Sonya Cohen Cramer - You've Been a Friend to Me

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40259

Format: CD, Album
Country: United States
Released: May 17, 2024
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist
01 Oh, Blue: With Penny Seeger Cohen (02:04)
02 A Squirrel Is a Pretty Thing: With Peggy Seeger (01:38)
03 When I Was Most Beautiful: With Pete Seeger (02:55)
04 Hide and Seek: With Last Forever (03:23)
05 In the Pines: With Last Forever (02:35)
06 Louis Collins / Spike Driver Blues: With Last Forever (03:50)
07 All for You: With Last Forever (05:45)
08 You've Been a Friend to Me: With Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (03:24)
09 Black Jack Davey: With Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (05:23)
10 No Place to Fall: With Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (03:06)
11 Oh the Wind and Rain: With Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (03:32)
12 The Blacksmith: With Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (03:15)
13 Singing My Troubles Away: With Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (02:57)
14 Lowlands: With Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (05:04)
15 The Blackest Crow: With Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (02:16)
16 Sidewalk Wildflower: Sonya Cohen Cramer (04:46)
17 A Life That's Good: Sonya Cohen Cramer (03:08)
[Credits]
Producer: Reid Cramer, Dick Connette, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Daniel Littleton, Liner Notes: Carla Borden, Designer: Visual Dialogue, Mastering Engineer: Oscar Zambrano
[Notes]
Sonya Cohen Cramer (1965–2015) was raised in a family committed to revitalizing the oldest songs of the American musical canon. Like her father John Cohen of The New Lost City Ramblers, Sonya shared a belief in the transformative qualities of folk songs and traditional ballads. You've Been a Friend to Me is the first collection featuring Sonya's singing, and it reveals the full arc of her musical life through collaborations with her aunt Peggy Seeger, uncle Pete Seeger, Elizabeth Mitchell, Daniel Littleton, and the folk-fusion group Last Forever. While shaped by the roots of her family tree, the radiating and clear sound of Sonya's voice is distinctly her own.

