Alan lomax american patchwork magazine

Lomax later took him to new york where he performed to college audiences. The legacy of alan lomax american libraries magazine. A mark of expertise on paper, hobart smiths classic take on railroad bill, the paradigm for the snippet of notation shown here, might look straightforward. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activist, oral historian, and filmmaker. The son of pioneering american scholar and advocate of folk culture john a. The man was committed to capturing music as it was made in america and around the world real music. American patchwork television series, 1990 five dvds. Alan lomax 19152002 was a major figure in folklore and ethnomusicology. Works by alan lomax association for cultural equity. January 31, 1915 july 19, 2002 was an american ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. In its affable, roughedged way, american patchwork is strong stuff for public television. Alan lomax collection, manuscripts, american patchwork, 19781991, cajun country. Clay ross is a grammy award winning artist and the founder of the billboard chart topping band ranky tanky. From 1978 to 1985 alan lomax traveled the american south and southwest with a television crew to document regional folklore with deep historical roots.

This resulted in american patchwork, a prizewinning fivehour television series, which aired on pbs in 1990. From the resulting 500 hours of footage lomax wrote, produced, directed, and narrated five onehour documentary films focused on african american, appalachian. Beginning in 1978, alan lomax and his team shot ethnographic film and video footage in mississippi, arizona, philadelphia, louisiana, georgia, kentucky. From the alan lomax collection at the american folklife center, library of congress. This material from alan lomax s independent archive, begun in 1946, which has been digitized and preserved by the association for cultural equity, is distinct from the thousands of earlier recordings on acetate and aluminum discs he made from 1933 to 1942 under the auspices of the library of congress. The resulting 500 hours of footage became the fiveprogram series american patchwork,which aired on pbs in 1991. He was a folklorist, ethnomusicologist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activist, oral historian, and filmmaker. About the american patchwork series from 1978 to 1985 alan lomax traveled the american south and southwest with a television crew to document regional folklore with deep historical roots. Explores americas diverse cultural heritage through song, dance, story, and festival. Used courtesy of the association for cultural equity. This cd the audio accompaniment to an episode of alan lomax s american patchwork series on american roots music examines the roots of mississippi delta blues.

The land where the blues began alan lomax allmusic. Alan lomax collection, manuscripts, american patchwork. American patchwork a fivepart exploration of american regional song, dance, story and celebration, written and produced by alan lomax. Alan lomax 19152002 was a major figure in folklore and ethnomusicology, known for his theoretical work, cultural advocacy, and seminal public programs. Alan lomax was an american ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings. In a letter to the editor of a british newspaper, lomax took a writer to task for. Alan lomax continued his work lecturing, writing, and working with the association for cultural equity until his death at the age of 87 on the morning of july 19, 2002. Placestories project alan lomaxs american patchwork. Lomax produced recordings, concerts, and radio shows in the us and in.

Pbs television series american patchwork documented american regional cultures. His work includes the prizewinning 1990 pbs television series american patchwork and the multimedia interactive database called the the global jukebox, which he produced as an anthropologist for columbia university and hunter college. Alan lomax archive and the association for cultural equity. It offers songs, dances, stories, and religious rituals of the southern appalachians. Alan lomax collection, manuscripts, a recorded treasury of. American patchwork was a major project that provided rich glimpses into postbicentennial multicultural america. Download image of alan lomax collection, manuscripts, a recorded treasury of black folk song, 19781981, alabama.

The musical folklorist alan lomax included the three thompsons in his american patchwork documentary film series. Beginning in 1978, alan lomax and his team shot ethnographic film and video footage in mississippi, arizona, philadelphia, louisiana, georgia, kentucky, north carolina, virginia, and washington, d. Recorded between 1933 and 1959 by alan lomax, lewis jones, john w. Title alan lomax collection, manuscripts, american patchwork, 19781991, appalachian journey contributor names lomax, alan, 19152002 collector. All photos from the alan lomax collection at the american folklife center, library of congress, courtesy of the association for cultural equity.

