Bengal's Corner

US visa regulations have caused the cancellation of festivals such as
Boston College's Gaelic Roots Festival, and have choked off access to
performers and teachers--unless they risk being caught as vacationers
who do gigs. Recently a Cape Breton fiddler was interrogated for 4
hours at the border and then banned for life because of informal plans
to join some American musicians for some performances and workshops.

The problem is that the US focuses only on commerce, and cultural
exchange is not about commerce. Many times performers who share and
teach cultural traditions can't afford the visa fees or the rush fees
($1000!) to get things done in less than 95 days, and they're not
permitted to add or change their itinerary! This just chokes off
cultural exchange for Irish, Canadian, Hispanic, Asian--all sorts of
communities who bring in people to demonstrate and teach, people who
deserve some compensation for time and expenses but who are not
primarily in it for commercial reasons. Big bands who tour can manage
the work visas but not the little guys who pass along tradition--

Please sign the petition at this link, so we can get the ball rolling! And spread the word!

Thanks.

[sent by Ed Pearlman]

Cap ès Trad, émission produite par le Centre de valorisation du patrimoine vivant (ÈsTrad), est diffusée pour une deuxième année sur les ondes de la radio communautaire CKRL (89,1) à Québec, le dimanche soir de 19h00 à 21h00. Elle est co-animée par un collectif d'animateurs qui se relaient de semaine en semaine : Sophie Pomerleau, Lina Giguère, Paul Marchand et Robert Bouthillier. Deux heures de musiques traditionnelles du Québec et de toutes les autres traditions musicales apparentées (Acadie, Louisiane, Nouvelle-Angleterre, Bretagne, Irlande, etc., etc.). Un rendez-vous hebdomadaire avec les traditions orales et musicales d'ici (le Québec, bien sûr) et d'ailleurs, dans leurs formes les plus enracinées comme dans leurs déclinaisons les plus contemporaines.

Cape ès Trad, transmission produced by the Center for the Development of the Living Heritage (ÈsTrad), is broadcasted for a second year on the waves of the community radio CKRL (89,1) to Quebec, on Sundays evening, 7 to 9 P.M. It is presented by a group of coordinators that take turns week in week out: Sophie Pomerleau, Lina Giguère, Paul Merchant and Robert Bouthillier. Two hours of Quebecois traditional music plus other musical traditions such as Acadian, from Louisiana, from New England, Breton, Irish, etc. A weekly appointment with the Quebecois oral traditions - in their most rooted form as in their more contemporary evolutions.

Direct online access: here.

Ralph Page (well-known New England contra dance caller) published a newsletter called "Northern Junket", starting in 1949. The entire collection has been digitized (as images) at the University of New Hampshire.

There is at least one issue (Volume 6, Number 4, May 1958) devoted to French Canadian dance and music, and it includes La Cardeuse:

issue starts here.
La Cardeuse is here.

The issue contains music as well as dance instructions. The foreward says that this is the 2nd special issue devoted to Canadian dance - I haven't found the previous one (and don't know what area of Canada it covers) or whether there were subsequent issues - I'll poke around the site and post a followup if I find more Quebecois items.

The Northern Junket Home is here.

[Thanks, Brown]

The Fan's Choice Award is the only East Coast Music Award voted on by the public, and fans have until Friday, February 27th at midnight (AT) to cast their vote. Cast your vote online at link 1 or link 2.

The ECMA 2009 Fan's Choice Award will be announced March 1st during the East Coast Music Awards co-hosted by Newfoundland songstress Damhnait Doyle and Jian Ghomeshi of CBC Radio One's 'Q'.

************

One of the candidates this year is the talented Andrea Beaton!
If you want to show your support, it's just one click away...


Bengal.

Hey! Ever wonder what it would be like to have Christmas in Killarney, or anywhere in Ireland? Check out this article at the Irish Fireside.

And if you're looking for Celtic Christmas music, traditions and more, check out my new Celtic Christmas website.


IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST - CHRISTMAS EDITION
For those who are wondering, I hope to record my Celtic Christmas special today. So it should be out by the end of the week. In the meantime, check out the Cleveland Celtic Podcast. Wendy will have TWO fantastic Christmas shows this year.

Marc Gunn

JMI: Journal of Music in Ireland today announced that it is unlocking its entire online archive.

The resource, which can be accessed free here, comprises the complete back-catalog of the magazine and contains hundreds of articles, interviews, reviews and listings. The publishers of JMI believe the move will stimulate international interest in Irish musical life and provide valuable exposure to Irish musicians and composers.

Moreover, the archive represents a unique record of Irish musical life since 2000, and will be a valuable resource for musicians, composers, students, academics, journalists or anyone worldwide with a serious interest in Irish music.

