Untitled - Mariposa Folk Festival

Festival a group the likes ol which few
of us have ever heard. The "All-Stars"
come by therr title honestly: the ninepiece
band is composed ol many of
the best-known performers of
Ou6b6cors traditional music, including
five former members ot the
group Eritage. The band consists of
Marcel Messervier, Raymond Messervier,
Baynald Ouellette, Vincent
Ouellette. Gilles Robin, Francine
Desjardins, Marc Benoit, Yvan Brault
and Jean-Pierre Joyal. The basic
instrumental lineuo will include twin
fiddles, an accordion section,
saxophone, piano, and bass. This
Eric Nagler divides his time
between Toronto and Killaloe,
Ontario. He grew up in the heyday of
tolk music in New York City in the'60s,
and when he arrived in Canada in 1 968
he founded the Toronto Folklore
Centre, the first store of its kind in this
country. Since he first picked uP a
banjo at the age of 1 4, Errc has learned
to play a prodigious array ol
traditional instruments including
mandolin, dulcimer, bodhran, psaltery,
musical saw, bones, and others too
numerous and obscure to mention.
Over the years Eric's public concerts
have become increasingly familyoriented:
he apoears on CBC-TV'S
series
"The Elephant Shoe" and will
be a guest on "Sesame Street" in the
fall. Eric's music appeals to parents
and children alike.
BARRY O'NEILL
Barry is a Toronto expatriate living
in Chicago, and one of the best
singers of Canadian traditional songs
you'll hear anywhere. Barry sings a
cappella or accompanies himself on
the concertina. He is also a noted
folksong scholar and Uillean (lrish)
piper. Barry's enthusiasm for the
folksonqs of his native land and his
fine periormances at many Mariposas
past have done much to encourage
other singers to take up "the by lellow Newfoundlander Emile
Benoit on the fiddle, and Frank Maher
on the accordion, Jim and Kelly will be
performing traditional and iontemporary
folk music of
cause".
We are happy to have him back home
again.
"the Yank Rachell is a great blues
mandolinist whose original style has
influenced the likes of Ry Cooder. His
strong performances recall over lifty
Rock". years ot playing the blues, and for
many years he performed with the
POCUL! LUDIQUE SOCIETAS
legendary Sleepy John Estes. More
recently Yank has found an ideal
musical partner in guitarist Peter
Roller, who will be accompanying him
at Mariposa. Together they'll serve up
a real treat for blues tans at this vear's
Festival.
RARE AIR
THE ORIGINAL HURDY
GURDY MAN AND LADY
promises to be high octane" music:
fasten your seatbelt!
The reunion of this imoressive
group of musicians has been the work
of M. Armand Labreoue of Montmagny,
Quebec (left, in photo). Their
reoertoire and instrumentation is an
attempt to recapture the sound of the
influential and popular Quebec City
band, "Les Montagnards Laurentians".
The 'Montagnards performed regularly
on the radio and were
immensely popular between about
1940 and 1955.
METAMORA
see
DALGLISH LARSEN
AND SUTHERLAND
No, they're not just a couple ol
cranks! Donald and Anicet Heller
bring back to life the entertainments
of the troubadours and players of old
Europe. Performing on hurdy gurdies
and other early instruments, they
stroll and cajole just like their
mediaeval counterparts. Don't miss
their fascinating presentations of
shadow puppetry and all manner of
other delightf ul diversions.
Their Latin name translates looselv
as "The Drinking and Playing Societf'
and they're equally adept at both! The
P.L.S. is a Toronto theatre group
specializing in plays from the Middle
Ages and the Renaissance. In its 20year
history the group has delighted
countless audiences locally and
abroad with its often hair-raising
recreations of early theatre spectacle
- pageant wagons, angels, devils,
fireworks and all - and its great
outdoor productions ol colourful
mediaeval plays. Knockabout comedy,
dancing, singing, fighting and lots of
audience participation give their
performances timeless appeal.
They're fast, furious and lots of fun!
JOHN PRINE
What can we say about a group
whose publicity brochure promises to
reveal
"the ERIC NAGLER
secret lile ot bagpipes" and
inouires.
"What
music is hidden in that
most violent of instruments, the
Scottish Sten Gun, otherwise known
as the Highland Snare Drum?" Rare
Air (formerly Na Cabarfeidh) will
demystify these and other mindboggling
enigmas over lhe course of
the weekend. Patrick O'Gorman,
Grier Coppins, Dick Murai and Trevor
Ferrier make up this unorthodox and
dynamic group, whose arsenal
includes Breton bombard and biriou-
JIM PAYNE AND
KELLY RUSSELL
WITH EMILE BENOIT
ANO FRANK MAHER.
Newfoundland is a real treasurv of
folk tradition, both instrumental and
vocal, and it's thanks to the efforts of
young performers like Jim Payne and
Kelly Russell that more of it is now
reaching the mainland. Jim and Kelly
are both fine musicians, singers,
songwriters, actors and dedicated
folklore collectors who've been
involved with Figgy Duff and The
Wonderf ul Grand Band as wellas their
own individual careers. Accomoanied
Chicago-born, gravel-voiced John
Prine has been dubbed
'The American
Storyteller" for his incisive, often
humorous songs of ljfe, love and the
human condition. His songs
"Spanish
Pipe Dream",
"Dear Abby" and others
have become country classics, and he
draws large and loyal audiences
wherever he oerforms. John's
compositions have been recorded by
such artists as Bonnie Raitt, David
Allan Coe, John Denver, Johnny Cash
and Don Williams, and he has
appeared on TV music specialsforthe
Home Box Office and PBS. He now
makes his home in Nashville, where
he is currently busy working with
some of country music's finest
songwriters.
YANK RACHELL AND
PETER ROLLER
dffift
koz, cittern, lrish flute, and, ot course,
Highland bagpipes and snare drum.
GARNET ROGERS
Garnet Rogers comes from a family
of talented singers and songwriters,
and combines a repertoire of
sensitive, oiten introspective songs
with a deadpan, self-dePrecating
sense of humour. He's an impressive
guitarist and tiddler with a deep, clear
voice and a line ear for a good song,
whether traditional or contemporary.
Garnet performs original material as
well as classics by Canadian writers
like David Wiffen, Doug McArthur and
Archie Fisher, and occasionally a
sonq or two bv his late brother Stan.
Gar-net recenily completed a U.S.
concert tour and wrapped up
Mariposa's spring concert series in
Toronto.
PANDIT SHARDA SAHAI