Music
A Depression- Era Playlist
Poet David Lehman provides a list of his favorite songs from the 1930s, including works by Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen and others
October 07, 2009 |
By David Lehman
Celebrate Oktoberfest with Smithsonian Folkways!
As summer segues into autumn, it's time once again to dust off your lederhosen, crack out the sauerkraut, throw the best bratwurst on the barbie and raise a stein to Oktoberfest! This 16-day celebration originated in Munich in the early 1800s and has since been celebrated the world over thanks to h...
October 01, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Motown Turns 50
For years, the recording industry excluded black artists. Along came Motown, and suddenly everyone was singing its tunes
September 29, 2009 |
By Marian Smith Holmes
Jewish Bluegrass
Lovers of the banjo, fiddle and mandolin blend cultural identity and religious faith to create a uniquely American sound
September 24, 2009 |
By Jen Miller
Go Back to School With the Smithsonian!
Back to school season is upon us! Students are spazzing over course schedules and the teachers they have to expand their minds. Teachers are sure to wonder what young minds they get to contend with over the course of the next school year and parents are prepping for an onslaught of PTA meetings and...
September 03, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Lester Young Turns 100
Billie Holiday’s favorite musician, jazz great Lester “Prez” Young brought a hip, freewheeling sensibility to his saxophone playing
August 25, 2009 |
By Jamie Katz
Celebrate Bad Poetry Day
Happy Bad Poetry Day everybody! Crack out your bongos along with your pad and paper and be unashamed to lay down a bit of verse that ought never see the light of day again! Stoke the creative fire of your soul and let loose those ladies from Nantucket with reckless abandon all over the nearest blan...
August 18, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Folkways Legend Mike Seeger Dies
The ATM Blog regrets this Friday’s passing of Mike Seeger at age 75, a long-time contributor to the Smithsonian Folkways label. A dedicated proponent of "old-time" music, this accomplished musician and singer helped keep traditional, rural roots music alive, recording the performances of the musici...
August 10, 2009 |
By Jeff Campagna
Arlo Guthrie Reminisces About Woodstock
The folk musician talks about his new album – a lost recording of a solo concert held days before the legendary music festival
July 31, 2009 |
By Jeff Campagna
The Folklife Festival is Back on the Mall!
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is back—that ten-day celebration that has been happening on the National Mall since 1968. Every summer the Smithsonian Folklife Center promotes cultural education by highlighting the conventions and customs of social groups from the world over. This year, come on o...
June 24, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Send Your Birthday Wishes To Pete Seeger
UPDATE: From everyone at the Around the Mall blog and Smithsonian Folkways, we’d like to thank you for sharing your happy birthday messages with Pete! If you’d still like to post, please do so by Tuesday, May 5th at 5 PM EST, after which we’ll close the comments and send the messages to Pete. Thank...
May 01, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Jukebox: Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger is still singing the ballads that popularized folk music and transformed the genre into a call for action
May 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Julia Keefe’s Jazz
The young musician discusses the joys of improvisation and her new tribute to fellow American Indian artist Mildred Bailey
April 09, 2009 |
By Katy June-Friesen
For Smithsonian, Mangione Memorabilia 'Feels So Good'
The jazz flugelhornist and composer kicks off Jazz History Month with a donation to the National Museum of American History
April 03, 2009 |
By Jeff Campagna
Benny Goodman's Clarinet
Late in his career, jazz musician Benny Goodman favored a Parisian “licorice stick” as his instrument of choice
April 2009 |
By Owen Edwards
"Blues Music is Truth" - A Farewell Tribute to John Cephas
Born in 1930, John Cephas grew up with the blues. At age 9, his aunt sat him down and taught him how to play the guitar. And before Cephas was a teenager, he had his own guitar, which he used to entertain weekend guests at his family’s home in the Foggy Bottom area of Washington, D.C. The tradition...
March 27, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
The Importance of Irish Pirates
Without pirates, there may not have been a St. Patrick. According to historians, 1,500-year-old lore states that St. Patrick was born in Banwen, Wales, kidnapped by pirates at the age of 16, and made a slave in Ireland for 6 years. During that period, St. Patrick turned to religion and came up wit...
March 17, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
A Jazzed-Up Langston Hughes
A long-forgotten poem about the African-American experience is given new life in a multimedia performance
March 13, 2009 |
By Laban Carrick Hill
