Topic: Washington Phillips

[Bunker Hill]

Still unable to lay hand to those Leadbelly Letter sheets (1991-1996 none ever more than 4-10 pages) but the photo description given on the Greg Miner page is what I can see in my mind's eye (PMH seated with the instrument in front of him on lap or otherwise supported) which is probably why I jumped to the conclusion it was a zither. I'll keep hunting for the newsletters, hope I haven't loaned them out!

[lindy]

Here's a nice version of "What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?" by Riley Baugus.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14099046

Links to three songs are to the left. "Long Steel Rail" is particularly powerful.

Lindy

[Mike Brosnan]

Haven't studied the lyrics so much, but as far as adapting "Denomination" to guitar... Check out The Kitchen Syncopators' version on their most recent studio album: "Underwood".   I can't find any samples online, but this album is well worth the purchase (and so are all the rest of 'em).  Sounds to my amateur ears like C position capoed at the second fret.  Fairly accessible.  Not too flashy, but the melody's there so...
 Edit: Doh! Just realized that album's sold out?!?!  Hopefully they'll re-release it or make it available for downloading...
http://www.rustys.web.aplus.net/kitchen2/cds.htm

[Pan]

Here's a Washington Phillips medley played on a Dolceola. Although very nice, it doesn'ts sound like the instrument played on WP's records, IMHO.



Cheers

Pan

[Prof Scratchy]

This does though:
http://www.fretlesszithers.com/clips/newlastword.mp3
For more go to:
http://www.fretlesszithers.com/wp.html

[Pan]

This does though:
http://www.fretlesszithers.com/clips/newlastword.mp3
For more go to:
http://www.fretlesszithers.com/wp.html

Agreed! Thanks, professor!

[Parlor Picker]

This does though:
http://www.fretlesszithers.com/clips/newlastword.mp3
For more go to:
http://www.fretlesszithers.com/wp.html

Too right, Scratchy. Uncannily like the Washington Phillips sound.

[btasoundsradio]

[Parlor Picker]

And check out "I am born to preach the gospel" on the Weenie Juke by the Kennet Sheiks featuring our own Marshcat. It's a cracker!

[Slack]

Nice article in The New Yorker about Washington Phillips.  I enjoy Amanda Petrusich articles, I may have missed it, but has anyone read her book? "Do Not Sell at Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World?s Rarest 78rpm Records"

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/some-of-us-are-haunted-by-washington-phillips

[Stuart]

Thanks for the heads up, John D. I look forward to reading it. I read Amanda's book and enjoyed it. IIRC, there was a discussion of it here:

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=10166.msg86940#msg86940
 
and:

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=10911.msg95840#msg95840

I have an interview done with Amanda on the CBC radio program "Q" by Jian Ghomesi before the scandal forced him out. It's too large--20MB-- to attach here, but I'll send it to anyone who wants to listen if you send me a PM with your e-mail address. 

[Slack]

Thanks Stuart, I recall some of what is in those threads, but missed a lot!

[waxwing]

Looks like this is the best Washington Phillips thread to post this in.

Last night I was at a monthly gathering in which I perform for some portion of the "acoustic hour" (depending on how many are sharing that hour). Last night I shared split it with a couple of newcomers to Third Thursday, one of whom was named Caroluna. She was setting up and setting levels on an accompaniment track of tabla and tambura, which got my attention as one of my closest friends is a top American sitar player. Suddenly I was blown away when she pulled out this instrument:

https://goo.gl/images/em8d3L

Afterward I showed her pictures of WP with his Manzarene and she was about as blown away as I was. She told me the instrument was a swarmandal and was a traditional hindu instrument. She sang meditative songs with a beautiful etherial voice.

Here is more info about the instrument which seems very likely to have been the inspiration for the Phonoharp companies celestephone and phonoharp, which Phillips fused together.

http://worldmusicconcert.blogspot.com/2011/07/swarmandal.html

Wax

[Kokomo O]

So Wax, did the swarmandal sound like the manzarene?

[waxwing]

Well, in descriptions of both the manzarene and the swarmandal it is stated that they could be tuned to various tunings. I would say Caroluna's tunings, being more like those of a sitar (also variable) using hindustani scales, were quite different from Phillips' and her playing style was more broadly strummed, dronelike, than his, but they both have the same harp like quality.

Actually, you can here it fairly well on the samples of tracks 2 and 5 on her CD Baby page:

.https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/Caroluna

Wax