Here is a piece of music that sounds fitting for a celebration of the new year . . .

I love the sound of this celtic fiddler and his band!  It is Alasdair Fraser, originally from Scotland, and now living in the United States.  He has perfomed for many years, and also founded two fiddle camps-- Valley of the Moon, among the redwood trees in California, and Sierra Fiddle Camp. In addition to playing music and teaching here in the U.S., Alasdair has been running a fiddle course on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, since 1987.

Here is a link to his website: 
​www.alasdairfraser.com/home

This song is from his award-winning Dawn Dance album, created with his band Skyedance, and released in 1996.

I was nine when Joni Mitchell's recording of Big Yellow Taxi was published, on her Ladies of the Canyon album, 1970.  This album went gold, and also included Joni's hit song, "The Circle Game."    I don't remember ever hearing "Big Yellow Taxi" in my childhood or teens, but did hear it later on, when Christian contemporary singer Amy Grant put it on one of her albums.  This rollicking song appealed to me not just because of the fun sound, but also because the words were clever and gave a message to consider-- maybe we ought to stop and think about whether "progress" (i.e. building more concrete edifices and cemented public areas) is really progress.

I never knew the song was called "Big Yellow Taxi" though-- I always thought of it as "Paved Paradise, Put up a Parking Lot" because  that phrase in the song was so memorable.  So I was delighted to find this video with Joni Mitchell's original version of the song (which she wrote while living in Southern California and performing and interacting with other Southern Cali folk singers such as Crosby, Stills, Nash, The Mamas and Papas, and Jackson Browne).  "Retro Top 10" has put together a nice collection of photos in the video.

The first song I ever heard Joni Mitchell sing (also via video, and fairly recently) was "California," in which she sings and plays a dulcimer.  I was impressed by her amazing vocal range and fluidity, in this song.  It's very enjoyable to hear.  Here is a link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS52fO-0pTM

One song of hers that I was very familiar with when growing up, though I'd never heard her sing it, was "Both Sides Now."  We learned that song in music class in school; I remember enjoying its sweet lyrics and mellow sound.  It had been made a hit by Judy Collins, another folk singer of the '60's.  So even though I'd heard the Judy Collins version many times, I didn't know Joni Mitchell wrote it until just recently, when learning more about Joni.  The song itself is excellent-- no wonder Judy Collins wanted to sing it.  Judy's version was released in 1967 (Wildflowers album) and reached #8 on U.S. pop singles charts in 1968.  The next year this song won Judy a grammy for "best folk performance."

Joni Mitchell's own recording of the song was published in 1969, as part of her Clouds album.  Here she is, singing it in 1970:

Joni went on to experiment with jazz sounds, as well as some rock and pop.  She has recorded numerous albums, done extensive touring and other performing, and has received a total of 8 grammy awards in various categories, for her musical work.  She is also an accomplished visual artist and has been recently spending more time doing painting.  If you would like to see some of her paintings, there is a nice collection of them here, on Pinterest.

Do you have a favorite Joni Mitchell album or song?

"Trust" -- this piece of music makes my heart smile, as does the word itself.

Originally composed as part of the soundtrack to a short film,  this piece really shines as a solo.  It was created by The Walla Recovery, an indie folk quartet from Texas.  Members are Brandon Reynolds (percussion),  Jonathan Kaylor (cello, guitar),  Justin Luningham (bass, cello), and singer-songwriter Zack Smith (guitar, vocals).  

The music is pleasant and warm, with bright bell sounds punctuating a strings background.
This vibrant piece can be heard on Bandcamp; here is a link to listen:   TRUST

The Walla Recovery  has  4 albums -- "Trust" is the final track in their short instrumental album, Consonance. Their Christmas album,  A Star, A Star  is a work that has been added to each year since 2009; there are now 9 tracks available for download.  These include a very nice instrumental medly of "Carol of the Bells/The Holly and The Ivy."  I Especially like their indie folk version of "We Three Kings."  Another album is folk with cello ("chamber-folk"), called With Trembling.  And they have a  CD collection of  rewritten hymns, called O Bless the Lord, My Soul.

If you enjoyed hearing "Trust," You will most likely find the entire Consonance album to be wonderful.  It has 7 short tracks (4 of them are less than a minute long, and the entire set is 8 minutes).

Besides creating and recording music, The Walla Recovery plays at music festivals, churches, and other venues; they are an active and productive indie folk quartet.

