The Mississippi: River Of Song - A Musical Journey Down The Mississippi

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The remarkable two-disc River of Song is the first of a stunning multimedia project (including a four-part PBS documentary, public-radio interviews, and book) on which an array of artists under the tutelage of director-curator Anthony Seeger give voice and share the lore of America's great Mississippi River. The musical journey is parceled into quadrants: from the Northern headwaters, slicing through Twain's heartland; snaking down into the Deep South; wending through Louisiana, where music is king; and culminating at its life-giving, life-taking mouth, the Gulf of Mexico. Prolonged visitation occurs in musical meccas Minneapolis, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans, showcasing the abundant talent and distinct sound of each locale. River of Song celebrates not only the landscapes through which the water traverses but also the colorful cultures that have sprung from and thrive at her banks: Native American, Dutch, African-American, Cajun, and subcultures and hybrids of youth and religion, including indie-rock hipsters, heartland country rockers, Delta blues men, Mexican Dixieland jazz, and both black and white gospel musics from deep believers of faith. Much like driving the Natchez Trace, the journey is profoundly American--deeply affecting in providing not only a sense of the present but of our very roots. --Paige La Grone

Vibe
This dazzling overview of the diverse music developed by known and unknown talents living along the Mississippi reveals in 36 tracks the multicultural depth of true Americana.

Album Description
This two-hour, 36 track, musical journey down the Mississippi from the headwaters to the delta captures the power and diversity of American music in the late 20th century. The music, recorded between 1995 and 1997 in small towns and large cities along the river, reflects centuries of interaction and experimentation along America’s great waterway. 48-page booklet.

The Mississippi: River Of Song - A Musical Journey Down The Mississippi

Tracks:

Powwow Song - Chippewa Nation
22 - Babes In Toyland
Sail Away, Ladies - John Koerner
I Did My Best - Soul Asylum
Red-Headed Swede - The Skal Club Spelmanslag
The Singing Leaf - Wang Chong Lor
I'll Open My Mouth To The Lord/I'll Be Ready - Sounds Of Blackness
Kim Marie - Karl Hartwich
Jazz Me Blues - The Manny Lopez Quintet
La Unica Estrella - La Otra Mitad
Flat Stuff - Greg Brown
Miss Ferris - John Hartford
Born To Be With You - The Bob Lewis Family
Milestone - Eugene Redmond/Sylvester 'Sunshine' Lee
I'm So Grateful - Fontella/Martha Bass
Stop Breaking Down - Oliver Sain
Get Down, River - The Bottle Rockets
La Guignolee - The Ste. Genevieve Guignolee Singers

Tracks:

The Sweetest Song I Know - The Boundless Love Quartet
T For Texas (Blue Yodel #1) - Sonny Burgess
St. Louis Blues - The Memphis Horns
Going Back To Memphis - Levon Helm/James Cotton
Take A Little Walk With Me - Robert Lockwood, Jr.
Catfish - Big Jack Johnson
Shake Your Money Maker - Big Jack Johnson and the Jelly Roll Kings
Grits Ain't Groceries (All Around The World) - Little Milton
We Praise Your Holy Name - The Mississippi Mass Choir
Taters And Gravy And Chicken-Fried Steak - Kenny Bill Stinson
La Porte D'En Arriere - D.L. Menard
Bon Chien - Geno Delafose
Marie Lavaux - David and Roselyn
Basin Street Blues - Henry Butler
Time Is On My Side - Irma Thomas
Check Your Bucket - Eddie Bo
Let Your Mind Be Free - Soul Rebels
La Vida De Un Jaibero - Irvan Perez

Amazon.com

The remarkable two-disc River of Song is the first of a stunning multimedia project (including a four-part PBS documentary, public-radio interviews, and book) on which an array of artists under the tutelage of director-curator Anthony Seeger give voice and share the lore of America's great Mississippi River. The musical journey is parceled into quadrants: from the Northern headwaters, slicing through Twain's heartland; snaking down into the Deep South; wending through Louisiana, where music is king; and culminating at its life-giving, life-taking mouth, the Gulf of Mexico. Prolonged visitation occurs in musical meccas Minneapolis, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans, showcasing the abundant talent and distinct sound of each locale. River of Song celebrates not only the landscapes through which the water traverses but also the colorful cultures that have sprung from and thrive at her banks: Native American, Dutch, African-American, Cajun, and subcultures and hybrids of youth and religion, including indie-rock hipsters, heartland country rockers, Delta blues men, Mexican Dixieland jazz, and both black and white gospel musics from deep believers of faith. Much like driving the Natchez Trace, the journey is profoundly American--deeply affecting in providing not only a sense of the present but of our very roots. --Paige La Grone

Album Description

This two-hour, 36 track, musical journey down the Mississippi from the headwaters to the delta captures the power and diversity of American music in the late 20th century. The music, recorded between 1995 and 1997 in small towns and large cities along the river, reflects centuries of interaction and experimentation along America's great waterway. 48-page booklet.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful variety of music.......2000-11-29

I don't normally write reviews, but since this great CD set has no review currently, I thought I'd make an exception. If you are passing by I urge you to give these tracks a listen. You'll find blues, gospel, rock, and various other tpyes of ethnic music. I've yet to play this to anyone who didn't like it. It's fun, it's moving and it's a great buy. Check out "Hilda the red-headed Swede".

Music:

Music

Music