Wednesday, June 25, 1975

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Page Nine


sa. Nice to be there

E AC H workshop strength-
ed the bond between listeners
d musicians, and as the sun
at down on the Canadian is-
nd, the spirit blossomed.
All the events followed a pat-
rn. After the performers
.tntered onto the stage, gui-
rs, banjos, fiddles and accord-
os began to hum, and the
ow was on. After the first
rrain, the audience began to
ng and clap along if the songa
as fanmiliar. If it wasn't, they
crned the chorus. By the end,
ey were hooting and hollering
more-more".
Interspersed between the
ngs the musicians talked
tout hr--v, told stories and
kes, and ts Ramblin Jack
>mmented, "there was a
hole lot of "yakkin' 'an pick-
, yakkin' 'an pickin."
THOUGH most of the work-
hops were light hearted and
umorous, a few were more
erious.
Folk singer Rosalie Sorrels
d a session entitled "strong
omen" that left a few observ-
s in tears. Nine musicians
om different ethnic back-
rounds related how they be-
me strong, backing up their
xperiences with music.

"I left the mountains and
went to the city when I was six-
teen," said Olla Belle Reed.
"Got a job cleanin' a house for
some folks for two dollars a
week. I had to cook for them,
an' I cooked the way I knew
how. When I baked bread I used
corn meal if I could get it.
They said I was a mountain
boomer, and you know, that's
just exactly what I was. An'
that's just exactly what I am
to this day. A mountain boomer,
an' proud of it."
AND SHE sang a boomer
song in a strong boomer voice
while the audience sang the
chorus.
That sort of pride in one's
individuality was a common
thread throughout the festival.
It was a take-me-as-I-am af-
fair.
Alanis Obomsawin, a young
native American woman, gave
a tearful plea to the crowd to
accept her people for what they
are, and urged them to under-
stand their culture.
H O N E Y in the Rock, a
group of four black women who
also participated in the session,
accompanied with only two
gourd rattles, did not talk to
the audience. But their singing
rolled over the people with a
strength and emotion that need-
ed no words.
Mariposa, as one observer
nointed out, was in no way sim-
ilar to the Jazz and Blues Fes-
tivals or any other big out door
concert.
"How often do you see the
performer standing in the con-
cession line along with anyone
else," she said of Bromberg
who was in the process of buy-
ing some fish 'n chips. "Can
you see Mick Jagger doing
that?"
And at 7:30, it was "Honor
your partner and square your
sets," as the day was climaxed
with a whooping round of square
dancing. After hundreds flat-
tened the grass and shattered
the air with yells, the caller
shouted out his last command:
"Wave to the band, the best
in the land and that's all there
is."

Sweet Honey in the Rock

ajmberg

 untain Boomer

Dance to the music