- event type:WOMEX 24 Conference Session
- date:24 Oct 2024
- time:11:45 - 12:45
- city/area:Manchester
- venue:Conference Room 3, Manchester Central
- country:United Kingdom
- event posted by:Piranha Arts
Links
Chaired by
Susan Ohori (USA), KSFR Radio;
with
Maureen Gosling (USA), Protesta Productions
Jon Kertzer (USA), Seattle Town Hall;
Adam Machado (USA), Arhoolie Foundation
An overview of Chris Strachwitz’s life: his journey from wartime Germany to the U.S., his education, his growing interest in regional music in the U.S., and how he sought out and recorded musicians in their homes in Louisiana, Texas, and the Texas-Mexico border region, starting with the first album release on the seminal independent Arhoolie Records label in 1960. The panel will discuss Strachwitz’s great efforts to share the music he recorded and support the musicians through releasing his original recordings, in addition to reissues of many rare recordings of traditional music from South America and Europe; and the role that this collection now plays in the important field of archiving and heritage accessibility. Finally, his weekly radio program on Pacifica Radio KPFA in Berkeley, California, his record store Down Home Music, and his work with filmmaker Les Blank on Blank's trailblazing documentaries about traditional roots musicians will be covered.