NOTES
FROM THE ROAD
Spring 2008
"Pete Seeger: The Power of Song" is a terrific film. Jim Brown has managed to capture Pete Seeger's politics and extraordinary contribution to American music with a documentary of tremendous insight and emotional power. Pete Seeger is by nature quiet and self-effacing. I know from personal experience how difficult it is to get Seeger to talk about himself on camera. He prefers to give credit to others (Woody Guthrie for example), or champion his passion cause of cleaning up the Hudson River.
Recently, Alan Chartock at WAMC invited me to host a panel discussion -following a showing of the film- with my brother Happy Traum, historian Edward J. Renehan, Jr., Jeff Rumph of Clearwater and the film's director Jim Brown. The discussion ranged from Seeger's defiance of House Un-American Activities Committee to his passion for the environment. Jim Brown revealed that Natalie Maines was not familiar with Pete Seeger's blacklisting when the Dixie Chicks took enormous flak for opposing Bush's war in Iraq. Had they been aware of Seeger's role, The Dixie Chicks may have tapped into the enormous support network that Pete Seeger mentors. Politics aside, perhaps Happy Traum summed up the evening with a succinct comment: "One thing that struck me in the film is Pete's exceptional musicianship. He is an amazing singer and player who set an extremely high musical standard for all of us."
l-r: Happy Traum, Artie Traum, Ed Renehan and Jim Brown at WAMC Linda Norris Auditorium
(photo by Jane Traum) |
 NEWSFLASH: My new Homespun DVD Easy Chords And Progressions: An Effortless Way To Make Your Songs Sound Great has just been released. This DVD is a hands-on lesson in putting chords together in unique ways to make your songs take on a fresh and dynamic quality. This lesson is important for anyone who loves chords and arranging songs, like I do. I touch on many styles, from expanding chords in the key of D to jazzy chords like C9 and E minor 7. I loved making this DVD because chords are my favorite topic and I love passing this information on to other players. I'm sure it will help you to become a better guitarist. You can watch samples at http://www.homespuntapes.com/shop/product.aspx?ID=1473 and the DVD is available through this website or directly from Homespun Tapes.
Reviews for Thief of Time keep on coming, as major magazines here and in Europe are discovering the CD. In the February issue of Downbeat, Frank Hadley writes, "Where The Blues Began asserts a surprising poetic power and Bonnie Jean could pass as a superior Steely Dan tune. Halifax acknowledges the 18th Century French Canadian exodus as stirringly as The Band's Acadian Driftwood." Maverick in the UK writes: "When the brand name is as solid as Traum, it's a safe bet that what's inside the packaging will end up another treasured possession!" I liked reading that. Thief of Time can be ordered securely from this website, or at Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody and CDBaby among other sites.
See you down the road!
Artie
NEW VIDEO! Here's a link to my song Halifax, which I performed at the Fairfield Theatre. Halifax tells how Acadians were driven from Canada in 1755, an early example of ethnic cleansing in colonial-era North America. Beausoleil was an Acadian resistance fighter who waged a guerrilla war against the British near Halifax. He did not prevent thousands of Acadians from being loaded on boats and sent to Virginia, French Guiana and Louisiana.
I learned much of this story from Michael Doucet, the irrepressible fiddler and Cajun scholar behind the band Beausoleil. I've been drawn to Cajun culture and history since I worked with Michael Doucet on the CD "Chez Les Cajuns" several years ago. Perhaps the Acadian exile reminds me of Jewish history and how our ancestors were driven from lands they cherished -over and over- in the past. I believe a good song shouldn't need a long introduction but sometimes a little history expands what songwriters must compress into a handful of short verses.
I tried to convey the emotion, despair and excitement of those sad years in the mid-18th Century.
ARTIE-AT-A-GLANCE
Starting out in the folk scene of the 1960's, Artie Traum has toured around
the world during his 40+ year long career as a guitarist, recording artist, producer
and songwriter. He has been featured on over 40 albums including releases on
Capitol, Rounder, Narada, Shanachie, EMI and Roaring Stream Records. Traum successfully
moved from folk to smooth jazz when his 1994 release Letters From Joubee hit
#1 on the radio charts (Gavin AA). His 1999 CD Meetings With Remarkable
Friends won Best Instrumental Album of 1999 (NAV Awards). In 2001, Traum released The
Last Romantic which Jazz Times called "a work of consistent beauty, an
uncanny mix of jazz and Appalachian folk." During a concert in 2004, Pete
Seeger called Artie "the man with the golden fingers" and All Music
Guide writes he's "an exceptional player".
