May 2005

We are approaching the completion of our second year together. If we had to choose, we of course would prefer to be busy making the news rather than reporting it; and that has been predominantly the case for the past many months, and why it's been a while since our last update. At long last, I'm grabbing a few moments to recount some of the highlights of our most recent year. And to announce a couple of exciting developments.

Recent Performances
Overall, the full houses and standing ovations that have greeted us have been extremely gratifying. We've enjoyed enthusiastic, singing audiences at such disparate venues as The Guthrie Center (Great Barrington MA), Temple Israel (Croton NY), Tribes Hill Summer Solstice Festival (Valhalla NY), Norman Rockwell Museum (Stockbridge MA), World Fellowship Center (Conway NH), Camp Kinderland — where the kids sang not only the choruses but the verses as well! (Tolland MA), PACE (Easthampton MA), MusikFest (Bethlehem PA), Jacob Burns Film Center — appearing with a screening of 'Wasn't That A Time!' and Janet Maslin interview of Harold Levanthal (Pleasantville NY), Hurdy Gurdy Coffeehouse (Paramus NJ), Our Times Coffeehouse (Garden City NY), Arts Barn (Gaithersburg MD--where the mayor officially declared October 9th Work o' the Weavers Day), Walkabout Clearwater Coffeehouse--together with Pete Seeger & Fred Hellerman in "How To Beat The Blacklist" (Katonah NY), Heritage Hills (Somers NY), Philadelphia Folksong Society (Germantown PA), Orangetown Jewish Center (Orangeburg NY), Performing Arts Center of Tarpon Springs FL, Performing Arts Center of Lake Wales FL, Court Square Theatre (Harrisonburg VA), Institute of Musical Traditions (Silver Spring MD), Towne Crier Café (Pawling NY), Caffé Lena (Saratoga Springs NY), Unison Arts Center (New Paltz NY), and Roots & Shoots Festival--with Dr. Jane Goodall (Danbury CT).

Celebrating Tzena Composer Issachar Miron
And just this week in New York City we joined the artist-laden celebration of Issachar Miron's 85th birthday; Issachar, as you may recall, is the composer of Tzena Tzena, The Weavers' first big hit. A contemporary Renaissance man, he has also distinguished himself as a photographer, filmmaker, poet and humanitarian. In addition to Tzena (joined onstage by Pete Seeger), we sang his lovely Alleluia and lively Shabat Shalom. For the occasion I made up a verse for Hey Li-le-li-le-li-le but we didn't have the chance to share it: "Our world is brighter to have known (Hey Li-le-li-le-lo) Our good friend Issachar Miron (Hey Li-le-li-le-lo)."

Israel Tour 2006
Speaking of things Hebrew, we've been invited to headline the Jacob's Ladder Festival in Nof Ginosar, Israel, in May of 2006. This festival on the Sea of Galilee has been going for 30 years and invites one foreign performing act each year; in 2006, we're it. After the festival, we'll participate in a folk music conference at Ben Gurion University in the Negev, and we also plan to pay a visit to Naveh Shalom/Wahat A Salaam (Oasis of Peace), the community of 50% Jewish/50% Arabic inhabitants living and working together. We also hope to have a few more public performances, but they have yet to reveal themselves.

New Lower Prices!
Our Work o' the Weavers Live In Concert CD has been selling briskly, and enjoying airplay on numerous radio stations with discriminating hosts. Now here's some great news: Since the cost of manufacturing CDs has continued to drop, we've decided to pass along the savings to you, our friends and fans. If you haven't yet got a copy, or if you'd love to give them as gifts, now's the time to pick up a rousing recording that has been affirmingly reviewed by everyone from Sing Out! Magazine to The Washington Post, and get a bargain at the same time. The new price—reduced 25%—of our CD is now just $12, and when purchased in quantities of 4 or more, the price drops to only $10 each. (Same goes for our Work o' the Weavers T-Shirts.) That's 12 bucks each or 4 for $40. Plus Free Shipping! Go to http://www.worldwindcd.com/wotw.html and buy 'em by the bunch! Mix & match, no limit.

50th Anniversary
This year marks 50 years since The Weavers sang in the face of the Blacklist, reuniting in 1955 at Carnegie Hall for a triumphant sold-out concert which, along with the release of the Vanguard LP of that milestone event, gave heart to a generation beset with the Cold War and McCarthyism; and provided a foundation upon which virtually every subsequent folksinger would build. It's for this reason, as well as for the music we all know and love, that we continue to celebrate the work of The Weavers. We hope to see you soon at a musical venue near you.

Take heart, and as Lee used to say, "This, too, shall pass."

James
for David, Mark & Martha

2004 News and Notes
2003 News and Notes