Langston Hughes Rhythms of the World Folkways Records 1955

Langston Hughes Rhythms of the World Folkways Records 1955 CAT# FC 7340

The fact that Folkways Records saw enough importance in Langston Hughes' poetry to record it is a pretty fantastic thing. The Lawrence, KS raised poet's voice is now with us, reading in his soft, but confident voice, some of the very poems that made him famous. This album is based and contains parts of his bock, "The First Book of Rhythms", by Hughes.

As the title implies, it's rhythmic poetry and the recording contains numerous sound effects to provide examples of rhythm. From a Kentucky folk song, to washboard, to just nature sounds, it's all used here to empathize the music in poetry.

The album was designed for children. In fact, this copy was once housed in the Somerset School Library of Overland Park, KS. The school no longer exists, but I imagine the record left the library long before it closed its doors. The idea of school children sitting in a circle around a tiny little record player, listening to Langston Hughes, that's a pretty great thought.

Rhythms of the World

Loman D. Cansler Folksongs of the Midwest Folkways 1973

Loman D. Cansler Folksongs of the Midwest Folkways 1973 CAT# FH 5330

Loman D. Cansler was an archivist, historian and collector. He recorded a number of collections of Midwest folk songs that were focused on Missouri. He collected and found these tunes, recording them for the Folkways label as a way to archive them. His day to day, at least per the booklet supplied with this LP indicates Cansler was in the education field. At the time of this LP's release he was a counselor at North Kansas City High School. Prior to that, he was performing, archiving, and writing articles on Missouri folk music around the St. Louis area.

As a performer, he's pretty simple. The album is just Cansler and mostly just his guitar, some tunes due have minimal accompaniment, an organ or piano show up here and there. His vocals are plain, simple and pleasant. He doesn't embellish the tunes with guitar, he just uses it to establish the melody. The songs selected on the LP deal with religion, hardships, and religion. Typical Midwest stuff. Cansler provides a brief history of each song in the albums booklets as well as the lyrics. Like any old Folkways record, it's educational and presented as archival material. Worth picking it up if you see it.

Langston Hughes The Dream Keeper & other poems of Langston Hughes Folkways Records 1955 CAT# FC7104

Langston Hughes is one of the most important Kansans both historically and socially.  He was born in Joplin, Missouri and at a young age after the separation of his parents, he was moved to Lawrence, Kansas to be raised by his grandmother.  Most of his childhood was spent in Lawrence, until the passing of his grandmother at which point he spent the remainder of his late-teens in various homes' of relatives.

He would travel to New York and become a crewman traveling on his ship across the globe.  He'd work various jobs thereafter and obtained a degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.  In 1921, his first poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" was published.  In 1926, the same poem would be published in his first book, The Weary Blues.  As an accomplished author, he took up residence in Harlem, NY.  His work would become pivotal and some of the most influential work of the Harlem Renaissance.  He would work with other artists such as Wallace Thurman, Countee Cullen, and Aaron Douglas, to push, explore, and promote African-American artists.

He was an interesting individual and it is often stated that he was homosexual.  Not that sexuality matters, what does matter is his devotion to African American culture.  While colleges teach the works of W.E.B. Dubois now-a-days (Hughes is taught in Academia as well), the Hughes' camp was criticizing Dubois for being to apologetic for white European culture.  He wanted to record black life in America, the working class, and he wanted to record the American Experience.  He accomplishe it in all his writing.  His simple, jazz poetry catches it best.  He was brought up by activist parents who fought for equality long before a popularized movement.  In Lawrence, he was given the pride of his culture.  Fitting that the seed was planted in Kansas-The Freestate.

This record was produced in 1955 by Folkways Records.  It features Langston Hughes reading poems from his book, The Dream Keeper.  The Dream Keeper is a great collection, but it's certainly fit for a spoken word album as it was intended for young adults as an introduction to his poetry.  It's a very interesting recording as Hughes introduces his poems at every interval.  He briefly explains either where the poem is from, how it came to be, where he wrote it, or who it is about.  His simple wording and rhythmic delivery let you understand the term jazz poetry, especially true on his "blues" poems.  Despite that I will rarely listen to this, since you get to hear one of the most famous and influential American poets read his poems, it's easily one of my favorite finds.

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