Red Yarn Raises the Roof On A New Barn

Children's music has acts that stress danceable tunes. It also has groups that want to rock and roll. But there's only one kids' performer who wants to party like it's 1925 – that would be Red Yarn (Andy Furgeson). Andy takes the wholesome, fulsome sound of the pre-Great Depression Dust Bowl and brings it back to three-dimensional, full-color life, as on his fifth CD, RED YARN'S OLD BARN. And hey, his videos have puppets, too.

Conceived post-Trump 2016 Election Night, Andy dreamed of "a barn with doors open wide" for all to enter. Over the next 18 months he built that barn, with assistance from producer Dean Jones (you know that guy) and engineer Adam Selzer. OLD BARN features Andy's mix of repurposed traditional songs with a batch of new numbers that snugly fit into his previously-released milieu.

Red Yarn delivers an appealing "corncob and critters" sound, this time married to the concept of a hootenanny at the local farm. It helps that, to most children without a discerning ear, Andy's vocals come with a sui generis lack of regional accent. Adults with a lack of empathy for this kind of material may start to meander after "Old Barn," "Barn Dance," "Barn Fire," and finally "To Raise a Barn."

Andy covers "Sally Ann," an Appalachian folk song captured by Alan Lomax, dedicating it to his new baby daughter. "Barn Dance" is an updated version of an 1880's cowboy dance also memorialized by Lomax. Jazzy Ash drops by to duet on a lively rendition of Ella Jenkins' "Did You Feed My Cow?"

I've alternately been asked by people "What's the point of children's music?" and "What children's music do you point to?" Red Yarn provides an affirmative, living answer to both questions. Andy exhibits the concept that if you play music from previous generations as if it's brand new, children will never, ever realize it's "old." Nonwithstanding its title, RED YARN'S OLD BARN proves the hills, valleys, ranches, and farms are still alive.

RED YARN'S OLD BARN is available April 27 from Red Yarn's website, Amazon, iTunes, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp.

Here is the video for the CD's title track:

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Have You Ever Been Real – Dean Jones
The Only One – Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could
Expo Line – Andrew & Polly
One – Aaron Nigel Smith
Rattlesnake – Caspar Babypants
Dodgeball – Justin Roberts
Down by the Riverside – Ella Jenkins

Back to Camp With Ella Jenkins

Remember your camp years? I remember mine – two years at two different sleepaway camps that no longer exist. Back in the 1970s, they were already starting the sad process of constricting...what used to be male/female cafeterias were merged and campers were served in shifts, to consolidate resources. Activities such as overnight campouts were rotated and restricted, to the point that since the kids in my bunk "misbehaved" and lost so many demerits that we were stripped of that experience.

But there are some universalities of camp life, including the singalong. And 60 years into her recording career, Ella Jenkins, the "First Lady of the Children's Folk Song," has deemed us all ready for CAMP SONGS WITH ELLA JENKINS AND FRIENDS. It's intriguing that so many of the songs sounded familiar, and yet came from so many disparate sources. I recalled a few songs from Camp Cejwin, which were distinctly Jewish, but we also did a few American spirituals and European folk songs, it turns out.

Produced by Tony Seeger (yes, Pete's nephew), the one-hour-plus collection brings the expected ("Down in the Valley") together with the obscure – at least for me ("The Court of King Caractacus"). In between, Ella reminisces about her family and when SHE was a camp counselor. The only real misfire is an interminable version of "Everybody Loves Saturday Night." Explaining that children from different cultures were often asked to sing it in their native language, there are 12 additional verses that stretch it to nearly eight minutes.

Matt (6) is a year or two away from the sleepaway experience. But he still noted, correctly, "This is my CD?" as if to prepare him for the campfires. If you have a child nearing camp age, want to offer a pre-camp tutorial, or feel like taking a nature walk through your own memories, CAMP SONGS is like a lazy night around the campfire. Except with air conditioning and fewer mosquitoes.

CAMP SONGS WITH ELLA JENKINS AND FRIENDS is available June 23 from Smithsonian Folkways' website, Amazon, and iTunes.

