2015 is the centenary of the birth of Alan Lomax (1915-2002), one of the most important figures in the international ethnomusicological research, the history of folk-blues of the United States and, probably, in the development of “composite” and evocative language of the most important generation of American songwriters of the twentieth century. As Bob Dylan reminds in his book “Chronicles”, Lomax – whose story intersects before songwriter from Dulut, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger – organizing “parties to which he invited folksingers. They were neither parties nor concerts, I do not know how you could call them, soirées? There could be Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley and Doc Boggs, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Pete Williams and even Don Stover and the Lily Brothers. Sometimes there were even some real convicts who pulled out in Lomax permission from state prison, bringing them up to New York to shout their work songs in his attic. Those invited to those gatherings were usually doctors of the district, city dignitaries, anthropologists, but there was always some regular person”. In view of this important event to the American Folklife Center is organizing a number of initiatives and has announced a schedule of events that are taking place in the coming months. Among the most interesting – and waiting to be confirmed in future – we recommend the meeting to be held today October 9 at the University of Louisiana, in the city of Lafayette, State of Indiana, entitled “Anniversaries 40 – 50 – 80: Festivals Acadiens et Creoles, Dewey Balfa at Newport, and Alan Lomax in Louisiana”. Among the interventions that affect the student of Austin and his work is in the program: “Conservation of Cultural Themes, creolization and modernization in the Work of Alan Lomax and Ralph Rinzler”. Also, remember (because you can find important information on the work of Lomax and the processes of digitization that are affecting his recordings), the meeting organized on 19 and 20 September in Louisville, Kentucky, titled “I’ve rambled This Country Both Early & Late: a Celebration of Kentucky Mountain Music”, dedicated to the travel that Lomax has undertaken in 1937 in the mountains of eastern Kentucky.

Autore: Daniele Cestellini

Daniele Cestellini ha scritto 752 articoli.

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