Description
Twenty-three tracks featuring a selection artists from the 21st Illawarra Folk Festival at Bulli held in January 2006.
Artists include: Vivienne Sawyer, Slacky Flat Festival Band, Lin Van Hek, Neil Adam & Judy Turner, Bhan Tre, Joe Dolce, Nick Charles, Davidson Brothers, Chloe & Jason Roweth, Cantolibre, John Dengate, Jigzag, Helen Rowe, KaOZ Klezmer, Junior, Steve & Ros Barnes, Alan Musgrove, Women in Docs, Vince Brophy, madd marianne, Maureen O’Brien, The Rhythm Hunters, Wongawilli
CD REVIEW – With a well-deserved reputation as one of Australia’s leading folk festivals, this compilation CD of selected performers from the 21st festival held in January, 2006, features (not surprisingly) the cream of Australia’s traditional and contemporary folk musicians, together with a solitary reciter (Vivienne Sawyer).
All tracks except the Slacky Flat Festival Band’s “Coal Dust Tattoos” are sourced from current CD releases of the featured artists, and it is therefore a terrific sampler of the current Australian folk scene.
It is always an invidious job to single out any particular artist from such a CD, given the variety, and too daunting a task to list all of the artists.
However, you’ll find here, in fine form, the legendary John Dengate, the joyous sound of Jigzag, the delightful Women in Docs, and the trad sounds of Wongawilli.
In addition to the performers from the Anglo-Celtic tradition, you’ll find the likes of Joe Dolce with “Pizza, Pizza”, Cantolibre with the sound of Brazil, KaOZ Klezmer playing (what else but) klezmer music, and The Rhythm Hunters playing their unique blend of Asian influenced folk music on (among other instruments) Australian wine barrels.
In short, the CD has a cornucopia of music all within that broad (and tolerant) church of folk music that we have come to know and love today.
If you went to the 21st Illawarra Folk Festival, this is a fabulous slice of memorabilia (depending, of course, on how much you remember of the festival!).
If you weren’t lucky enough to be there, then this CD is a tempting taster for the broad, electric and always dynamic variety that is the hallmark of the Australian folk music scene.
Independent release obtainable from www.illawarrafolkclub.org.au
