Lana, I know you've already made your choices, but if there's an impulse
buy in your future, I'd like to suggest either the soundtrack of "O
Brother, where art thou?" or that of "Down from the Mountain." They
contain essentially the same repertoire but different performances.
"O Brother..." was a musical retelling of the Odyssey but in 20th century
Appalachia. (Coen Brothers, need I say more?) The soundtrack consisted of
delicious performances of traditional mountain music (what most people call
bluegrass).
The music was so successful that there was a reunion concert of the artists
who had made the soundtrack, and *that* concert was the basis of the
documentary "Down from the Mountain," which I saw the other night and which
I heartily recommend. The music is rich: silly and fun at times, and at
other times unbearably sad; and most of the performances have that quality
of spontaneity and generosity that I imagine we all try to embody in our
own singing.
The movie also includes some enjoyable backstage scenes, including one that
is of particular resonance to me. Turns out Emmylou Harris is a baseball
fan, as I am, and she has this fantastic gizmo that enables her to catch up
on all the baseball scores in real time. It beeps when something important
happens... I'm combing the stores now for one of my own!!!
Go Yankees!
Naomi
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