Phil Cooper, Margaret Nelson, and Kate Early (Special Event)

Strong Old MusicWHERE DO the great old songs come from? Phil Cooper, Margaret Nelson, and Kate Early mine the old songbooks and obscure collections and find treasures in the attic that shouldn't have been forgotten. Then they polish them in performance, and put them back into circulation and our memories. PHIL COOPER AND MARGARET NELSON have been playing together since l982. Kate Early has been joining them since 1995, though this is their first appearance in our area as a trio. They sing new and traditional songs from England, Ireland, Scotland, and North America at concerts and festivals across the U.S. and Canada. Phil sings and plays guitar, cittern and bowed psaltery. Margaret sings and plays bodhran, doumbek, and spoons. Kate sings and plays pennywhistle, tambourine and spoons. COOPER, NELSON & EARLY performances include traditional ballads, serious and comic songs, lovely slow airs and sprightly dance tunes from both sides of the Atlantic. Entertaining song introductions, stories and jokes keep the shows lively. Rich vocal harmonies and expert instrumental work deliver solid musical pleasure. Metro: sorry, not accessible....Jokes and introductions ranging from acceptably humorous to admirably awful...

 --Fiddle & Bow SocietyIn a world of singer-songwriters, most of what they perform is traditional, drawn from sources as diverse as a turn-of-the-century Chicago police chief's tune collection and the Child ballads. No long anecdotes, either. Tunes are set up quickly, amid a patter of off-the-wall jokes and outrageous puns -- they have an intelligent, bone-dry sense of humor -- but with a scholar's attention to where they came from.

--Pete Zicari, FolkNet newsletter