March 2001

Shuggie Otis -- Sarah Bardeen reviews the CD Inspiration Information by Shuggie Otis (Shuggie as in sugar). It was first released in 1974 and was recently re-released. Bardeen says that it was an album ahead of its time, incorporating jazz, funk, rock and R+B elements. It's available from Luaka Bop, catalog number 72348-50473-2-9. (3:30)

Battle of the Bands -- David Greenberger reviews a new CD that jokingly delivers a "battle of the bands". It's a 2-CD set, from two different pop/rock bands, both led by musician Scott McCaughey. One band is called The Young Fresh Fellows; the other is The Minus Five. The battle is billed as The Young Fresh Fellows versus The Minus Five. The CD's liner notes even has instructions for tallying up a point count for each of the two contenders. The label is Mammoth Records, copyright 2001. (4:00)

Ed Sanders -- Ed Sanders, a former Yippie; member of the Fugs; and author of the bestseller about Charles Manson called, The Family, has embarked on a multi-volume history of North America in verse. Volume Two, which has just been published covers 1940 to 1961. Sanders envisions eight volumes. He's starting in the 20th century and working backwards. From New York, Tom Vitale reports. (7:30)

Mikhail Pletnev -- Critic Tom Manoff reviews Mikhail Pletnev, Live at Carnegie Hall. Manoff says Pletnev looks for the musical essence in every piece he plays, and probes the piano for every inch of sound and color, as if it were an orchestra. The electricity of the concert hall that night is very present on the recording. The audience responded with five encores, which are included on an extra disc with this release. The label is Deutsche Grammophon, copyright 2001. (4:30)

Johnstown Flood -- Noah Adams speaks with Kathleen Cambor, author of In Sunlight, In a Beautiful Garden. Her book is a novel based on the events surrounding the Johnstown flood in 1889. The flood claimed 2,200 lives after a dam burst on Memorial Day weekend. The book traces some of the complex social tensions between the residents of Johnstown and the wealthy Pittsburgh industrialists who'd built country homes nearby and on whose land the defective dam stood. The book is published by Farrar, Strauss & Giroux. (6:30)

Gabriel's Story -- Alan Cheuse reviews Gabriel's Story by David Anthony Durham. It's the story of runaway black youths in the great American West of the 1870s. The book is published by Doubleday. (1:30)

Paul Brady Review -- Banning Eyre reviews the new CD Oh What a World by Irish singer-songwriter Paul Brady. Brady used to be known as one of the greatest voices in traditional Irish music, but now his reputation as a pop songwriter is quickly growing. He's written songs for Bonnie Raitt, Tina Turner, Carlos Santana and many others, a fact that causes a little anguish for die-hard fans of traditional Irish music. Paul Brady's CD is Oh What a World on Compass Records, catalog number 7-4304-2. Compass Records can be contacted at info@compassrecords.com. (3:45)

The West Wing -- W.G. Snuffy Walden's new CD is called music by.... It's a collection of themes and incidental music that he's written for television. Walden's music has appeared on Felicity, Rosanne, Once and Again and Thirtysomething. His latest score is the theme to NBC's The West Wing. Noah Adams talks with Walden about how he writes music for TV and the concept behind the West Wing theme. (7:30)

Dave Fischoff Review -- David Greenberger reviews the new CD from singer/songwriter Dave Fischoff, called The Ox and the Rainbow. Fischoff has a distinctive, quiet, spare sound, with intimate arrangements. His songs usually consist of a solo guitar and no other voices but his, with a deep resonating bass drone that makes his work more mysterious and melancholy. The CD is on Secretly Canadian Records; they're a small independent label from Bloomington, Ind.(3:00)

Jim White -- Pensacola, Fla., native Jim White has put out his second CD. It's an odd mix of what White calls hick-hop. You'll hear spooky southern imagery mixed with electronic beats. Meredith Ochs reviews this CD, that is filled with great stories and instrumentation. The CD is called No Such Place, by Jim White on the Luaka Bop label. (4:00)

Island -- Alan Cheuse reviews a book of short stories called Island, by Alistair MacLeod that take place in his homeland of Nova Scotia. (2:00)

Mystic River-- Linda Wertheimer talks with Dennis Lehane about his latest book, called Mystic River, which follows three friends as youngsters and adults and the dark events in their lives. (6:00)

Nordic Music-- Robert Siegel talks with Finnish vocalist Wimme Sari about his music, a form of traditional singing called "yoiking". The yoik is used by the Sami reindeer herders of northern Finland to evoke a feeling, or express a desire. A yoik is a chant of sorts; it can have real words, or just sounds, or a combination. Wimme, a musician who goes by his first name only, has developed the yoik into a fascinating modern form. The CD is Cugu by Wimme, on Northside Records, #NSD 6048. For more info: www.noside.com (8:00)

Branco Review-- Banning Eyre reviews the new CD Post Scriptum by young Portuguese singer Cristina Branco, who specializes in a traditional form of music called "fado." The word "fado" means "fate" and fado songs are typically expressions of yearning, lost love, separation and angst. Branco did not grow up in the poor neighborhoods of Lisbon, which is home to fado music; she happened to discover the style as a teen-ager 10 years ago, and is now one of the singers helping to bring about a fado revival. Cristina Branco's CD is Post Scriptum, on Harmonia Mundi USA. For more info contact: www.harmoniamundi.com (3:30)

Orishas -- Banning Eyre reviews A Lo Cubano by the Cuban hip-hop quartet called Orishas. While spin-off releases related to the Buena Vista Social Club are captivating music fans outside Cuba, on the island of Cuba, the Orishas are big. This band is now based in France, though they insist they are not in political exile. A Lo Cubano by Orishas is distributed in the U.S. by Universal Music Latino, and is a joint production of Universal & Surco, catalog # 012 159 571-2. (3:30)

Math and Civil Rights -- Robert Siegel talks with Robert P. Moses about Radical Equations, his new book that translates algebra into common English. Moses is using this method with African American children in the South as part of a contemporary civil rights movement based on education. (5:30)

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