They offer downloads, CD's, and a free sampler download, on their newly designed website: www.thewallarecovery.com

This Friday, my son will be auditioning for a youth theatre play, "Schoolhouse Rock"-- based on the '70's series of Saturday morning ABC TV 3 min. animated music video shorts.   I vaguely remember this series-- not because I watched them, because I didn't--I think Saturday morning was sleep-in time instead of TV time, for me-- but because we got the VHS tapes from a garage sale and I've seen some of them with my own kids, and my kids also used to play some computer games that had songs and activities from Schoolhouse Rock.  However,  I do remember learning the preamble to the constitution by memory as a teen totally because of their preamble song; a high school friend taught it to me.  I was grateful and ecstatic.  I thought this was a far superior way of memorizing than to just recite the words, during our class's study of American Government.

 Well, recently, when browsing music by some folk artists on MySpace, I came across an absolutely wonderful piece of music by Rachel Garlin-- called "Three is a Magic Number."  I loved it, but didn't know it was a cover of a Schoolhouse Rock song, until looking up more info about it.   I learned that this song was the very first episode of Schoolhouse Rock, and it was written by jazz musician and singer Bob Dorough, who also wrote songs for other episodes.  Bob sang and recorded the songs, and they have helped numerous children learn their multiplication facts (because they go through the multiples of each number, using skip-counting).

Bob's original version is very well-sung, and has catchy musical accompaniment.  You can see the original animated video above.    This song's lyrics's are especially meaningful-- with phrases like "the past and the present and the future," " faith and hope and charity," "the heart and the brain and the body,"  . . .  with these lyrics, it is more than just skip-counting -- and it is this "more" that has made it a beloved favorite out of all the number songs on Schoolhouse Rock.

Back to Rachel Garlin -- she is a folk singer-songwriter who has recorded four albums of original music-- this cover song is one exception; it is on her Big Blue Sky album (2004), and is available on CD Baby and iTunes.  Rachel has a mellow, pleasant voice-- her singing reminds me of Carly Simon and Carole King.  She teaches music to kids, and this kids' song seems a natural fit for her.  But I like the way she has audience participation from grown-ups for singing the multiples of three during the song.  Here is a link to hear Rachel's version of the song on MySpace -- this is where I first learned of her, and of this magical song: https://myspace.com/rachelgarlin/music/song/three-is-a-magic-number-77358219-85255929

I'm not sure which of the Schoolhouse Rock selections will be in the youth theater play . . . but I hope they include this one; I know whatever they use will be great learning for the audience as well as the youth actors-- and will also be entertaining and FUN :)

Do you have some favorite songs from Schoolhouse Rock?

In Christmas carols, much attention is given to an angel choir, the appearance of a star bringing acclaimed foreigners with rich gifts, and a general proclamation of excitement, as in "Joy to the World."

But this Christmas song by Audrey Assad, "Winter Snow," shows a different aspect of the traditional nativity story.

The birth of Jesus as a Jewish infant happened in relative obscurity-- at the time, the Roman Empire was a major force in the world, Palestine being just one of many small provinces ruled by the might of Rome.  Although a few shepherds told their story of an angelic message to the townspeople in Bethlehem, for the most part the birth of this jewish peasant was quiet and mostly unknown.

Audrey's song uses the simile of being "like a winter snow" to describe the coming of Jesus "falling from the sky in the night to the earth below."  The arrival of Christ is celebrated in the song, but she points out something that is easy to forget in the clamor and fanfare of our Christmas holiday-- that his coming was "quiet and soft and slow."

Here is the song, in a video created by Jóel Rósinkrans Kristjánsson with some nice images AND the lyrics:

Audrey is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, having had her first album by Sparrow Records named as Christian album of 2010 on Amazon.com, and as Christian Breakthrough Album of the Year on iTunes.  Her style is a folk-jazz mix, at least to my ears . . . and it perfectly complements the lyrics of this song.

Audrey has created two new albums since the first.  Her three albums are The House You're Building (2010),
Heart (2012), and Fortunate Fall (2013).    "Winter Snow" is a part of Chris Tomlin's 2009 album, Glory in the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship.

There's just something fun about a ukelele.  Maybe it's the lighter sound of four strings.  Or maybe it's the phrase used for tuning, that most ukelele players know-- it sounds better with music, but the words are "My dog has fleas . . . and so does yours . . ."

Whatever it is, I came across this fine-- and fun-- piece of ukelele playing, and would like to share it with you.  The music artist is Darren J Claxton, from Derbyshire, Britain.  Darren also has some blues and folkish vocal pieces, and has an EP recording of 5 songs on iTunes and Amazon.  The title of this ukelele instrumental piece is "Smiling Eyes."  Darren is a multi-instrumentalist and includes percussion in this uke song, too.  I enjoyed hearing the rhythms as well as the ukelele; Darren has put in a variety of percussive sounds.

It is a lively tune; Get ready to dance, and turn this on (click on the link, in other words . . .)

