Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – March 19, 2024: Music

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/595/64335.html

Theme: Music.

The songs on this show all have something or other to do with music.

Stan Rogers- Music in Your Eyes

Songs of a Lifetime: From Coffee House to Concert Hall (Fogarty’s Cove/Borealis)

James Keelaghan- Kiri’s Piano

History: The First 25 Years (Borealis)

Mike Regenstreif & Bruce Cockburn (2017)

Bruce Cockburn- Musical Friends

Greatest Hits (1970-2020) (True North)

Diana Krall- Let’s Face the Music and Dance

When I Look in Your Eyes (Verve)

Tom Russell- Tower of Song

Selections from Love & Fear plus bonus out-takes (HighTone)

Jimmy Driftwood- The Ozark Symphony

I Hear Your People Singing Blanchard Cave (Rackensack)

Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion- Folksong

Folksong (RTE 8)

Brownie McGhee- The Blues Had a Baby (and they called it Rock and Roll)

Rainy Day (Tomato)

Louis Armstrong & Trummy Young- Now You Has Jazz

Armstrong Comes Alive (Jazz2Jazz)

Arthur Conley- Sweet Soul Music

Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974: Volume 6 1966-1969 (Atlantic)

Finest Kind- John Barleycorn Deconstructed

For Honour & For Gain (Fallen Angle)

John Hartford- My Rag

Morning Bugle (Rounder)

Christy Moore- The Tuam Beat

Magic Nights (Sony)

Doc Watson- Mama Don’t Allow No Music

Memories (Sugar Hill)

David Mallett- Ballad of the St. Anne’s Reel

Inches & Miles 1977-1980 (Flying Fish)

Lynn Miles- Three Chords and the Truth

Fall for Beauty (True North)

Maria Muldaur-Southern Music

Jazzabelle (Stony Plain)

Mike Regenstreif & Jesse Winchester (2009)

Jesse Winchester- I Turn to My Guitar

Love Filling Station (Appleseed)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe- Up Above My Head I Hear Music in the Air

This Train in Concert (Sunset Blvd.)

Dakota Dave Hull & Sean Blackburn- River of Swing

River of Swing (Arabica)

Sisters of Sheynville- Yidl Mitn Fidl

Sheynville Express (Sisters of Sheynville)

Guy & Candie Carawan- When the Fiddler has Played His Last Tune for the Night

Folk Friends (Wundertüte Musik)

Next week: Home.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday March 21, 2023: “Shout, Sister, Shout” and Other Songs from the Repertoire of Sister Rosetta Tharpe

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.

111 episodes of Stranger Songs are listed and available to stream on-demand at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/index.html

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/595/59755.html

Theme: “Shout, Sister, Shout” and Other Songs from the Repertoire of Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973).

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who died in 1973 at age 58, primarily – but not exclusively – sang and played gospel and African-American spirituals. She played electric guitar and has been called “the godmother of rock ‘n’ roll.”

Sister Rosetta Tharpe with Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra- Shout, Sister, Shout!

Bring Back Those Happy Days: Greatest Hits and Selected Recordings 1938-1957 (Jasmine)

Odetta with The Holmes Brothers- Two Little Fishes and Five Loaves of Bread

Shout, Sister, Shout! A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (M.C.)

Bobby McFerrin- Joshua (Fit the Battle of Jericho)

Spirityouall (Sony Masterworks)

Mountain City Four- This Train

Mountain City Four (Omnivore)

Ken Whiteley- Precious Memories

Long Time Travelling (Ken Whiteley)

Phoebe Snow with The Holmes Brothers- Beams of Heaven

Shout, Sister, Shout! A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (M.C.)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe- Is Everyone Happy

This Train in Concert (Sunset Blvd.)

Rory Block- Stand By Me

Shout, Sister, Shout! A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (M.C.)

Ronnie Hawkins- Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child

The Folk Ballads of Ronnie Hawkins (Edsel)

Mavis Staples & Lucky Peterson- Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen

Spirituals & Gospel (Gitanes)

Eliza Gilkyson & Jimmy LaFave- Down by the Riverside

Secularia (Red House)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe- That’s All

Bring Back Those Happy Days: Greatest Hits and Selected Recordings 1938-1957 (Jasmine)

Missy Burgess- Trouble in Mind

Missy Burgess with The Blue Train Live (Missy Burgess)

Marcia Ball with Tracy Nelson, Maria Muldaur & Angela Strehli- I Want a Tall Skinny Papa

Shout, Sister, Shout! A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (M.C.)

Rhiannon Giddens- Up Above My Head

Tomorrow is My Turn (Nonesuch)

Bruce Cockburn- Twelve Gates to the City

Bone on Bone (True North)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe- Travelin’ Shoes

This Train in Concert (Sunset Blvd.)

Bernice Johnson Reagon, Kim & Reggie Harris- Oh Mary, Don’t You Weep

Get On Board: Underground Railroad & Civil Rights Freedom Songs, Volume 2 (Appleseed)

Marie Knight- Didn’t It Rain

Shout, Sister, Shout! A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (M.C.)

Margaret Glaspy, Bruce Molsky, Brittnay Haas, Julian Lage, Joe Phillips & Jayme Stone- What is the Soul of Man?

Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project (Borealis)

Lonnie Johnson- That Lonesome Road

The Complete Folkways Recordings (Smithsonian Folkways)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe- Jonah in the Whale

This Train in Concert (Sunset Blvd.)

