This is about as far away from Joe Zawinul and Led Zeppelin as we’re
likely to get here in the Practice Room. Juneberry78s.com
offers a Roots Music Listening Room, with “…Old-Time String Bands, Ballads
& Breakdowns, Early Blues & Gospel, some Early Jazz, Vintage Country
Gospel, Early Bluegrass and various Ethnic Musics played by immigrants to
America. Most of this material was originally recorded in the 1920s through the
early 1950s and was first issued on 78 RPM Records.”
There are thousands of tracks here. In addition to the broad categories
listed, you can find Irish dance music (1920s-1970s), Cape Breton fiddle music
(1930s-1950s), Calypso music (1930s-1950s), Cajun music (1920s-1970s), and on
and on.
This stuff is not for everybody, obviously. Most of the players were
little more than amateurs, recorded on primitive equipment. Mostly they did not
have contracts, agents, entourages, costumes, personal assistants, expensive
haircuts, expensive drug habits or inflated impressions of their own importance.
They didn’t require purple carpets, Jack Daniels or color-sorted M&Ms in
order to play music.
All that aside, if you can get past the old-time aesthetic and the
scratchy sound, you may find some music you like.
[TJH]
Comments