Surely you have come across jokes about certain musical instruments and genres — banjos, accordions, and bagpipes, polkas, Oompa bands, and yodelers. Even when one appreciates some of the music, the jokes are still amusing.
As I continue to sort through the collection of vinyl albums I have inherited from friends and never really paid attention to before, I came across the above gem in the music the late Dan Clark of Northfield had in his collection. I still chuckle looking at the cover. Yet when I placed it on the turntable, expecting something outrageously funny, I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed it.
I can hear the sneering laughter and feel the loss of respect from readers who have just seen those words. I probably would feel the same way if someone else said such a thing.
Yet, really, it is a wonderful album capturing an ethnic tradition that few Americans appreciate today.
It made me think of other traditions that are overlooked today, and reminded me of a documentary I saw a couple of months ago about Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, a Greek musician known professionally as Vangelis.
Starting his career in the 1960s as a member of The Forminx and Aphrodite’s Child, he later performed in a duo with Jon Anderson of Yes, releasing several albums as Jon and Vangelis. He is best known, however, as a keyboardist, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music, including his Academy Award-winning score for “Chariots of Fire” and another for “Blade Runner”. His music also was featured in the 1980 PBS documentary series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage” with Carl Sagan.
Vangelis also had a deep interest in traditional and religious songs and he released a progressive rock concept album titled “Earth” that was inspired by ancient Greek music. He also recorded a few songs with Greek singer Melina Mercouri and collaborated with Greek actress and singer Irene Pappas on two albums delving into those folk traditions. He also was inspired by Chinese musical traditions and released an album titled “China”.
He performed his choral symphony “Mythodia” at an open-air concert near the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, and at the Temple of Zeus in Athens. He later did the score for the Greek film “Kavafis” or “Cavafy” portraying the life of Greek poet Konstantinos P. Kavafis (Constantine P. Cavafy). Sean Connery later narrated Cavafy’s poem “Ithaka” with music specially composed by Vangelis.
The musician died on May 17, 2022, in Paris, France.
Your exploration of old records brings back a happy memory when my cousin and I (then in our teens) had a wonderful time digging through the old 78 rpm records at our grandparents' house. The title of one song that I remember to this day was "Keep Your Skillet Good and Greasy." Gracious -- how southern was that!