The resource can be explored with our intelligent site-search facility, or by browsing by date or by the names of contributors. Visit the site to delve into this musical treasure trove.

The Editor, JMI.

I'm not into announcing products here, but I would recommend as holiday gifts (or for any other special occasion) the albums of all the talents we discuss, write about and don't miss a concert. The holidays are not about gifts but about gatherings, and to be among your beloved ones is a blessing in itself...

Having said that, I've discovered this French atelier - Atelier des Elfes - years ago and was captivated by the gorgeous pieces they do. I'm mentioning here because I know some of you will be interested, and also to share the creativity of the artist that develops these pieces. Please, keep in mind I'm not connected with the artist in any way though.

Bengal.

Just a quick note to let you all know that Altan's new website is up and running (but still with some lose links and being updated).

From that site you can also reach Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh's new website, which isn't fully functional either. From that site you can order her new album, when it becomes available (Probably after the launch, December 28).

Other interesting links, through Altan's site, are:
Lúnasa,
Dáithí Sproule,
Tony McManus,
among others...


Upcoming Concerts - Altan:

26 December - McGrory's of Culdaff - Inishowen, Co. Donegal
1 & 2 January - Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy - Gaoth Dobhair
8 January - The Barns At Wolftrap - Vienna, Virginia
9 January - Sanders Theatre - Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 January - Fairfield Theatre Company - Fairfield, Connecticut

*************************

Dec 10, 2008 - 11h20 PM

If you missed the comments in this entry, check out the following link. I decided to add this edit just in case someone doesn't go through the comments. A reader shared this one with us.

Bengal.

Just a quick note about RadioTrad website: everybody already noticed that the site is down. They actually didn't renew the contract and the domain will be changed. The new website is not in the air yet but soon will be, also under the command of a new webmaster. Keep an eye open and check the new domain from time to time: RadioTrad.ca.

Meanwhile, check them out at this link. These are older files but you still can check for lots of info.

*This article isn't music-related, but I wanted to share anyway. Bengal.*

September 19, 2008
Op-Ed Contributor

By HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON and CECILE RICHARDS

LAST month, the Bush administration launched the latest salvo in its eight-year campaign to undermine women's rights and women's health by placing ideology ahead of science: a proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services that would govern family planning. It would require that any health care entity that receives federal financing — whether it's a physician in private practice, a hospital or a state government — certify in writing that none of its employees are required to assist in any way with medical services they find objectionable.

Laws that have been on the books for some 30 years already allow doctors to refuse to perform abortions. The new rule would go further, ensuring that all employees and volunteers for health care entities can refuse to aid in providing any treatment they object to, which could include not only abortion and sterilization but also contraception.

Health and Human Services estimates that the rule, which would affect nearly 600,000 hospitals, clinics and other health care providers, would cost $44.5 million a year to administer. Astonishingly, the department does not even address the real cost to patients who might be refused access to these critical services. Women patients, who look to their health care providers as an unbiased source of medical information, might not even know they were being deprived of advice about their options or denied access to care.

The definition of abortion in the proposed rule is left open to interpretation. An earlier draft included a medically inaccurate definition that included commonly prescribed forms of contraception like birth control pills, IUD's and emergency contraception. That language has been removed, but because the current version includes no definition at all, individual health care providers could decide on their own that birth control is the same as abortion.

The rule would also allow providers to refuse to participate in unspecified "other medical procedures" that contradict their religious beliefs or moral convictions. This, too, could be interpreted as a free pass to deny access to contraception.
Many circumstances unrelated to reproductive health could also fall under the umbrella of "other medical procedures." Could physicians object to helping patients whose sexual orientation they find objectionable? Could a receptionist refuse to book an appointment for an H.I.V. test? What about an emergency room doctor who wishes to deny emergency contraception to a rape victim? Or a pharmacist who prefers not to refill a birth control prescription?

The Bush administration argues that the rule is designed to protect a provider's conscience. But where are the protections for patients?

The 30-day comment period on the proposed rule runs until Sept. 25. Everyone who believes that women should have full access to medical care should make their voices heard. Basic, quality care for millions of women is at stake.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Democratic senator from New York. Cecile Richards is the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

A very interesting link sent by a friend. Check it out.

Milton Nascimento: chant, guitare, sanfoninha;
Lionel Belmondo: saxophone soprano, flûte alto;
Stéphane Belmondo: bugle;
Eric Legnini: piano;
Thomas Bramerie: contrebasse;
André Ceccarelli: batterie…
Avec les cordes de l’Orchestre National d’Ile de France dirigées par Christophe Mangou.
Arrangements: Lionel Belmondo & Christophe Dal Sasso.

More.