thefolksinger’s Blog

Today I am off to teach some difference, or differences, between the styles of country guitar, folk guitar, and blues guitar.  That’s a bit tricky, because I have my own style, which is an eclectic mix.  So we will see what happens.  It is not my own class, but a world music class taught by Professor Emma Zevik.  If anything interesting happens, I may remember to note it later.

The program last night with Hugh Corbin was a fine success.  Good crowd, terrific response.  Hugh reads just like he did twenty years ago, and simply fills the room with passion, energy, and humor.  And protest, since he knows how to read that sort of poem. Nelle found his reading of Bob Dylan’s lyrics to Masters of War (I strummed a background, while Hugh declaimed the words) to be as effectively condemnatory today as it was so many years ago when Dylan first sang the song.

The program was videotaped, so hopefully some who missed it will still get a chance to see it.  Hugh and his wife Maris will return to Barbados in a few days. 

Twenty some years ago, round the time son Eirik graduated from Hillcrest in Jos, Nigeria, Hugh was an educator working with the ministry of education in Jos.  He, Nelle and I performed a well-received program at Hillcrest one evening, Hugh reading poetry and Nelle and I singing folksongs. Now Hugh is visiting his son in Cairo, Egypt, and has consented to repeat the performance.  We spent time Friday going over the planned content, and Hugh’s voice and vibrant energy has not diminished over the years. Hope our energy is up to his; then the program will be a special event at AUC.

Early Sunday morning in Cairo, and I am just writing a few words for a first blog on the wordpress site. Some brief intro material: I am an American male, married with grown children who have flown the coop and are raising families in various parts of the world. My wife Nelle and I are retired, but keeping our hands in education projects in Cairo. Nelle tutors children from a particular family that sends them to a school where both of us used to teach English. I am now an adjunct professor (or intstructor, it’s not quite clear) of music in the Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) Department of the American University in Cairo (AUC). Adjunct here means half-time, local contract, and low pay, but lots of interesting experiences. I teach two courses: playing the guitar aid piano by ear, and intro to pop American music by genre. I also present one concert per term, where I share the stage with other musicians from Cairo, usually folk musicians from various countries.

Tuesday next, October 11 will be an “extra” performance. A special one. Hugh Corbin, an American/Barbadosian poet, artist, educator, and general wonderful person, will be reading from various poets at the AUC’s Howard Cafe, at 8 PM. Nelle and I will be with him, presenting some folksongs between the poems. Should be a great night.

I hope to develop, soon, some podcasts where any interested folk can subscribe to songs I develop and record. At present, the only website where I have my “adult” material is http://www.thefolksinger.com. A cd for children and learners of English is found at http://www.cdbaby.com/evenhouse.

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