Kith and Kin

Kith and Kin. Performed by Duke Otherwise. CD. Approx. 40 min. Duke Otherwise. 2019. CD: $15.00; Digital: $10.00.

Pre-S—Gr 3

Duke, in his deep baritone, presents 14 amusing and funny-bone tickling original folk-style songs, with musical influences from Mexico, Peru, Cuba, the Mediterranean, South Africa, the Middle East, and Switzerland. Excellent instrumentalists back up these quirky and imaginative songs with several types of guitar, bass, upright bass, banjo, violin, cello, harp, piano, organ, synth, drums, congas, floor tom, doumbek, tambourine, shaker, washboard tie, melodica, spoons, castanets, glockenspiel, cymbal, kazoo, didgeridoo, and cowbell. Three songs also include goat, pig, and rooster sounds. “Everybody Spins” invites listeners to spin around one way, then the other. A child is “So Full” that he can’t eat his peas, but he has room for dessert. In this class, everyone has the wrong name, because “Joy’s a Grump,” Rich is poor, Buddy has no friends, and several more mis-named students. Yodeling is a rare occurrence in children’s music albums, but “Yodeling Lament” features a poor yodeler attempting to learn from a yodeling virtuoso. On his abacus “Atticus” adds the kisses he gets. The narrator has never met anyone who “Eats Like You.” In third grade, a student has an “Elementary Crush” on his teacher. Not only is there a “Lion in My Room,” but also a chicken, wolf, and hippo. The “Slow Monster” is unable to catch any children. Up before dawn, “Gavin” has already done his chores while the rooster is still snoring. Although “Zane” can play exotic instruments such as kalimba, lute, and didgeridoo, he cannot play the radio. We’re the “Twins” who agree about everything/nothing and other opposite pairs. Duke introduces listeners to the “Golden Wheel Spider” of the Namib desert in Southern Africa. While all his friends have to travel to their homes, this snail is “Always Home.” This fun and musically diverse album will be a treat for young listeners and their parents.

Website: www.dukeotherwise.com

Ditto Kiddo

Ditto Kiddo. Performed by Stephen Michael Schwartz. CD. Approx. 29 min. S-Team Productions. 2019. CD: $12.98; Digital: $9.99.

Pre-S—Gr 2

            Multi-award winning Stephen Michael Schwartz performs nine energetic and toe-tapping original songs on his fourth solo album, in pop, bluegrass, rock, polka, and Hawaiian folk. As a former member of the trio “Parachute Express,” he has toured China on behalf of the Gymboree International Play & Music Program; and as a result, was also invited to give solo performances in that country. The backup instrumentalists give outstanding performances on guitar, slack key guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, banjo, keyboards, tuba, harmonica, drums and percussion. Just one taste of “Alphabet Soup” puts a smile on my face. A “Bubble Gum Friend” will stick with you to the end. Being with “Grandma and Grandpa” is like a vacation. Shine for those who’ve lost their glow because “That’s What Love Can Do.” You’re happy everywhere you go; “Ditto Kiddo,” that’s the way I’m feeling, too. She’s from the land where they say, “No, No, No, No, No.”  A little angel with “Little Fingers, Tiny Toes” brings magic to the simplest things. A child learns to play “Hopscotch” at school. “Hello Gymbo” (the mascot of the Gymboree Play & Music Program), it’s a beautiful day. Young listeners will love dancing and singing along with these catchy tunes.

Website: www.stephenmichaelschwartz.com

Go for the Moon

Go for the Moon. Performed by Andrew & Polly. CD. Approx. 37 min. Records Palindrome Records. 2019. CD: $12.00; Digital: $9.99.

Ages 4 – 8

On their 5^th album, Polly Hall and Andrew Barkan, composers and producers of music for television and film, perform 8 original, humorous songs and 3 cover songs in pop, novelty pop, calypso, and rock musical styles. They have created this album to encourage courage, believing and wonder in their young listeners. Guest artists Lucy Kalantari, Mista Cookie Jar, and Mike Phirman add their considerable talents on various tracks. Back-up musicians give excellent performances on ukulele, accordion, lap steel, bass, cello, trombone, trumpet, woodwinds, saw and drums. In addition, listeners can hear some very nice vocal harmonies on several songs. “All Star,” a cover of the 1999 Smash Mouth hit, encourages listeners not to care what others think, but to get their game on and be an all-star. Andrew and Polly live in a “Crazy House,” but it’s a perfect place to be for a crazy person. Children who keep falling off of their chairs must go to “Chair School.” The duo also covers Roger Miller’s classic “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd,” (but you can be happy if you’ve a mind to). After the narrator tells knock-knock jokes and riddles, trombones give “Brass Chuckles” at the punch lines. One can take a trip to the “Aquarium” to see ocean creatures and colorful fishes. Everyone at school knows “Mom’s Name” as the name of their child--“Frankie’s Mom,” etc. “Three Chartreuse Buzzards” counting poem spoken in dull, monotonous, non-unison voices. In the “Garden of Your Mind” (by Fred Rogers) one can access imagination, pretending, curiosity, thinking, and grow ideas. “Zipper + Saw” are friends, with Saw from Arkinsaw and Zipper from Mississipper. Acrobats, trapeze acts, tightrope acts, and lions in the ring are some of the performances at the “Circus by the Sea.” This funny and unique album will tickle the funny bones of young listeners.

