Updated June, 2007

Archive 1/2003

Our thanks to Dr. Crane for his contributions to this newsletter
and his constant communication with the Guild.
See the JHG Store for more information on his publication VIM.

More CDs
Reviews by Fred Crane

Crystal Records CIRD 1052-2 (1995). Lifok, Fancilay Sa'aniwan-Datok. It really pleases me to see a record of this kind.
The player is Lifok, a man of the Amis minority of Taiwan, who live mostly in the eastern lowlands. He plays 26 short pieces on the datok, a traditional bamboo trump with a bamboo tongue lashed to its frame. A cord runs from the end of the datok through its protective bamboo case; the player's left hand holds the case, while the right hand pulls on a cord on the other end to set the tongue in vibration. This compilation appears to represent a precious legacy; Tadagawa Leo thinks Lifok may be "the last keeper of the Jew's harp tradition of the Amis." I take the tunes to be traditional. Leo translated their mostly programmatic titles for me: "Practicing Tune," "Amis Dance Tune," "He Has Come," "Sea Wave," Moonlit Night," etc. The lively music has for me a distinct charm. Its pentatonic scale is a bit unexpected from a trump. The notes are in Amis and Taiwan Chinese. Probably out of print.

Dandelion Records DL-101 (2002). Larry Hanks, Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail. It's nice to have Larry's 1982 LP reissued on CD. It has only two trump tracks, with four traditional tunes, but they already show his technical and expressive mastery of the instrument. Larry has a voice that cuts right through to the listener; his other ten tracks feature his singing and his classical-style guitar. The whole is a microcosm of American history, as Larry says, "with the feeling and spirit alive and intact, still fresh for us to relive and understand." Order from Dandelion Records, 2740 Prince St., Berkeley, CA 94705, or from larry@larryhanks.net.

Wergo Spectrum SM 1608-2/281608-2 (1995). Masters of Raga: L. Subramanian, Shree Priya. The solo violinist is accompanied by the drum mridangam and the string drone tanpura, and in addition by the tambourine kanjeera and the trump morsingh, the last two played alternately by R. Yogaraj. The performance is a complete 69-minute Karnataka ragam-tanam-pallavi. The initial rhythmically free section, and the second, which introduces a rhythmic pulse, lack the rhythm instruments. But the morsingh is prominent throughout most of the third section. Notable are: an interesting 2 1/2-minute morsingh solo, an extensive "question-and-answer" between the mridangam and morsingh, and a following duet; and more. An excellent example of South Indian trumping. Order from Postma/Paclax, Breestraat 16, NL-4381HX Vlissingen, The Netherlands (e-mail: paclax@zeelandnet.nl).

The Jew's Harp Guild/Mouth Music Press DBS-2707 (2002). North American Jew's Harp Festival 1998-2000 Highlights. Buy this one! Diversity has characterized all the trump festivals, as if to prove over and over that this supersimple instrument has quasiinfinte possibilities. And these 22 samples from three years of the NAJHF are as diverse as anyone could imagine. There are a passel of world-class players; wonderful solo improvisations; compelling duets; tradition; frivolity. Order from The Jew's Harp Guild, 69954 Hidden Valley Lane, Cove, OR 97824, U.S.A. (www.jewsharpguild.org), or Mouth Music Press, PO Box 6444, Boise, ID 83707, U.S.A. (www.mouthmusic.com).

Sylvartun Folkemusikk SYLVCD 4 (1990). Torleiv H. Bjørgum and Hallvard T. Bjørgum, Fire of the Amazons (Skjoldmøyslaget): Legendary Music of Norway. Norwegian-language version: SYLVCD 2 (1990). Skjoldmøyslaget. 29 tracks, 16 of them played on the Hardanger fiddle by Hallvard T. Bjørgum, six on the munnharpe by Torleiv H. Bjørgum, two by the latter on the Hardanger fiddle, and four on the ordinary fiddle (there is also a six-second track on which Torleiv sings the first phrase of the following munnharpe tune). Torleiv H. Bjørgum (1921-1990) devoted his life to maintaining the musical and other traditions of Setesdal, Norway. His son Hallvard T. Bjørgum (b. 1956) carries on the work. This CD is an entertainment, but also a work of scholarship, with detailed notes on the sources of each tune, in the 36-page booklet. Hallvard is a noted performer on the Hardanger fiddle; his selections on this record are memorable. Torleiv's 7 1/2 minutes of munnharpe make the record a valuable addition to the collection of any faithful fan of the trump. Most of the tunes
feature those rhythms so elusively contradicting the stomped beat as to bewilder the non-Norwegian ear. Order from Sylvartun Folkemusikk, Nomeland, N-4748 Rysstad, Norway (e-mail: hal-bjoe@online.no), or Postma/Paclax.

Sylvartun Folkemusikk SYLVCD 8 (2002). Torleiv H. Bjørgum, Bjørgumspel Vol 1: Farkadden (2002). 42 tracks performed by Torleiv H. Bjørgum, mostly on the Hardanger fiddle, ordinary fiddle, and voice, but including ten munnharpe tracks with a total duration of ten minutes. The munnharpe performances are comparable to those on SYLVCD 4. With a much-illustrated 36-page booklet. I have not seen SYLVCD 1, Klunkaren, or SYLVCD 2, Dolkaren, but both feature Torleiv
H. Bjørgum, and may well have more trumping. Order from Sylvartun Folkemusikk.

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