Multicultural Movement Celebrates Jenkins' 90th

Twenty years ago, Smithsonian Folkways released MORE MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S SONGS FROM ELLA JENKINS. Over time, that CD has gained traction and become a perennial favorite for families. Now the label is re-releasing it as part of a celebration of Jenkins' 90th birthday.

Many would say that current kindie performer Laurie Berkner has usurped Jenkins' title as "First Lady of Children's Music." However those would be the parents who are unaware that Jenkins has 60 years in the trenches, educating and entertaining kids around the world before Berkner was even conceived. She received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 for her contributions to the recording industry. And the plaudits keep arriving in her golden years.

MORE MULTICULTURAL SONGS is pretty self-explanatory…it's a trip around the world (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Germany, China, Greece, Russia) with tunes in many languages. As with most of Jenkin's oeuvre, there's a lot of call-and-response as well as hand clapping and other body movements. And there's nothing to a song as simple and expressive as "Shabbat Shalom" (repeat 300x).

The truest test is always exposing one's own children to the music and gauging their interest. Both kids recognized several songs and sang along, even to numbers that they had been unfamiliar with. Jenkins was a master of her craft and MORE MULTICULTURAL SONGS remains one of her seminal works. In her 90th year, she can rest well knowing her legacy is being preserved and that the traditions she fostered are being cultivated by her kindie disciples.

MORE MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S SONGS FROM ELLA JENKINS is available from Smithsonian Folkways' website, Amazon, and iTunes.

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, December 26, 2013

Dessert Island – Recess Monkey
In A Timeout Now – Randy Kaplan
Why is the sky blue?  – Nick Cope
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
Did You Feed My Cow? – Ella Jenkins
Yes And No – Caspar Babypants
Up In Cat's Room – David Heatley
Washing Machine – Milkshake
Heart Attack – One Direction
Give Me Back My Hat – Bill Harley And Keith Munslow

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, October 17, 2013

Delicious  – Orange Sherbert
When the World Was New  – Dean Jones
Blue Sky (Little Martha Intro)  – Elizabeth Mitchell
Did You Feed My Cow?  – Ella Jenkins
Chuckers  – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke
Go Plane Go  –  Kira Willey
You've Got A Friend In Me (Featuring Chris Smither)  – Alastair Moock
Up All Night  – One Direction
Robots From The 4th Dimension  – The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Look, Think, Guess, Know  – Tom Chapin
Little Cloud (Featuring Rachel Loshak)  – Joanie Leeds And The Nightlights

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, September 5, 2013

Pizza pie  – Nick Cope
Playin' On A Sunday – David Tobocman
Did You Feed My Cow?  – Ella Jenkins
Upside Down  – Ratboy Jr.
Human Bean  – Dean Jones
Blink Of An Eye  – Frances England
Sunglasses – The Que Pastas
Hootenanny – Jambo
My Magic Trick – Ralph's World
Copycat  – Bill Harley And Keith Munslow
Bonsai – Billy Kelly & The Blah Blah Blahs

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, July 30, 2013

I Just Had an Idea – Elska
Change My Mind – One Direction
Go Plane Go – Kira Willey
First Day – The Board of Education
Did You Feed My Cow? – Ella Jenkins
I Knew You Were Trouble – Taylor Swift
Because I Said So! – Big Bang Boom
Peace Sign – David Tobocman
Poodles of Mass Destruction – David Heatley
Blink Of An Eye – Frances England

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, June 20, 2013

Monkey Love – The Harmonica Pocket
Deck the Halls – Dan Zanes
Junior Ranger – Kirshel Augustine
If You Want a Mustache – Space Balloons
Pizza pie – Nick Cope
Did You Feed My Cow?  – Ella Jenkins
Counting Backwards – Throwing Muses
Hola Hello – Mariana Iranzi
Commander Salamander – Lizza Connor
Heart Attack – One Direction
Full Tilt – The Not-Its
Choral Reef – Recess Monkey

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Sunny Christmas – Renee & Jeremy
Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
Did You Feed My Cow? – Ella Jenkins 
Ice Cream Soup – Jambo   
Bag of Dreams – Steven Courtney 
Up All Night – One Direction  
Born To Roll – Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis      
Sunshine – Vered 
Mammal – They Might Be Giants
Worms – Dog On Fleas  

Ben's Playlist - January 28, 2013

Turning Tables – Adele
Puzzle Pieces Within – Lunch Money
Rock Me – One Direction
Sing Loud – Melissa Green
And We Dance – Preschool Of Rock
Heroes – Glee
Mammal – They Might Be Giants
Did You Feed My Cow? – Ella Jenkins      
Just Be – Walt Wilkins       

Get Moving, Get Ella Jenkins

It's a mistake to listen to Ella Jenkins during dinner.

