Pat Wictor

======= A Few Choice Words - August 16, 2008===========

By Pat Wictor              Subscribe: https://patwictor.com
                  Friday, August 16, 2008

• Music for the Dog Days
  
• Ears and Eyes: What I'm listening to and reading
  

     -Empire Falls, Jon Hendricks, and more

• Upcoming Gigs & appearances
  

     full calendar: https://patwictor.com
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Music for the Dog Days

It's been a while since you've gotten my newsletter, and I apologize for being out of touch. Everything's fine--I've been doing lots of gigs, selling the new CD and even relaxing a bit---and I've got some new things cooking, which I'll reveal in good time. I'm also working to put these newsletters out monthly, and I will reach that goal this fall, dagnabit! :-)

Meanwhile, it's August, and, so I'd like to recommend some songs with a little bit of sweat in them:

Curtis Mayfield, "Move On Up." This is Mayfield at his best: funky, sweet-voiced, socially aware, and inspirational.  Delicious.

Robert Johnson, "Love In Vain." One of Johnson's most laid-back performances, with great ringing guitar licks. He sounds almost introspective: "It's hard to tell, hard to tell, when all your love's in vain."

Jack Williams, "Natural Man." Jack plays his guitar like an orchestra, and writes and sings marvelously, with a lifetime of musical knowledge apparent in every note. This song is an affectionate tribute to the late Josh White, filled with string-bending guitar licks and soaring images.

Bob Dylan, "The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar." One of the most ferocious of Dylan's blues, stomping, cryptic, and apocalyptic: "West of the Jordan, East of the Rock of Gibraltar / See the turning of the page, curtain rising of the new age / The groom's still waiting at the altar." A lesser-known gem on "Shot of Love," an uneven record from Dylan's Christian period.

Fela Kuti, "Sorrow Tears and Blood." Fela was a unique figure, Nigerian but musically influenced by James Brown and Curtis Mayfield, and poltically by Malcolm X and Frantz Fanon. His concerts were legendary, lasting for hours, a giant celebration of rhythm and dancing mixed with sharp political commentary. Last night I saw an off-Broadway production based on Fela's life, and it was magical, like seeing a Fela concert with some special theatrical effects and narrative. I highly recommend it!  http://www.felaoffbroadway.com/

Drop me a note and let me know what music is getting you through the summer--I'd love to know.

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Links:

Curtis Mayfield singing "Move on Up" live in The Hague (Holland), 1987:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzsCP5QfcdU&feature=related

Robert Johnson, "Love in Vain":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKw8B2XOWro

Jack Williams singing "Natural Man" live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEQQC44HpmQ&feature=related

Bob Dylan, "Groom's Still Waiting"--it's really about the audio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYefcvWe-x0&feature=related

Fela Kuti, "Sorrow Tears and Blood" (w/ great photo montage):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxVy4FS46r0&feature=related
 (It's a 10-minute track--the vocal enters about 3 minutes in.  Gotta hear the whole thing, to get the ebb and flow of the piece. :-)

•--------------------------------------------------------------
Ears and Eyes:  What Im Listening to and Reading:
•-Music:
    Jon Hendricks and Friends, "Freddie Freeloader."  http://tinyurl.com/5f2fe3
    Bill Morrissey, "Come Running."  http://tinyurl.com/5vxhfz
•-Books:
    Richard Russo, "Empire Falls."   Buy the book:   http://tinyurl.com/6jfgff
    Jon Meacham, "American Gospel:  God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation."  
          Buy the book:  http://tinyurl.com/5oc5v9
•-----------------------------------------------------------------

Upcoming Pat Wictor gigs and appearances.  
Full calendar details and links:  https://patwictor.com

August 18  Knowlton River Fest, Knowlton, NJ   Sunday morning service
August 30  Moondancer Winery Folk Festival, Wrightsville, PA    Cheryl Prashker accompanies
September 7  The Place House Concert, Livingston, NJ
September 13  Madison Square Park, New York, NY  accompanying Joe Jencks
September 14  Boston Folk Festival, Boston, MA
September 19  Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, NY  w/ Jon Shain
October 10  Auction House, Audubon, NJ  (Philadelphia area)
October 11  Sounding Board, West Hartford, CT  "Saints and Sinners" w/ Toby Walker
October 12  Mara Levine CD Release Party, Edison, NJ  
October 24-26  FAR-West, Phoenix, AZ
November 1  Geoff & Julia House Concert, Silver Spring, MD
November 2  Liberty Village House Concert, Union Bridge, MD
November 7  First Friday Concert Series, New Haven, CT
November 15  Steel City, Phoenixville, PA
November 21  Fred Vine House Concert, Rochester, NY
December 7  Orangeburg Library, Orangeburg, NY
December 11  Second Thursday Concert Series, Babylon, NY   Cheryl Prashker accompanies
December 12  Good Coffeehouse, Brooklyn, NY   Cheryl Prashker accompanies

More dates being added all the time!

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Until next time:  many thanks, and warm regards,

Pat Wictor
patwictor@earthlink.net

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• Buy Pat Wictor's latest CD "Sunset Waltz" at CD Baby.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes
  

http://www.cdbaby.com/wictor5

Tell your friends to subscribe. Point them here:  https://patwictor.com

Do you want me to perform in your area, in your home, or at your event?
Contact my booking agent, McShane Glover   tel. 410-268-8232, or mcshane@mcnote.com

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                        contact info
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ABOUT PAT WICTOR
Modern Man's Rob Carlson says, "He not only is a great guy and a great talent, but I believe he has, follicle for follicle, the best hair in folk music.

If you are interested in booking Pat Wictor, contact McShane Glover:  
tel. 410-268-8232, or mcshane@mcnote.com

• Bio: https://patwictor.com and http://www.myspace.com/patwictor
  
• Videos on YouTube:  http://tinyurl.com/2vpo6p
  
• Contact Pat Wictor directly: patwictor@earthlink.net
  

. . .

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