New world of folk music

[Doug Francis]

This is somewhat off topic, but I wanted to share with you a recording that
has fascinated me lately. It is called The Imagined Village, and it is an
ambitious reinvention of the English folk tradition, embracing modern day
culture and its diversity (quoting from the back cover of the CD). Simon
Emmerson was the driving force behind it: he is also part of the Afro Celt
Sound System. He took folk icons like Martin Carthy, The Young Coppers, and
Chris Wood, added some experimental musicians like Eliza Carthy, Billy
Bragg, and Paul Weller, and turned them loose with some world music names
like bi-cultural Sheila Chandra, dub poet and chanter Benjamin Zephaniah,
the influences of Trans Global Underground and Anglo-Indian drummer Johnny
Kalsi. All the world influences - Indian, Jamaican - are also part of
contemporary British culture. They do renditions of traditional British folk
music, some original music that sounds traditional, and blends. The folk
tale of Tam Lyn is retold by the bass voice of Benjamin Zephaniah as an
urban dub/rap, with sitar added, as well as fiddle and drums, to give you an
example. The disc closes with what is labeled an English Ceilidh Medley,
featuring the Gloworms and the Tiger Moths. It reminds you that the Brits
were Celts before the Angles, Saxons and Jutes swarmed the isles. It is a
product of Peter Gabriel's Real World, and was released in 2007, and
followed by a UK tour which must have been wonderful. There is a web site at
www.imaginedvillage.com <http://www.imaginedvillage.com/>  where you can
order it - fat chance of it being in a big box store in the US. There is
also an assortment of both live and commercial video clips on youtube if you
search for "imagined village" . The folk songs and folk tales don't shy away
from the gritty pre-Disney sort with violence, sex, and betrayal, like John
Barleycorn Must Die. Again, my apologies if this seems off topic, but I know
there are some of you who will find this recording as fascinating as I have.