Maria Muldaur, Marcia Ball, Angela Strehli & Tracy Nelson- Shout, Sister, Shout

Shout, Sister, Shout! A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (M.C.)

Next week: Cowboys & Cowgirls.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday February 28, 2023: A Tribute to Josh White

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/595/59557.html

Theme: A Tribute to Josh White (1914-1969).

Josh White was a highly influential blues, folk and jazz singer and guitarist. He made his first recordings in 1928 at about age 14 or 15 and his 1944 recording of “One Meatball” was the first song by a male, African American artist to sell a million copies. Josh White was honored earlier this month by Folk Alliance International with its Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Two songs on this show – “Goodbye Josh” and “A Natural Man” – are tributes to Josh White. The other songs were all part of Josh White’s repertoire.

Josh White- Good Morning Blues

The Josh White Stories, Vols. I & II (Jasmine)

Josh White, Jr.- One Meatball

Live at the Raven Gallery (Silverwolf)

Madeleine Peyroux- Lonesome Road

Careless Love (Rounder)

Mr. Rick- Two Little Fishes

Mr. Rick Sings About God + Booze (Mr. Rick)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe- Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho

This Train in Concert (Sunset Blvd.)

Josh White- Things About Coming My Way

Spirituals & Blues (Elektra)

Louis Jordan- I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Years 1955-1958 (Jasmine)

Josh White, Jr. with Robin Batteau- You Won’t Let Me Go

Jazz, Ballads & Blues (Ryko)

Peter Yarrow- Goodbye Josh

Peter (Warner Bros.)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Betty and Dupree

See What Tomorrow Brings (Warner Bros.)

Jack Williams- A Natural Man

Walkin’ Dreams (Wind River)

Josh White- Strange Fruit

The Josh White Stories, Vols. I & II (Jasmine)

Crabtree & Mills- Miss Otis Regrets

Flight of Fancy (Free and Easy Music)

Bonnie Dobson- Dink’s Song

Take Me for a Walk in the Morning Dew (Hornbeam)

Odetta- House of the Rising Sun

Livin’ with the Blues (Vanguard)

Dave Van Ronk- St. James Infirmary

…and the tin pan bended, and the story ended… (Smithsonian Folkways)

Josh White- The Story of John Henry

The Story of John Henry: A Musical Narrative (Elektra)

Julian Fauth- Frankie & Johnny

The Weak and the Wicked, the Hard and the Strong (Electro-Fi)

Next week: Songs of Kris Kristofferson.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Catherine Russell – Strictly Romancin’

CATHERINE RUSSELL

Strictly Romancin’

World Village Records

catherinerussell.net

Catherine Russell has been just about my favourite present-day jazz singer ever since she finally released Cat, her debut album, in 2006 following a long career as a back-up singer for a variety of artists. The daughter of Luis Russell – who served as band leader for Louis Armstrong back in the day – and Carline Ray, a pioneering woman jazz musician, Cat is a great singer who brings out the best in classic and traditional jazz and blues tunes. Writing in the Montreal Gazette, I called that first album “glorious.” So too have been all of her subsequent releases.

Strictly Romancin’, Cat’s fourth album, is appropriately enough, being released on Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, as most of the songs, most of them classics, some of them obscure-but-great classics, deal with one aspect or another of romance.

There are, of course, different sides to the love relationship. There’s the ready-for-Valentine’s Day woman singing “I’m in the Mood for Love” and “Romance in the Dark”; the hopeless romantic singing “Ev’ntide”; and the spurned or out-of-love woman singing “Under the Spell of the Blues” and “No More.” Whether it’s an inherent loneliness in “Under the Spell of the Blues” or the anticipation of “Romance in the Dark,” Cat nails the appropriate feelings and emotions expressed in each song.

Among my very favourite tracks are humour-laced songs like Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s kiss-off song “I’m Checkin’ Out, Goom’Bye,” an arrangement highlighted by the playful interaction between Cat and John Allred’s trombone, “Satchel Mouth Baby,” Mary Lou Williams’ shout-out to Louis Armstrong, and “Everybody Loves My Baby,” a fun, swinging tune made famous by the Boswell Sisters.

Certainly one of the most special tracks is the Sister Rosetta Tharpe-Marie Knight spiritual “He’s All I Need.” Backed by Mark Shane’s gospel piano, Cat and her mother, Carline Ray, sound positively inspired.

Cat’s arrangements are perfectly suited to each of the tunes and feature a terrific group of ace musicians – both the core members of her touring band and guests who contribute to select tracks. In addition to those already mentioned, some of the instrumental highlights include Matt Munisteri’s guitar solo on “Don’t Leave Me,” Joe Barbato’s romantic Paris café accordion on “I’m in the Mood for Love,” and Dan Block’s playful clarinet on “Everybody Loves My Baby.”

Catherine Russell draws on the influences of many great singers of bygone years to create a unique voice of her own and to make classic material seem as fresh and vital as ever. Kudos to Cat, to all of the musicians, and to producer Paul Kahn, for another in her series of excellent albums.

Click here for my review of Catherine Russell’s 2010 album, Inside This Heart of Mine.

Pictured: Catherine Russell and Mike Regenstreif at CKUT during Folk Roots/Folk Branches (June 28, 2007).

--Mike Regenstreif