Folk&Blues

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"I've listened to many outstanding bands playing New Orleans jazz in Europe and South America through the years, and to a lot of musicians and singers displaying a solid technique, excellent voice and good feeling. However, polyrhythm is become rare in the rhythm sections of these bands, and brass and reeds keep growing tense and plagued with superficial euphoria. The Blues are often played like marches and sung .full blast, while Negro Spirituals sound as if they had been Dixieland classics from the very beginning., I've also seen many musicians flashy display for show biz purposes, whose egocentric manners generally take over and disrupt the group ensemble. It seems they had forgotten the art of listening and failed to' provide space for others -notwithstanding--- that only when the ego is relinquished can something greater and trascen?dental occur. The sound of traditional jazz played nowadays in Europe, South America and also in U.S.A. have lost contact with the folk roots, ie. the collective sustenance where all popular music must be rooted in order to keep its essential meaning. This is probably due to lack of information, sheer ignorance or commercial demands. I've also observed in country blues singers and folk music groups a similar tendency to stay apart from the real tradition -use of amplifiers or electric instruments, aggresive drums, etc.-, per?haps, again, in compliance with consumer and marketing requirements. The "Folk & Blues Records Company" was born out of my concern for this neglect and confusion that surround us. The pur?pose is to rescue those music groups wich outside U.S.A. are seeking to reach the sources of the genuine tradition, thus keeping alive the prehistory of New Orleans Jazz. The FOLK & BLUES group presented in this first record (from which derives our trade name) is from Buenos Aires City, Argentina. It was no easy task to draw them to the recording room. They consider work as continuous investigation process and so not worth being recorded. Gabriel D'Ambrose's move from town to a distant country place became a decisive factor. He had been wor?king with us for a long time and the possibility of recording before he left was very attractive to the group. And here we go. None of FOLK & BLUES members is a professional musician. They have to work at different jobs to make a living. None of them reads music with the exception of Margarita Lahore, who plays usually the role of the team conductor. Along with Gabriel and Margarita, Tito Petrera and Hugo Dominguez constitute the core group. Gustavo Fernandez was called to take part in the event, and due. to his enthusiasm, unique sense of humor and cooperation, he became a permanent member. Miguel Russo joined us at the last minute. He changed his "charan?go" ( a kind of five-stringed small guitar,a legacy. from the Peruviah. Indians) for the banjo and added his bass voice to the choir so as to complete the one Negro Spiritual left unfinished after Gabriel's departure. Jean Pierre Tulle brought his trombone out of a dusty case where. It had been sleeping for the past ten years, and after being told by phone about the tunes to be recorded and the key in which they were to be played, he come directly to the recording place -not without a suspicion regarding electronics and technology in general. There were two other special guests, each of them playing a different tune: Rodolfo Yoia, the Delta Jazz Band's leader, and Jose Mendez, a full member of the Philarmonic Orchestra of San Isidro and founder of the Old Time Jazz Band, of which Jean Pierre had also been a member. Both of them came right away to the studio with their instruments and improvised their parts without any previous rehearsal. . The music you will hear is just music played by friends. They are not great musicians or singers, but they search carefully and by their spontaneous and fresh interpretations they have a special place within traditional jazz and american folk music abroad; at least from what I gather is being done in this field. For those who have ears, let them hear... FOLK & BLUES RECORDS c/o Horacio Petrera P.O. Box 26 Zip. Code 1431 Buenos Aires City Argentina, S.A. email: tito@petrera.com.ar MARGARITA LAHORE Vocal - Piano - Kaze GABRlel D'AMBROSIO Vocal - Guitar. - Banjo - Mo HUGO DOMINGUEZ Brass Bass TITO PETRERA Cornet GUSTAVO FERNANDEZ. Vocal - Guitar. GUEST FRIENDS JOSE MENDEZ Trumpet MIGUEL RUSSO Vocal ? BANJO JEAN PIERRE TULLE .Trombone