Artie's latest CD, Thief of Time delivers 11 new songs that take Artie Traum's award-winning guitar playing and song writing to a new level. Traum has been described as "one of the great players of any era" and Jazz Times called his style "elegant folk-jazz." When producer Wendy Waldman heard Traum's album South of Lafayette she said, "I want to produce your next vocal album." Traum and Waldman wrote several songs together for this project. The result is a heartfelt collaboration between artist and producer, a tour-de-force of Americana with a touch of jazz.
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Enjoy
tracks from Artie's recent CDs:
"Thief
of Time" from his newest album "Thief of Time";
"The View From Here" from
the CD "Acoustic
Jazz Guitar"; and
"The Map" and "South
of Lafayette" from the CD "South of Lafayette".
Large files - best with Broadband
Right-click (Mac: control-click) then "save file" |
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Now
you can download
Artie's music from iTunes, eMusic etc. Also look for songs by Artie
with Big Trout Radio, Happy Traum, Pat Alger and more.
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2008
Wednesday, May 7 - Glens Falls, NY
Artie Traum in Concert
Crandall Library
details TBA
Sunday, June 1 - Sellersville, PA
Concert with Angel Band
Sellersville Theater
Saturday, June 7 - Saranac Lake, NY - 7:30 PM
Happy & Artie Traum in concert
Bluseed Studios
24 Cedar Street, Saranac Lake, New York 12983
(518) 891-3799
Saturday, June 21 - Croton-On-Hudson, NY
Happy & Artie Traum at
The Clearwater Festival
Clearwater Festival
Thursday, August 14 - Raquette Lake, NY - 7 PM
St. Williams on Long Point
(National Historic Site accessible by boat)
315 354 5265
This event is made possible with public funds from New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Regrant Program.
Saturday, August 30 - Greenwood Lake, NY - 7 PM
outdoor concert on the lake
details TBA
Roger Dietz writes about Artie in SING OUT! magazine. [PDF]
Interview
with Linda Wertheimer on NPR's Weekend Edition.
DEEP WATER DVD
 "Deep Water: The True Story of the Ashokan Reservoir, the Schoharie
Reservoir and the Ten Lost Towns" is a 45-minute
documentary celebrating the history of the Catskill Water System with rare archival
film footage and historic photographs. It is the production of filmmakers Robbie
Dupree, Tobe Carey and Artie Traum.
For more information: www.deepwaterdvd.com
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NEWEST CD RELEASE: Thief
of Time
11 new songs that take Artie Traum's award-winning guitar
playing and song writing to a new level. Traum is supported by Tony Levin (bass),
Warren Bernhardt (piano) and Gary Burke (drums). Multi-platinum artist Donna
Lewis adds her vocals to the Brazilian groove in Back In The Sugarcane. John
Sebastian plays baritone guitars on When You Insult A Man, while Joe Flood,
Wendy Waldman, Amy Helm, Teresa Williams, Kenny Edwards and Jim Photoglo provide
vocal and instrumental support throughout the CD.
[Audio excerpts] [Order
online or by toll-free number now!] |
 | NEWEST BOOK RELEASE: Essential Blues for Acoustic Guitar
We've had many requests for an acoustic blues lesson with Artie Traum. It's finally here and it's a hot seller! Essential Blues For Acoustic Guitar is like sitting down in Artie's living room for an hour of one-on-one lessons. Highly recommended for acoustic blues students
[Order online or by toll-free number now!]
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NEW DVDs. Many of Artie Traum's Homespun projects are now on DVD.
The new DVD Easy Chords And Progressions: An Effortless Way To Make Your Songs Sound Great has just been released. This DVD is a hands-on lesson in putting chords together in unique ways to make your songs take on a fresh and dynamic quality. This lesson is important for anyone who loves chords and arranging songs, like I do.
[Order online or by toll-free number now!]
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| | Most of Artie's CDs, as well as his instructional videos, can now be ordered securely thru this website, online or by toll-free number. Digital downloads of CDs are available from iTunes and from eMusic. |
For radio and TV interviews, press and any PR needs about Artie Traum:
Publicity: Jim Della Croce at The Press Office.
Web Publicity: Ariel
Publicity
Publicity In Europe: Peter Holmstedt, Hemifran
Management and Booking: Jeff Heiman - phone 253.279.5886
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