The Social Power of Music

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40231

Format: 4 x CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2019
Genre: Latin, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Struggle, Protest
[Disk One]
01 We Shall Overcome: The Freedom Singers (02:09)
02 This Land is Your Land: Woody Guthrie (02:48)
03 De colores : Baldemar Velásquez, Aguila Negra (03:02)
04 Union Maid: Bobbie McGee (02:13)
05 If I Had a Hammer: Pete Seeger (01:54)
06 Reclaim the Night: Peggy Seeger (04:33)
07 Estoy aquí: Quetzal (05:21)
08 Deportees: Sammy Walker (04:57)
09 We Are the Children: Chris Kando Iijima, Joanne Nobuko Miyamoto, "Charlie" Chin (02:55)
10 I Woke Up This Morning: Fannie Lou Hamer (02:36)
11 I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die: Country Joe McDonald (02:59)
12 El pobre sigue sufriendo : Andrés Jiménez (03:26)
13 Ballad of the ERA: Kristin Lems (04:11)
14 Where Have All the Flowers Gone?: Pete Seeger (02:06)
15 Blowing in the Wind: The New World Singers (02:32)
16 Quihubo raza: Agustín Lira and Alma (03:50)
17 Solidarity Forever: Joe Glazer (02:30)
18 Joe Hill: Paul Robeson (03:00)
19 Joaquin Murrieta: Rumel Fuentes (03:35)
10 Which Side Are You On?: The Almanac Singers (02:10)
11 Legal/Illegal: Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger (04:12)
12 It Isn't Nice: Barbara Dane, The Chambers Brothers (04:05)
[Disk Two]
01 Amazing Grace: The Old Regular Baptists (02:44)
02 Come By Here: Barbara Dane, The Chambers Brothers (05:33)
03 Will the Circle Be Unbroken: The Strange Creek Singers (03:38)
04 Peace in the Valley: The Paramount Singers (03:50)
05 Many Eagle Set Sun Dance Song: The Pembina Chippewa Singers (02:11)
06 Zuni Rain Dance: Members of Zuni Pueblo (04:41)
07 Calvary: Shape-note singers at Stewart's Chapel (01:27)
08 Northfield: The Old Harp Singers of Eastern Tennessee (01:58)
09 The Call to Prayer / Adhān: Ahmad Al Alawi (02:10)
10 Zikr: Sheikh Xhemail Shehu, members of the Prizren Rifa’i tekke (02:45)
11 Buddhist Chants and Prayers: Tu Huyen, Hai Phat, Tam Thu, Hai Dat (04:34)
12 Kol Nidre: Cantor Abraham Brun (05:05)
13 Dayeinu: Raasche, Alan Mills (01:47)
14 Night Chant: Sandoval Begay (02:12)
15 Hark, Hark: Carolers from the Black Bull, Ecclesfield, UK (03:11)
16 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: The Princely Players (02:47)
17 The Old Rugged Cross: The Paschall Brothers (05:17)
18 Madre de Dolores : Hermanos de la Morada de Nuestra Señora de Dolores del Alto (02:56)
19 San Miguel : Francia Reyes (04:11)
20 I'll Fly Away: Rose Maddox (02:32)
[Disk Three]
01 Party Down at the Blue Angel Club: Clifton Chenier and His Red Hot Louisiana Band (04:51)
02 San Antonio Rose: Los Reyes de Albuquerque (02:38)
03 Jolie blonde: Austin Pitre (02:47) 04 Shake Your Moneymaker: John Littlejohn (04:19) 05 Beer-Drinking Polka: Flaco Jiménez, Max Baca (02:25) 06 In Heaven There Is No Beer: The Goose Island Ramblers (02:32) 07 SAM: Sam Brothers Five (04:10)
08 Golden Slippers / The Butterfly Whirl: Lester Bradley and Friends (04:31)
09 Sligo Indians / Paddy Clancy's / Larry Redican's / The Rambling Pitchfork: Tony DeMarco (04:21)
10 La entrega de los novios : Lorenzo Martínez (03:46)
31 Rock Dance Song: The Pembina Chippewa Singers (02:20)
12 Pow Wow Song: Chippewa Nation (02:52)
13 Mary Mack: Lilly's Chapel School, Alabama (01:58)
14 Johnny Cuckoo: Janie Hunter and children at home (01:15)
15 Rooster Call: John Henry Mealing and group (04:00)
16 Joy to the World: Elizabeth Mitchell (03:06)
17 Oylupnuv Obrutch: The Golden Gate Gypsy Orchestra (02:01)
18 Liberty Funeral March: The Liberty Brass Band (04:51)
19 Junkanoos #1: Key West Junkanoo Band (03:07)
30 The Star Spangled Banner: Unknown orchestra (01:16)
31 Mardi Gras Medley : ReBirth Jazz Band (04:33)
{Disk Four}
01 Viva la Quince Brigada : Pete Seeger (03:04)
02 Bella ciao : Singers of the "Bella Ciao" production of Spoleto (01:35)
03 A desalambrar : Expresión Joven (05:07)
04 Muato mua N’Gola : Lilly Tchiumba (02:34)
05 Un gigante que despierta (An Awakening Giant): Luis Godoy, Grupo Mancotal (04:03)
06 Hasret : Melike Demirag (03:10)
07 Prisioneros somos : Suni Paz (02:19)
08 Funeral do lavrador : Zelia Barbosa (01:59)
09 Izakunyatheli Afrika Verwoerd : South African refugees in Tanganyika (01:52)
10 The Boy with the Sunlit Smile: Mikis Theodorakis (02:48)
11 Hidup di Bui : Gambang Kromong Slendang Betawi, Kwi Ap (05:34)
12 Man and Buffalo : Caravan (03:40)
13 Why Need We Cry?: Cantor Abraham Brun (02:32)
14 El palomo (The Dove): Grupo Raíz (04:06)
15 Hvem sidder dér bag skærmen : Inger Nielsen (03:08)
16 Mon’ etu ua Kassule: Musician supporters of the MPLA (05:35)
17 Le temps des cerises : Yves Montand (04:37)
18 Chongsun Arirang: Singer from Central Korea (04:03)
19 The Passport: Marcel Khalifé (09:23
20 Inno della Resistenza: Choir of FLN fighters (01:28)
[Credits]
Producer, Writer and Liner Notes: Jeff Place and Huib Schippers, Liner Notes: Meredith Holmgren, Carla Borden, D.A. Sonneborn, James Deutsch and Jack Manischewitz, Writer: Anthony Seeger and Deborah Wong, Photographer: Hiroji Kubota, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger, Designer: Visual Dialogue
[Notes]
From parties to protests to prayer, music is a powerful catalyst for celebration, for change, and for a sense of community. Through making music together, we become bigger than ourselves. Whether singing with our families and friends or with thousands of strangers in an arena, music transforms lives, engages individuals, and connects local and global communities. The Social Power of Music chronicles the vivid, impassioned, and myriad ways in which music binds, incites, memorializes, and moves groups of people. This richly illustrated 124-page book, with 80+ tracks on 4 CDs, invites listeners into musical practices, episodes, and movements throughout the U.S. and beyond. These songs of struggle, devotion, celebration, and migration remind us that music has the potential to change our world.

