Chanukah Party/Record Sets

10 p.m. to Midnight Host: Steve Winters

A two-part show: For the first hour, we begin four weeks of holiday programming by marking the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, an eight-day festival, also known as “The Festival of Lights,” commemorating the rededication of the temple of Jerusalem. For the second hour, we focused on two sets of albums that celebrate the folk music of Illinois and the revered Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

We long ago dispensed with the likes of “Top Ten” lists at year’s end and this year decided to recommend first-rate boxed sets or sets of album that would be appropriate for holiday gift-giving as keepsakes for the family “folkophile.” Both these sets are marvelously packaged with detailed notes.

“Folksongs of Illinois” comprises three separate CDs and is a project of the Illinois Humanities Council www.prairie.org . Largely produced by folksinger Bucky Halker, the music offers a comprehensive folk music picture of the wonderful breadth and diversity of folk music in Illinois. They albums can be ordered through the University of Illinois Press www.press.uillinois.ed

Throughout this year we’ve also been enjoying music from the Old Town School Of Folk Music series, which has issued four volumes on three CDs, much of the music drawn from the school’s teaching “Songbook.” The series is issued on Bloodshot Records www.bloodshotrecords.com

  • Artist, "Title", Album, Label

  • Yale Strom & Hot Pstromi, “Mermelshteyn’s Nign”, Borsht With Bread Brothers, Arc

    ---------------

  • Magpie, “The Story of Chanukah”, Last Month Of The Year, Sliced Bread

  • Herdman Hills & Mangsen, “Hanerot Halalu”, Voice Of Winter, Gadfly

  • Dan Crow et al, “Chanukah Oh Chanukah”, “Kindle A Light”, “Chanukah Blessing”, Chanukah At Home, Rounder

  • Woody Guthrie, “Chanukah Dance”, Hard Travelin’/The Asch Recordings, Smithsonian Folkways

    ---------------

  • Harriet Segal/Klezmer Conservatory Orchestra, “Making Latkes”, Oy Chanukah, Rounder

  • Shelley Posen, “The La-La-Latke Song”, “Put The Latkes On To Fry”, “Light One Candle”, Manna, Well Done Music

    ---------------

  • Win Stracke, “El-A-Noy”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 3, Illinois Humanities Council

  • The Gordons, “Shawneetown Flood”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 3, Illinois Humanities Council

  • Union Boys, “Solidarity Forever”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 3, Illinois Humanities Council

  • Bray Brothers, “Little Birdie”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 3, Illinois Humanities Council

  • Moser Brothers, “Jodler Landler”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 3, Illinois Humanities Council

    ---------------

  • Art Thieme, “Down By the Embarras”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 1, Illinois Humanities Council

  • Carl Sandburg, “Jay Gould’s Daughter”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 1, Illinois Humanities Council

  • Bucky Halker, “The Dying Miner”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 1, Illinois Humanities Council

  • Special Consensus, “Nine Pound hammer”, Folksongs of Illinois /Vol. 1, Illinois Humanities Council

    ----------------

  • Clack Mountain String Band, “New River Train”, Old Town School Of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 3, Bloodshot

  • Chris Winters, “Nine Hundred Miles”, Old Town School Of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 3, Bloodshot

  • Barb Silverman, “Hobo’s Lullabye”, Old Town School Of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 3, Bloodshot

  • Steve Goodman, “City Of New Orleans”, Old Town School Of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 4, Bloodshot

    ---------------

  • Lisa DeRosia, “East Virginia”, Old Town School Of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 2, Bloodshot

  • The Glowworms, “Tell Old Bill”, Old Town School Of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 2, Bloodshot