstreif

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday April 10, 2021

Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU in Ottawa heard live on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and then available for on-demand streaming. I am one of the four rotating hosts of Saturday Morning and base my programming on the Folk Roots/Folk Branches format I developed at CKUT in Montreal.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Saturday Morning was prerecorded at home and can already be streamed on-demand at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/51567.html

Note: I was subbing for Stephen Neale on this edition of Saturday Morning. I will be back in my regular Saturday Morning slot on April 24. Steve should be back in his next slot in the rotation on May 8.

The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem- Early Morning Rain
The Bold Fenian Men (Columbia)

Marc Nerenberg- I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground
On the Street Again (Marc Nerenberg)
Hannah Shira Naiman- Train On the Island
Know the Mountain (Merriweather)
Joachim Cooder- Over That Road I’m Bound to Go
Over That Road I’m Bound: The Songs of Uncle Dave Macon (Nonesuch)

Reggie Harris- My Working Bones
On Solid Ground (Reggie Harris Music)
Crys Matthews- Exactly Where You Are
Changemakers (Crys Matthews)
Tret Fure- Monuments
Stone by Stone (Tomboy girl Records)
Noel Paul Stookey- In These Times
Just Causes (Neworld)
Tim Grimm- A Dream
Gone (Vault)

Michael J. Miles- Mississippi Overture
Mississippi River Suite/Which Side Are You On? (Right Turn On Red Music)
Leon Bibb- Ol’ Man River
Praising Peace: A Tribute to Paul Robeson (Stony Plain)
Michael J. Miles featuring Zahra Glenda Baker- Mississippi River Suite, Part 1
Mississippi River Suite/Which Side Are You On? (Right Turn On Red Music)
Dave Brubeck Quartet featuring Jimmy Rushing- River Stay ‘Way From My Door
Brubeck & Rushing (Columbia)
Michael J. Miles featuring Zahra Glenda Baker- Mississippi River Suite, Part 2
Mississippi River Suite/Which Side Are You On? (Right Turn On Red Music)
Tom Russell & Iris DeMent- Big Water
The Long Way Around (HighTone)

Anne Hills- Golden Arms
Accidental August (Hand & Heart Music)
Katie Oates- Here in Gastonia
We Go On: Si Kahn’s Songs of Hope in Hard Times (Hollow Reed Arts Recordings)
Dave Clarke- A Thousand Days Like This
The Healing Garden (Crossties)
Steel Rail- The Last Time
Coming Home (Crossties)

Peggy Seeger- How I Long for Peace
First Farewell (Red Grape Music)
Frank London with Cantor Yaakov 'Yanky' Lemmer- Oseh Shalom
Ghetto Songs (Felmay)
Christopher Mark Jones- Call Back Your Soldiers
Looking for the Light (Small Batch Music)
Eliza Gilkyson, Patty Griffin, Mary Chapin Carpenter & Iris DeMent- Peace Call
Land of Milk and Honey (Red House)
Reggie Harris- On Solid Ground
On Solid Ground (Reggie Harris Music)

Dave Alvin- Bus Station
King of California (HighTone)
David Francey- Ankle Tattoo
The Waking Hour (Jericho Beach Music)
Michael Jerome Browne- Somebody Have Mercy
That’s Where It’s At! (Borealis)

Maria Dunn- Waltzing with the Angels
Joyful Banner Blazing (Distant Whisper)
Willie Dunn- Peruvian Dream (Part 1)
Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: The Willie Dunn Anthology (Light in the Attic)
Anna Elizabeth Laube- Jardim da Estrela
Annamania (Continental Song City)

Mike Regenstreif & David Amram (2004) photo: Ron Petronko

David Amram & Ramblin' Jack Elliott- Going North
No More Walls (Flying Fish)

Last Forever- Buddy’s Blues
No Place Like Home/Last Forever (2nd Story Sound)
Wynton Marsalis & Catherine Russell- Buddy’s Horn
Bolden: Music from the Original Soundtrack (Blue Engine)
Bill Morrissey- Buddy Bolden’s Blues
Something I Saw or Thought I Saw (Philo)

Maria Muldaur with Tuba Skinny- I Like You Best of All
Let’s Get Happy Together (Stony Plain)
Annabelle Chvostek- Belleville rendez-vous
String of Pearls (Annabelle Chvostek)
The Slowlinks- I Ain’t Got Nobody
Stay With Me Awhile (weewerk)
Samoa Wilson with The Jim Kweskin Band- Me, Myself and I
I Just Want to Be Horizontal (Kingswood)
Le Chat Mort- Bye Bye Baby Bye
Roses (Le Chat Mort)

Laura Smith & Mike Regenstreif (2013)

Rachelle Garniez- Don’t You Know
Gone to Glory (StorySound)
Laura Smith- I’m a Beauty
As Long As I’m Dreaming (Borealis)