Classic Folk Songs for Kids from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW 45080

Series: Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US Released: 2016
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Froggie Went a-Courtin’: Elizabeth Mitchell (3:49)
02 Polly Wolly Doodle: Pete Seeger, Bess Hawes, and Tom Glazer (1:51)
03 Skip to My Lou: Lead Belly (2:15)
04 I've Been Working on the Railroad: Ella Jenkins (1:27)
05 She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain: Sarah Lee Guthrie and Family (2:44)
06 John Henry: Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry (4:08)
07 Brown Girl in the Ring: Lord Invader (1:49)
08 Old King Cole: Jean Ritchie (1:11)
09 Green Grass Grows All Around: Sam Hinton (2:25)
10 La rana (The Frog): Suni Paz (2:05)
11 I Had a Rooster: Pete Seeger (3:55)
12 Go Tell Aunt Rhody: The Ritchie Family (1:45)
13 Miss Mary Mack: Ella Jenkins (1:59)
14 Yankee Doodle: Pete Seeger (1:41)
15 Rock Island Line: Snooks Eaglin (2:06)
16 Big Rock Candy Mountain: Tom Glazer (3:10)
17 On Top of Old Smoky: Pete Seeger (2:19)
18 Crawdad Hole: Cisco Houston (2:17)
19 Oh Susannah: Pete Seeger (1:18)
20 Goober Peas: Tom Glazer (2:03)
21 Arroz con leche (Rice and Milk): Young Mexican girls (0:37)
22 Riding in My Car: Elizabeth Mitchell (2:49)
23 Whoopie Ti-Yi-Yo, Get Along Little Dogies: Cisco Houston (2:05)
24 Home on the Range: Pete Seeger (1:51)
25 Shenandoah: Alan Mills (2:45)
[Credits]
Compiler and Liner Notes: Jeff Place, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger, Production manager: Mary Monseur
[Notes]
In Classic Folk Songs for Kids, curator Jeff Place culls a cross-section of 26 classics from the Smithsonian Folkways vaults to tell an intriguing story of American signature sing-alongs. The songs' origins are as fascinating as the songs are fun: centuries-old European ballads, an American Revolutionary tune, 19th-century American folksongs, African-derived game songs, a sea chantey, a railroad jingle, camp songs, and even an opera song! And the singers themselves are a who’s who of American folk music artistry—Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Cisco Houston, Suni Paz, Tom Glazer, Lord Invader, and many more. 56 minutes, 40-page booklet with lyrics.

Elizabeth Mitchell: The Sounding Joy

Christmas Songs In and Out of the Ruth Crawford Seeger Songbook

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW45074

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2013
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Oh, Mary And The Baby, Sweet Lamb (1:36)
02 Mary Had A Baby (3:11)
03 Rise Up, Shepherd, And Follow (2:43)
04 January, February (Last Month Of The Year) (4:00)
05 Joseph And Mary (The Cherry Tree Carol) (4:40)
06 Shine Like A Star In The Morning (2:19)
07 Joy To The World (3:06)
0 Christmas Day In The Morning (2:19)
9 Mother's Child (Child Of God) (2:28)
10 Sting-A-Lamb (1:56)
11 Great Big Stars (1:34)
12 Baby Born Today (2:37)
13 Ain't That A-Rockin' All Night (1:57)
14 Cradle Hymn (2:41)
15 Bright Morning Stars Are Rising (3:14)
16 Sing Hallelu (1:46)
17 The First Noel (2:41)
18 The Blessings Of Mary (4:05)
19 Oh, Watch The Stars (2:17)
20 Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming (1:42)
21 Mary Was The Queen Of Galilee (2:25)
22 Silent Night (3:22)
23 Singing In The Land (5:48)
24 Children, Go Where I Send Thee (6:56)
[Credits]
Elizabeth Mitchell (harmonium/vocals) Warren Defever (bass/guitar) Byron Isaacs (bass/guitar) Nancy Chusid (Bass) Molly Mason (bass/dulcimer) Larry Campbell (banjo/mandolin) Michael Merenda (vanjo/vocals) Suzan-Lori Parks (harmonica/washboard/vocals) John Sebastian (harmonica/vocals) Peggy Seeger (guitar/vocals) Happy Traum (guitar/vocals) Ruth Ungar (fiddle/vocals) Dan Zanes (harmonica/vocals) Chris Wood (bass/vocals) Clem Waldmann (drums/percussion) Jay Ungar (banjo/fiddle/viola) Kirsten Jacobson (flute/piano) Elizabeth Jerez-Clarke (harp) Jean Cook (fiddle) Abby Newton (cello) Emily Schaad (viola)Gail Ann Dorsey (vocals) Ken Ejinkonye (vocals) Lyn Hardy (vocals) Amy Helm (vocals) Michael Littleton (vocals) Penny Littleton (vocals) Storey Littleton (vocals) Natalie Merchan (vocals) Aoife O'Donovan (vocals) Joan Osborne (vocals) Anna Padgett (vocals) Sophia Reynolds (vocals) Simi Stone (vocals) Teresa Williams (vocals)
Daniel Littleton (bells/guitar/harmonica/harmonium/kalimba/percussion/piano/xylophone/vocals)
Producer & Liner Notes: Elizabeth Mitchell & Daniel Littleton, Liner Notes: Natalie Merchant, Cover Artwork: Brian Selznick, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramerr, Photographer: Jana Leon, Engineers: Justin Guip, Elijah Walker & Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
The Sounding Joy is a spirited collection of folk carols drawn from Ruth Crawford Seeger's 1953 songbook American Folk Songs for Christmas. Featuring Elizabeth Mitchell and a luminary list of her musical family, friends, and neighbors, this album celebrates the spirit of community and homespun traditions that existed in times before the commercialization of Christmas. Natalie Merchant, Aoife O'Donovan, Amy Helm, John Sebastian, Dan Zanes, Happy Traum, and many others including special guest Peggy Seeger all add their voices to pay tribute to a collection revered in the canon of American Music. 70 minutes, 32-page booklet with photos.

Putumayo Presents American Folk

Putumayo World Music – P240-A

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2005
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Folk Rock
[Tracklist]
01 Pale Moon: Shannon McNally (4:37)
02 You Don't Make It Easy Babe: Josh Ritter (2:30)
03 She Don't Like Roses: Christine Kane (4:45)
04 Don't Look For Me: Jeffrey Foucault (3:01)
05 Pour: Lori McKenna (3:45)
06 I Had Something: Lucy Kaplansky (4:14)
07 Shirt: Peter Mulvey (3:07)
08 Boots Of Spanish Leather: Nanci Griffith (5:17)
09 Rowing Song: Patty Griffin (3:22)
10 Jubilee: (2:51)
11 Owensboro: Natalie Merchant (4:20)
12 Judge Not Your Brother: Eric Bibb (4:33)
[Credits]
Producer: Dan Storper, Liner Notes: Jim Bessman, Illustrator: Nicola Heindl, Designer: Liliane Van Balberghe, Photographers: Danielle Hutchins, George Leisey and Abigail Seymour, Engineer: Emily Lazar
[Notes]
Putumayo is primarily a world music label; whether the focus is Celtic, African, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, or Latin music, the vast majority of Putumayo's compilations have had some type of world music connection. But American Folk is an exception -- and while this compilation doesn't unearth the sort of delightfully unorthodox things Putumayo has a way of finding (such as Scottish and Japanese artists playing salsa), it is a disc that isn't lacking when it comes to quality. As its title suggests, this 46-minute, 12-track CD spotlights American folk recordings -- specifically, American folk-rock recordings of the '90s and 2000s. Instead of getting into folkies who made their mark in the '50s or '60s, American Folk sets out to demonstrate that folk-rock is alive and well in the 21st century -- and many of the artists are people who emerged in the '80s, '90s, or 2000s, including Patty Griffin, Lucy Kaplansky, Shannon McNally, Josh Ritter, Christine Kane, and Nanci Griffith (who shines on an intimate remake of Bob Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather"). Natalie Merchant, meanwhile, is in fine form on her 2003 recording of the traditional "Owensboro," which favors a sparer and more stripped-down approach than most of her recordings with 10,000 Maniacs or her 1995 solo debut Tigerlily. Given Putumayo's history of being ultra-adventurous, it wouldn't have been surprising if they had come up with something by artists who are really pushing the folk-rock envelope (such as Adam Brodsky and Deirdre Flint, two Philadelphia-based anti-folk/folk-rock artists known for their madcap, over-the-top humor). But while American Folk isn't as daring as other Putumayo releases, it's still a worthwhile, engaging disc that paints an attractive picture of folk-rock in the 21st century.-- AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson

Elizabeth Mitchell: Sunny Day

Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 45064

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2010
Genre: Children's, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Children's
[Tracklist]
01 Sunny Day (1:32)
02 Shoo Lie Loo (3:10)
03 Mr. Rabbit (1:33)
04 Ooki Na Kuri No Ki No Shita De (Under The Big Chestnut Tree) (1:15)
05 Keep On The Sunny Side (2:56)
06 Lovely Day (2:26)
07 Reggae In The Fields (2:07)
08 Ong Tal Sam (Little Spring) (1:48)
09 Tell It Again (1:22)
10 Green, Green Rocky Road (2:22)
11 School Days (3:43)
12 Mystery Train (2:36
13 Oh, John The Rabbit (1:51)
14 David's Mandolin (2:48)
15 This Little Light Of Mine (2:20
16 Fairy Tale Lullaby (2:30)
17 Elephants All Over The World (2:02)
18 Little Buckaroo (2:37)
19 Tsuki (Moon) (2:19)
[Credis]
Artist: Elizabeth Mitchell, Producers: Waren Defever and Daniel Littleton, Photographers: Tania Barricklo and Laura Levine, Artist: Ida Pearle, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramer, Engineers: Warren Defever and Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
Sunny Day brings us "handmade" music of the finest kind, for folks of all ages. Elizabeth Mitchell, joined by her husband Daniel Littleton, daughter Storey, and lots of musical friends including Daniel Littleton and the Children of Agape choir from South Africa, weaves a tapestry of loving and spirited songs. Like her previous album You Are My Little Bird, Sunny Day reminds us of the beauty of the natural world and the magic found in the simplest moments of everyday life. 19 tracks, 43 minutes, 28-page booklet.

Music for Children, Music by Children

Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 45081

Format: CD, Album,
Country: US
Released: 2017
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Children's
[Tracklist]
01 Go Waggaloo: Sarah Lee Guthrie (3:30)
02 Little Liza Jane: Elizabeth Mitchell (2:25)
03 Did You Feed My Cow?: Ella Jenkins (3:15)
04 Hop High Ladies (Hop Up Ladies): The New Lost City Ramblers (2:29)
05 Shake Sugaree: Elizabeth Cotten and Brenda Evans (5:00)
06 Race You Down the Mountain: Woody Guthrie (2:28)
07 ¡Que llueva! (Let it Rain!): Suni Paz (1:05)
08 Botana: José-Luis Orozco (1:46)
09 Go In and Out the Window: Jean Ritchie (0:59)
10 Yomi, Yomi: Ruth Rubin (1:37)
11 Jim Along Josie: Pete Seeger (2:06)
12 Kaa Fo: Dennis Allen, A. Kdjo Tettey, and W.K. Amoaku (1:16)
13 Bring Me a Little Water, Silvy: Lead Belly (0:51)
14 Here We Go Loopy-Loo: Pete Seeger (2:24)
15 Loop de Loo: Children in Lilly’s Chapel School, Alabama (1:42)
16 Charlie Over the Ocean: Children in East York School, East York, Alabama (0:54)
17 I Must See (Amasee): Children in Brown's Chapel School, Livingston, Alabama (1:32)
18 Here We Go Willowby: Children from Minisink Day Camp (1:34)
19 London Bridge: Children in New York City (2:03)
20 Twenty-Four Robbers: Children in Chicago (0:58)
21 Al citron: Children in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico (1:20)
22 Gypsy in the Moonlight: Children at St. Belmont’s Home, Trinidad (2:03)
23 Jump Shamador: Children at P.S. 48, Bronx, New York (3:06)
24 Arroz con leche: Children in Cuenca, Ecuador (1:58)
25 A la rueda de San Miguel: Children in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico (1:04)
26 Ambos a dos: Children in Loíza Aldea, Puerto Rico (4:49)
27 Camp Songs: Bill Bones: Children in New York City (1:43)
28 The Fox: Six boys in New York City (1:10)
[Credits]
Compiler & Liner Notes: Patricia Shehan Campbell, Cover Artwork: Keith Patterson, Designer: Natalia Custodio, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
Like eating, breathing, and sleeping, children sing because they must. Music, the universal language, is learned in the earliest years of life and remains vital thereafter. This rich collection invites listeners of all ages to revel and participate in the colorful world of Smithsonian Folkways’ children’s music collection, with both music created “for children,” showcasing our most celebrated storytellers and songwriters, and “by children,” featuring the unique ways children express and understand themselves and the world through song. 57 minutes, 36-page illustrated booklet.