                                                                                         SMILING  EYES

The ukelele was the first stringed instrument I began to play, back when I was about 8 years old, with a little sporano uke.  I have fond memories of plinking out sounds and learning a few chords.  My old sporano uke is long gone, but I do have a baritone, and sometimes pull it out.  How about you-- are you a ukelelian?

If you're a horse person, or ever wanted to ride a horse, this song is for you . . .

Dan Weber is a folk/Americana artist.  He has won numerous awards for his story-songs, and a love for the American west is evident in many of his compositions.  He is a native of New York state, but has traversed the entire US several times, worked 2 years in Utah as a Park Ranger, and ended up living in the Pacific NW, in Washington state.  

I'm glad to have the privilege to sometimes hear Dan sing locally.  His song, "Do You Ride Horses?" is one of my favorites.  I can't say I'm much of a horse person, though I've been on horseback once or twice.  My husband, in earlier days before we met, kept a horse, and so did his grandparents-- so maybe this song has greater meaning for him.  But I love the driving rhythm of the music, and can imagine horses-- black, white, brown, spotted-- manes flying, hooves pounding, galloping along . . . with "Jim" riding them, as the song says, or maybe even a non-horse person like me (!)

Dan was a 2012 finalist in the Kerrville "New Folk" competition, and winner of West Coast Songwriter's Performing Songwriter Competition in both 2011 and 2009.  This is one of his newer songs, and you can hear it in this Youtube video:

What do you think? And how about you-- Do you ride horses?

Malvina Reynolds was born at the turn of the twentieth century, in the year 1900. She lived to be 77, and saw many changes in her lifetime--cars, airplanes, telecommunication, computers, movements for social change, two world wars, a cold war . . .  

That was a lot of rapid change to live through, and to write songs about. Many of her songs were about social and economic issues, and some were about environmental concerns.

I remember singing "What Have They Done to the Rain?" in school in 5th grade (originally written about the danger of nuclear radiation fallout, this song was later used referring to air pollution). This gentle song spoke to me and I enjoyed its simple melody.

Later, when looking up some folk songs to sing for fun, I discovered more of her songs, and learned to sing them.

The well-known song "Little Boxes" decries the idea that humankind is not only a cog in a machine but also his/her life is put together on an assembly line!  

Here are a couple of interesting videos using this song.

The first (created by Gabrielle R. and Nicolas M. for The Tree Shirt House) shows actual cardboard boxes containing t-shirts that are being opened and examined before being sold (and who knows why there's a dog sitting among the boxes!)-- https://vimeo.com/28353662

The other one (made by "Monkeymen"-- an animators collective in Berlin, Germany) is a special effects video that shows the song in a very creative way: https://vimeo.com/26178358  This one is shorter, as it doesn't go through the whole song.

In learning more about Malvina, I found that she and I have several things in common. One is that she didn't start writing songs in earnest until in her 40's. Also, she liked writing songs for children but didn't write only children's songs. And she especially liked folk music.  

One more thing-- when heard one of Malvina's songs that I didn't know of before, I thought I had found a new "theme song" for myself. It's called-- well, you have to find out here--

Fast forward from the 1940's when Woodie Guthrie was writing and performing his songs, to the present-- 2012.

I'd like to introduce to you a modern day folk artist, if you haven't met her already. After one of her songs was danced to in an audition for So You Think You Can Dance, and was picked up by Christian radio stations (2008), she quickly gained a large following.

My teenage daughter told me about this artist, JJ Heller, and I was glad to listen to some of her songs on You Tube. Most of the songs are mellow sounding, and I enjoyed listening to all 41 songs on the You Tube Mix.

The song that was in the audition, "Your Hands," is one of my favorites. It is about being in God's hands, even though it might look like things are topsy-turvy and out of control (those are my words-- they're not ones used in the song, but that is the general idea). Here is a video of JJ singing that song at a K-LOVE radio station.

JJ sings, and is accompanied by her husband, Dave, who plays guitar. They have recorded six albums; "Your Hands" is from the Painted Red album.

Just about everyone knows the favorite patriotic song, "This Land is Your Land." I've always really liked this song. But I fell in love with Woody's songs when I checked out a library book of his children's music. In singing these songs with my own 2-yr-old, a delightful assortment of down-to-earth lyrics met our eyes and ears.

My favorite was the one about getting washed up, called "Clean-O." It went on and on, with a tot calling to various family members to wash this or that so the child would be "nice and clean-o." Singing this song was humorous to me, especially the verse that said, "Brother, O Brother, Come wash my hair!"-- that's probably because my own particular tot was much more likely to have a screaming fit about having her hair washed than to request anyone to come and wash it! So at the time, I had great perverse delight in singing this verse with my 2-year-old.

Here is a delightful rendition of this song, from a youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WBsdx9-nEI&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1