Fortunately for archivists and music lovers everywhere, his painstaking documentation of the music and cultures of the world will be educating and enriching the lives of curious. The filmwork of alan lomax is a resource for students, researchers, filmmakers, and fans of americas traditional music and folkways. Traces americas creative traditions back to their european and african roots and points out how each regions. Burnside at home in independence, mississippi, shot by alan lomax, worth long, and john bishop in august, 1978. His work includes the prizewinning 1990 pbs television series american patchwork and the multimedia interactive database the global jukebox, which he produced as an anthropologist for columbia university and hunter college. A native of south carolina, ross moved to nyc in 2002 and has since collaborated with artists as diverse as gregory porter, cyro baptista, snarky puppy, and bobby mcferrin. From the resulting 400 hours of footage came the fiveprogram series american patchwork, which aired on pbs in 1991. Between 1978 and 1982, lomax traveled through the american south, catching on film a breathtaking array of music talent and traditions.

Lomax, and herbert halpert, the cd reveals much about the sources for delta blues musicians styles and. Scouring the backroads, honky tonks, and work camps of the deep south, he unearthed a treasure trove of songs and singers, documenting the music of the common man for future generations to discover. In addition rounder is distributing videos of lomax s five hourlong documentaries on american music, which were shown on pbs in 1990 as the american patchwork series. For more information about the american patchwork filmwork, alan lomax, and his collections, visit.

A musicologist who brought onceobscure blues and folk musicians into the mainstream eye, alan lomax has been referred to as the father of the american folk song revival for his introduction of. Preachers, singers, fiddlers, banjo pickers, moonshiners, cloggers, and square dancers recount the good times and the hard times of rural life there. His career began in 1933, when his father, john lomax, was asked to be the new head of the archive of american. When we digitized the 400 hours of video that lomax shot on threequarterinch umatic tape between 1978 and 1984 that aired on his american patchwork pbs series in 1991, we initially planned to build a video catalog that would accompany our online photo and. John and alan lomax were also responsible for collecting a number of the songs of the ritchie family of kentucky. Written, produced, and directed by lomax, the series is an. Clyde maxwell vocal and guitar performs corrina as his family and belton sutherland listen. The alan lomax collection 19972007, a cd series anthologizing lomax s sixdecade recording career, numbers over a hundred volumes. Several years ago, i noticed a particular strain of commentary recurring on the five clips that compose the recorded output of an utterly obscure and equally affecting singerguitarist named belton sutherland, whom lomax met in rural madison county, mississippi, in 1978. Alan lomax biography alan lomax january 31, 1915 july 19, 2002 spent almost 70 years as a folklorist and ethnographer, collecting, archiving, and analyzing folksongs and music in america.

Between 1978 and 1982, lomax traveled through the american south with a video camera for the first time, catching on film a breathtaking array of music talent and traditions. Much later, in 1990, his awardwinning pbs television series american patchwork documented american regional cultures. Alan lomax is an ethnomusicologist, record producer, and network radio hostwriter. Today, in partnership with the association for cultural equity, we are proud to announce alan lomaxs american patchwork project and the launch of its digital map on the. Alan lomax was a famous folklorist, archivist, ethnomusicologist, writer, and human rights activist from america. Few figures deserve greater credit for the preservation of americas folk music traditions than alan lomax.

Alan lomax 19152002 was a folklorist, an ethnomusicologist, a record producer, and a network radio host and writer. When we digitized the 400 hours of video that lomax shot on threequarterinch umatic tape between 1978 and 1984 that aired on his american patchwork pbs series in 1991, we initially planned to build a video catalog that would accompany our online photo and audio. Appalachian journey is one of five films made from footage that alan lomax shot between 1978 and 1985 for the pbs american patchwork series 1991. The macmillan company, new york, 1934, cloth, 625 pp. One of my tasks as curator of the alan lomax archive is to manage its youtube channel. Photos from cajun louisiana abbeville, lafayette, and mamou, among other locales shot as lomax and film crew produced footage of cajuns at work and play for what would become the cajun country episode of the american patchwork television series on pbs. In 1989, in furtherance of his earlier research into expressive behavior, lomax and a team of developers began compiling his most ambitious project, the global jukebox, a multimedia interactive database that. Throughout the seventies and eighties, lomax published journal articles and. Shot by alan lomax, john bishop, and worth long at maxwells farm, near canton, mississippi. Alan lomax travelled to britain during the 50s and collaborated with ewan maccoll on. Folk hero texas monthly the national magazine of texas.