Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways - Hardcover

Carlin, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061563552 ISBN 13: 9780061563553

Publisher: Smithsonian, 2008

Synopsis

A man, a microphone, and a dream

When he opened his tiny recording studio in New York in 1940, Moses Asch had a larger-than-life dream: To document and record all the sounds of his time. He created Folkways Records to achieve his goal, not just a record label but a statement that all sounds are equal and every voice deserves to be heard. The Folkways catalog grew to include a myriad of voices, from world- and roots-music to political speeches; the voices of contemporary poets and steam engines; folk singers Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie and jazz pianists Mary Lou Williams and James P. Johnson; Haitian vodoun singers and Javanese court musicians; deep-sea sounds and sounds from the outer ring of Earth's atmosphere. Until his death in 1986, Asch—with the help of collaborators ranging from the eccentric visionary Harry Smith to academic musicologists—created more than 2000 albums, a sound-scape of the contemporary world still unequalled in breadth and scope. Worlds of Sound documents this improbable journey. Along the way you'll meet:

A young Pete Seeger, revolutionizing the world with his five-string banjo
The amazing vocal ensembles of the Ituri Pygmies
North American tree frogs
Ella Jenkins's children's music
Lead Belly singing "The Midnight Special"
The nueva canción of Suni Paz.

Folkways became a part of the Smithsonian Institution's collections shortly after Asch's death. Today Smithsonian Folkways continues to make the "worlds of sound" Moe Asch first dreamed of 60 years ago available to all. The Folkways vision is expansive and all-inclusive, and Worlds of Sound advances its rich and lively spirit.

About this title

About the Author:

Richard Carlin is the author of several books on folk, country, and traditional music. He worked for Folkways Records as an independent producer from 1975 to 1980, and is currently Executive Editor for Music at Pearson Prentice Hall. He lives in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

Review:

Worlds of Sound is a monumental study that captures the vision of Moses "Moe" Asch and his lifelong effort to preserve folk music in the 20th century. Richard Carlin eloquently captures Asch's life and his recordings in a book that features stunning photography and artwork.

"The book is breezy but insightful and informative, with the chapters covering different aspects of the label and its history, so it's easy to skip around, and it's laid out with lots of pictures of album covers, recording sessions, and documents for the label's history."

About this edition

• Publisher: Smithsonian
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0061563552
• ISBN 13: 9780061563553
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304