Ballads Blues & Bluegrass

A gem of music history, Back in the early `60s, Greenwich Village was the happening place
This film debuted at the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival on Tuesday, June 19, at the Grammy Museum. It's a gem for music lovers, especially if you have a yen for a little music history. Back in the early `60s, Greenwich Village was the happening place, experiencing a revival of American Folk Music consisting of, as the title suggests, Premiere of Ballads, Blues, and Bluegrass and no little influence and presence of jazz.

An organization called the Friends of Old Time Music (founded by Ralph Rinzler, Izzy Young, and John Cohen) made it their mission to introduce New York City audiences to some of the era's best folk, blues, and bluegrass performers. After the first two F.O.T.M. concerts in early 1961 (featuring Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley, and Doc Watson), Alan Lomax invited the artists and a who's who of the folk revival back to his West Third Street apartment for an impromptu song-swap. That's the birth-place of this charming, informative and, incidentally, musical...

A worthwhile visual trip into the mind of Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax did so much for the promotion of folk and roots music in America, and while he is heavily recognized for his efforts, his true passion has not been witnessed much until this film was finally released last year. There is such a great mutual respect between Lomax and the musicians he works with here in the film. No one but Lomax would have ever been able to get an Appalachian banjoist/singer to jam with a Chicago blues bassist (Roscoe Holcombe and Willie Dixon, respectively) in an apartment setting. The intimacy of the film is an added treat (seeing Ramblin' Jack Elliot sneak off with a girl to somewhere else in the room), as you really "feel" like you are there. Folk guitar legend Doc Watson appears, but because this was filmed before his rise to notoriety, he serves as a back-up musician. The only real disappointing thing about this video is that it is only 35 minutes long. The additional 25 minutes of John Cohen (musician at the filming) and George Pickow (cameraman) is...

Good one time
Because of my interest in oldtime music, I learned of this film in Oxford magazine and was eager to view it. I was happy to find it available on Amazon at a reasonable price, I probably will not view it often, but I am pleased to add it to my collection, especially the section with Roscoe Holcomb.

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