David Broza- Night Dawn (Silver Dollar)
Night Dawn: The Unpublished Poetry of Townes Van Zandt (S-Curve)
Bob Jensen- Colorado Girl
For the Sake of the Song (Bob Jensen)
Matthew Barber & Jill Barber- If I Needed You
The Family Album (Outside)
Townes Van Zandt- Snowin’ On Raton
At My Window (Sugar Hill)
Orit Shimoni- Song for Townes
Strange and Beautiful Things (Orit Shimoni)

Shtreiml- Sirba Amen Sela
Har Meron (I.J. Rosenblatt)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on April 24. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

Find me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Top 18 for 2018

Here are my picks for the Top 18 folk-rooted or folk-branched albums of 2018. As in past years, I started with the list of hundreds of albums that landed on my desk over the past year and narrowed it down to a short list of about 30. I’ve been over the short list several times over the past couple of weeks and came up with several similar – not identical – Top 18 lists. As I’m about to take a break from blogging until January, today’s list is the final one. The order might have been slightly different, and there are several other worthy albums that might have been included, had one of the other lists represented the final choice.

1. Bob Dylan – More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 (Columbia/Legacy). Blood on the Tracks, released in 1975, was one of Bob Dylan’s masterpieces. The single-CD version of More Blood, More Tracks offers the best alternate versions of each of the songs from the original album’s first sessions in New York City – most of which reveal the songs at a deeper level – as well as the outtake “Up to Me.” Completists will revel in the six-CD version which includes every take of every song from the New York sessions and remixed and remastered versions of the songs Dylan re-recorded in Minnesota for the original album.

2. Tom Russell – Old Songs Yet to Sing (Frontera Records). Old Songs Yet to Sing is a reunion album. A reunion of singer-songwriter Tom Russell, virtuoso guitarist Andrew Hardin – and 20 of the songs they played together for 25 or 26 years on the road and in the studio, beginning circa 1980. It’s just the two of them on the record – Tom on lead vocals and guitar and Andy on lead guitar and harmony vocals – and they make these songs, no matter how familiar they may be, sound fresh.

Click here for my full-length review of Old Songs Yet to Sing.

3. Various Artists – Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II (Six Degrees). During the Second World War, ethnomusicologists at the Kiev Cabinet for Jewish Culture set out to preserve the new Yiddish songs documenting the experiences of Jews fighting the Nazis in the Red Army, as well as those working on the home fronts, and songs reporting on such atrocities as the massacre at Babi Yar. For decades the songs were thought lost. However, the lyrics of many were rediscovered in the 1990s. Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II is an extraordinary album – featuring five singers and a group of superb instrumentalists – recorded in Toronto that documents some of those songs.

Click here for my full-length review of Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II.

4. Reggie Harris – Ready to Go (Reggie Harris Music). Reggie Harris released Ready to Go in 2018, his first solo album after many albums as a duo with Kim Harris. Like virtually all of his albums with Kim, this is an inspired and inspiring set filled with much joy, some sorrow and a whole lot of hope.

Click here for my full-length review of Ready to Go.

 

5. Maggie Roche – Where Do I Come From: Selected Songs (StorySound). Maggie Roche – who lost her battle with cancer on January 21, 2017 at age 65 – was a uniquely gifted songwriter responsible for many of the best songs recorded over the years by The Roches, her trio with younger sisters Terre and Suzzy. The two CDs of Where Do I Come From: Selected Songs include some of Maggie’s songs from albums by The Roches, as well as from duo albums by Maggie & Terre and Maggie & Suzzy, unreleased demos from the early-1970s, and a solo home recording of what was probably her final song,

Click here for my full-length review of Where Do I Come From: Selected Songs.

6. Nefesh Mountain – Beneath the Open Sky (Nefesh Mountain). Although there are a significant number of Jewish virtuoso bluegrass musicians, the genre itself has rarely been a vehicle for specifically Jewish-themed music. But on Beneath the Open Sky, Nefesh Mountain – the husband and wife duo of multi-instrumentalist Eric Lindberg and singer Doni Zasloff – are making Jewish music within a traditional bluegrass framework.

Click here for my full-length review of Beneath the Open Sky.

7. Jimmy LaFave – Peace Town (Music Road). Jimmy LaFave – who passed away at age 61 on May 21, 2017 after a battle with spindle cell sarcoma, a cancer of the connective tissues – had a brilliant understanding of where folk music, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, country, jazz and popular song all met seamlessly and authentically. In his final year, Jimmy worked tirelessly on Peace Town, an affecting 2-CD set that captures many of the styles and influences that ran through his music.