We listen to a lot of tunes while we eat. But the song and response engagement from "the First Lady of Children's music" is so strong that it almost overwhelmed the meal.

The CD in question is GET MOVING, a compilation being released in conjunction with first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! program to get children to become more physically active.

Now in her incredible ninth decade of recording and performing, Miss Ella has an awards list too long to chronicle. Her legacy has become so important that she has graduated to a spot on Smithsonian Folkways, the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, which seeks to enhance awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of others.

The 15 songs on GET MOVING are meant to get kids on their feet and, in short, get moving. Activities are as simple as waving in "Hello" and jumping in "Jumping (with variations)." On "Teddy Bear," she has the kids skip around the room, which leads to a pretty chaotic finish, based on the audio.

Jenkins commands the kids' attention and directs them with long-tenured subtlety. There is no real music with "One Potato, Two Potato," instead it's rhythmic game instructions. With guitar and vocals, Jenkins has spent her life sharing musical styles from around the world. "Play Your Instruments" does not have motion per se, but it does allow children to perform with Ella and make pretty sounds.

It's the rare children's performer who remains relevant long enough to be subject of their own documentary. Ella Jenkins received that honor in 2007 with the release of "cELLAbration Live: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins." It's amazing to see (and hear) her continue to share her life's mission and music to a third generation of children.

GET MOVING is available through Smithsonian Folkways, Amazon, or iTunes.

Here is a video of Ella performing "I Know A City Called Okeechobee":

All Skies Clear for Mitchell's Blue Clouds

If Laurie Berkner is the queen of children's music, then Elizabeth Mitchell is Glinda, the ethereal "good witch." She hovers above the scene, floating down in her transparent bubble every few years to deliver another collection of unexpected delights.

Mitchell returns this month with her sixth CD, BLUE CLOUDS. Along with original compositions, you get interpretations of songs from a diverse range of artists – David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Bill Withers, Ella Jenkins, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers, and The Good Ms. Padgett. The CD comes with a lushly-illustrated booklet with song-by-song notes on every selection.

About that booklet and the illustrations....all artwork is by Remy Charlip. If you didn't read any of his more than 38 books, you may be familiar with his creation, the Paper Bag Players. An extensive explanation of Remy's craft is presented by his friend, author Brian Selznick ("The Invention of Hugo Cabret").

Mitchell plays with her husband, Daniel Littleton and their daughter, Storey, as You Are My Flower (a family band). Their extended circle indulges in a smorgasbord of cultures. "Summer Is Icumen In" is based on a traditional 13th century round, transcribed by monks. "Yuki (Snow)" is a Japanese winter song, bookended on the CD by "May This Be Love" via Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers' "Blue Sky."

And who knew David Bowie wrote a parenting song? That would be "Kooks:"

I bought you a pair of shoes
A trumpet you can blow
And a book of rules
On what to say to people
when they pick on you
'Cause if you stay with us you're gonna be pretty Kookie too

If you're a sucker for eloquence and simplicity, then Elizabeth Mitchell is the clear favorite. Renee and Jeremy have a similar sound, but they've snorkeling in the waters while Mitchell is already scuba diving. But I'm using the wrong set of analogies for a CD that looks upward. The title track, "Blue Clouds," was written by Daniel many years ago for Storey and the final line sums up the album:  "A blanket of stars on the back of your eyes." As well as a pillow of peaceful tunes for your ears.

BLUE CLOUDS is available on October 23 from Amazon, Smithsonian Folkways, iTunes, and You Are My Flower.

We've seen Elizabeth Mitchell and company in concert several times. Here are a couple of select videos. First, from this past summer's Kidstock festival on Long Island:


And here's a performance from Kindiefest 2011 in Brooklyn.