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Issue #73 |
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Last Update May 20, 2013 |
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New York Stringer is published by NYStringer.com. For all communications, contact David Katz, Editor and Publisher, at david@nystringer.com |
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Arts Dave Sear in Port Washington by David Katz April 8, 2013 Some performers flash across the sky and are gone. Some seem to last forever. The good ones that last remain fresh even though they have been performing for decades. Dave Sear is one of these. Most recently, at he performed a folk concert in honor of Jean Richie, a long-time Port Washington resident famous for songs of her native Kentucky coal country. Leaning heavily on songs of Appalachia (and one by Jean Ritchie herself), interspersed with Civil War era melodies (including Lincoln's favorite tune) and some humorous pieces, Sear provided old favorites for his faithful audience to sing along with and some new tunes to peak their interest. Accompanying himself on banjo and twelve-string guitar, and sprinkling his singing with commentary on the music, Jean Ritchie, and his own life as a folk singer, he gave the audience a concert that was both lively and scholarly. The music ranged from hollers (“Wake Up Jacob”) to dance tunes (“Black Eyed Susie”, “Get Along Home Little Cindy”,) to songs of the Depression (“Hallelujah I'm a Travelin'”), to English traditional (“Gypsy Rover”, “The Scotsman”) to commentary (“City of New Orleans”, Jean Ritchie's “Blue Diamond Mines”, “This Land is Your Land”), to Civil War tunes (“”Lincoln and Liberty”, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, “Little Black Bull” – Lincoln's favorite). Dave's voice, a tenor which has blended well in the past with Pete Seeger, Oscar Brand, Tom Paxton and many other legendary folk musicians, was strong, accurate and perfect for the music he was performing. His instrumental work, as always, was nimble and inspiring. For the last few numbers, Dave was joined by his granddaughter Marissa, an excellent young clarinetist with an easy way with an audience. Her accompaniment to Gypsy Rover added a classical richness to this old British tune. It's always good to watch a true professional at work. Dave Sear made that work seem easy. His audience appreciated that. |
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