Program Notes and Some Misc. Items

TRADITIONS: Over the years many of the requests have involved Railroad Songs. Myself---I have always loved them. From the early traditional ones to the ones by Hank Williams, Leadbelly, and so many others. One cannot ever forget the classic Steve Goodman piece---City of New Orleans.

So I do hope you will be there for the March 11 program. I will devote much of the 4 PM hour to RR songs---from Roy Acuff to Steve Goodman and more. If you have requests let me know---here or: wfdutraditions@yahoo.com


Additionally we shall be debuting--as we always do--some wonderful new work by some truly talented and creative artists.

Sunday Simcha: We are blessed with some wonderful new work by some very talented people that have new takes on old material. Always a delight. And comedy is over the top this week. I would he curious to know how many people recognize the songs that Mickey Katz is satirizing

Tabletalk: Spring has almost sprung--so can baseball be far behind. I welcome Jerry Amerac to the program on 3/11 to speak about his book about The Bambino---Babe Ruth.

Misc. Items: Noah Paul Stookey below:

A CD has come to me that I was totally blown away with. MUSIC TO LIFE 2006. It features so many meaningful pieces. Pieces to make us think and at the same time to appreciate as topical and contemporary music. No---not Disco, not Rap, not Music with a beat. More in the area of meaningful music that has been with us for years---from even before Phil Ochs and Pete Seeger. Music that speaks to us and is not "background". Not Muzak.

I am delighted that Erik Balkey is one of the writers featured on this---a guest on our program and a person who practices what he says.
Now I will add a few honest thoughts regarding the material. Much as I agree with most of the thoughts I will also admit that some of the thoughts are a bit simplistic but well intentioned. We, after all, know that there are many shades of Gray (Grey). There is not really and black and white to an issue---well, some anyway,. Some are B and W.
Noah Paul Stookey is the producer of this album. I am hoping that I might have the privilege---I use the word properly---of having him join me on TRADITIONS or TABLETALK to speak of this work. I met him some years back. I was not in my radio mode and he was not in his performing mode. A few years later he did a symposium at NERFA with Si Kahn and others.. Let me say that person is what he seems and someone I hope will join me on the program to expand and expound on his thoughts.

As we might say on Sunday Simcha---a real MENSCH

If you really like reading these long dissertations let me suggest the Maureen Dowd column in today's (3/3) NYT. Me--I like a Gore/Edwards ticket.