8. Eliza Gilkyson – Secularia (Red House). On th thoughtful Secularia, Eliza Gilkyson responds to contemporary issues and times with compelling songs of what might be described as secular spiritualism. As well as her original material, Eliza offers “Solitary Singer,” written by her father, Terry Gilkyson, in 1949, and a wonderful duet with the late Jimmy LaFave on the traditional “Down by the Riverside.”

9. Eric Bibb – Global Griot (Stony Plain). On Global Griot, a magnificent 2-CD set, Eric Bibb combines original material and traditional blues and folk songs with influences and instrumentation from music from around the world – particularly West Africa. Among his collaborators are kora player and singer Solo Cissokho and Canadian blues artists Michael Jerome Browne and Harrison Kennedy.

10. Ken Tizzard – A Good Dog is Lost: A Collection of Ron Hynes Songs (Ken Tizzard). Ron Hynes – who lost his battle with cancer on November 19, 2015 at age 64 – was, as I noted in a review of one of his albums, “without question, one of Canada’s greatest singer-songwriters – a writer whose genius can be found in decades worth of great songs.” On A Good Dog is Lost: A Collection of Ron Hynes Songs, Ken Tizzard, who once worked as a backup musician for Ron, offers excellent, affecting versions of some of those songs.

11. Maria Muldaur – Don’t You Feel My Leg: The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blu Lu Barker (The Last Music Company). Maria Muldaur went to New Orleans to record Don’t You Feel My Leg, a  terrific tribute to legendary NOLA blues singer Blue Lu Barker. The album overflows with clever, sexy songs, Maria’s great singing and infectious arrangements featuring some of the Crescent City’s best traditional jazz musicians.

12. El Coyote – El Coyote (El Coyote). El Coyote brings together three terrific Montreal singer-songwriters – Angela Desveaux, Katie Moore and Michelle Tompkins – and some equally terrific backup musicians for a set of great country-tinged songs. The three principals trade songs round-robin style with the other two singers providing angelic harmonies.

13. Lucy Kaplansky – Everyday Street (Lucy Kaplansky). On Everyday Street, her first solo album in six years, Lucy Kaplansky gives us seven of her original songs – co-written with her husband Richard Litvin – that celebrate such topics as friendship, love, her daughter and her dog. She also gives us a lovely traditional folk song and fine versions of songs by Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen and Nanci Griffith.

14. Orit Shimoni – Lost and Found on the Road to Nowhere (Orit Shimoni). Orit Shimoni seems to spend almost all of her time moving from city to city, country to country and continent to continent playing concerts and prolifically writing and recording songs that muse on love and loneliness, everyday incidents, inspirational songwriters and childhood memories.

15. Rory Block – A Woman’s Soul: A Tribute to Bessie Smith (Stony Plain). On her latest tribute album, Rory Block turns her attention to Bessie Smith, one of the greatest of the classic blues singers of the 1920s and ‘30s. While Smith recorded with pianists and other jazz musicians, Rory has arranged these songs in her own country blues style for vocals and guitar, sometimes overdubbing more guitar parts, bass, homemade percussion and harmony vocals herself. So, while the songs are familiar from Smith’s versions, Rory makes them her own – with her powerful guitar playing and soulful singing.

Click here for my full-length review of A Woman’s Soul: A Tribute to Bessie Smith.

16. Kate Campbell – Damn Sure Blue (Large River Music). Kate Campbell’s songs continue to provide deep insight into the people of the American Deep South and how it has changed – or has been too slow to change – in the wake of the civil rights movement. As well as her own songs, Kate also interprets songs by the likes of Peter LaFarge and Johnny Cash.

17. Vince Halfhide – Vince Halfhide (Vince Halfhide) Master guitarist Vince Halfhide is a veteran Ottawa musician. I’ve often seen him as an MVP sideman for several different artists. I’ve also seen him on occasion playing solo and quickly came to appreciate that he’s a fine singer-songwriter himself. I’ve long hoped that he’d release a CD that I can enjoy and share on the radio. With the eponymously named Vince Halfhide, Vince has delivered that CD – a fine collection of 12 well-crafted original songs mostly in folk and acoustic blues veins.

Click here for my full-length review of Vince Halfhide.

18. The LYNNeS – Heartbreak Songs for the Radio (The LYNNeS) Two of Ottawa’s finest singer-songwriters, Lynn Miles and Lynne Hanson, began co-writing songs when Lynne hired Lynn to produce one of her albums. While both continue to pursue solo careers, they have also begun to receive much acclaim for their duo performances as The LYNNeS and for this debut album – the recipient of Canadian Folk Music Awards for Ensemble of the Year and English Songwriter(s) of the Year.

I will be featuring songs from each of these albums when I host the Saturday Morning program on CKCU on Saturday, January 5, 7-10 am (EST). Update: The program is now available available 24/7 for on-demand streaming at this link.

Find me on Twitter. twitter.com/@mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif