Videos

Various artists
Celtic Tides - A Musical Odyssey Putumayo World Music
PUTU 141-3 (1998), VHS, 55 minutes

Putumayo, long known for its musical recordings, makes its first venture into video with this tape. The producers (Hallway Productions of Nashville) have wisely allowed the artists to speak for themselves, and they must have been asked some fairly interesting questions. Mairéad Ní Maonaigh, Mary Black, Dougie MacLean, Loreena McKennitt, Ashley MacIssac and others reflect on their individual experiences in understanding and interpreting Celtic tradition. There's enough performance footage to give an idea of the musical approach and stage presence of each, and enough shots of landscape in transitions to give the music a context of place. What narrative there is in transitions between the artists is supplied by members of the Rankin family, helping the program come across very much as an artist focused project. The strongest of a three prong package (tape, CD, book) with the Celtic Tides title, the tape could serve an a fine introduction to certain aspects of Celtic music for those not familiar with it, while the depth of the comments by the musicians make it interesting to experts on the subject, as well. While its understandable that the producer would limit the discussion of the Celtic diaspora in the New World to a specific region (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia), the one weakness of the tape and accompanying descriptions is that they suggest that this comprises the full range of Celtic music in the Americas. That's a small drawback, really — as long as you know there's more to be explored, this tape is a fine place to hear excellent music and conversation from a wide range of today's top Celtic artists. - Kerry Dexter (Tallahassee, FL)

Doc Watson &
David Grisman
In Concert
Vestapol 13082 (1999)

In the early 1960s, Doc Watson, a seasoned performer, called David Grisman, then a talented teenager, up on stage to play and they've been friends ever since. This meeting finds them both as master musicians at the top of their craft, blending the traditions of bluegrass, country blues, jazz and folk music into their own unique language.

They are joined by Watson's frequent accompanist Jack Lawrence and this video features generous helpings of everything one might expect when musicians of this caliber get together to perform. The repertoire will not be unfamiliar to folks who have listened to Doc Watson for a while; it includes "Shady Grove," "Deep River Blues," and a stunning version of "Soldier's Joy."

Watson and Grisman perform "In The Pines," which was the first tune that they played together, and the group plays a pleasant version of Gershwin's "Summertime" and test their chops on Grisman's "EMD," a tasty bit of Dawg music. The only thing better than listening to Doc Watson and David Grisman is watching them perform together. - Andy Allen (Towson, MD)