Website: www.andrewandpolly.com

Ageless

Ageless. Performed by Jon Samson. CD. Approx. 42 min. Cocreative Music. 2019. $15.00.

Grades 1 and up

 Parents Gold Choice Award-winning music therapist Jon Samson performs 12 original bright and lively pop songs focused on helping listeners strive for balance and harmony in their lives. He has drawn on his 15 years of experience in working with children to write songs that help listeners maintain a childlike spirit through the challenges, problems and predicaments that they face each day. Stellar backup musicians perform on ukulele, guitar, piano, cello, violin, viola, bass, synth, flute, trumpet, trombone, tambourine, and drums. The vocals feature lots of lush harmonies. An enthusiastic children’s chorus chimes in on some of the songs. In “Predicament,” one may go through a dark night, but he can shine bright and solve problems. When one feels “Anxiety,” he needs to calm down. One should not play a “Videogame” level after level after level without stopping. When you “Focus on What You Want,” you can focus on the positive and not on the negative. We are going on an adventure down by the sea, to the “Magic Potion Ocean,” where we will sing a song sweet and pure. To “Focus on ADD” is to work on controlling one’s impulses. “Am I Awake” begins slowly and dreamily, then segues to a frenetic tempo, then slows down again. When one can “Focus on This Moment,” one can focus on the here and now and enjoy the moment. “Love Is Not a Race,” a blend of folk and reggae, celebrates all kinds of hugs. In “Bubble Earth,” although things could always be worse, if one looks at the world as beautiful, then everything will be OK. “Bye, Polar Bear” takes a look at the world of opposites, exemplified by polar bears living at the north pole and penguins living at the south pole. “Only Love” can carry us through, especially if we help each other. This album will be a gold mine for other music therapists and parents helping children work through various problems.  

Website: www.cocreativemusic.com

Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Holidays

Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Holidays. Performed by Katherine Dines. CD. Approx. 48 min. Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta. 2019. $15.99 + $3.00 shipping.

Grades 1 – 5

Award-winning songwriter Katherine Dines performs 12 original songs and 1 traditional song in a variety of folk styles, influenced by the music of various countries. A celebrated kindie artist, Dines has been writing songs and creating albums for 27 years. The backup musicians give stellar performances on guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro, tin whistle, cajon, percussion, Chinese bell tree, udu, and mark tree. Before each song, Dines gives a spoken introduction, giving some information about the holiday or celebration. “Somewhere in the World” someone is celebrating a holiday, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, or Ramadan, all of which include some kind of light in their celebrations. “A Long Time Ago,” people depended on the sun and stars to guide them through the dark. In “Thanks to the Sun,” pagan sun-worshiping people welcome the spring. “Nian,” a celebration of the Chinese New Year, tells of a hungry monster that came from the sea and gobbled up everything in sight; but a stranger in the village frightened it away with fireworks. Diwali celebrates the rescue of a woman by her husband from a demon king in “Light Rises Over Darkness.” Inspired by a poem by a Persian poet who lived in the 1300s, “Stars” celebrates the miraculous stars at night, that send light throughout our lives across eternity. “Eight Little Candles” reminds the Jewish people of the tiny army of Israelites that defeated Antiochus and his Syrian army and thus rescued the Temple. In “The Friendly Beasts,” a donkey, cow, and pair of doves come to visit Jesus in his manger and give him gifts. The introduction to “Forever Evergreen" is an interesting history of the origins of the Christmas tree. In the early 600s, an English monk traveled to Germany and taught the people the concept of the Trinity, using the triangular evergreen tree. Centuries later, at Christmas time, the German people began decorating an evergreen with candles (God’s light), fruit (the Garden of Eden), angels (to watch over the family), and stars (symbol of the Star of Bethlehem). In the song, the evergreen’s branches dance and sway in the winter wind while snowflakes fall. “The Sun Will Rise” tells of the Yule log burning bright in the Scandinavian celebration of Yule. “Ramadan,” which means “month that burns” explains this Islamic holiday. “Kwanzaa” explains how this invented holiday is celebrated. “Joy” wraps up the album with families getting together to celebrate the holidays. The accompanying booklet not only has the lyrics of the songs, but the texts of the narrations as well. This excellent album is a multi-cultural treasure, sure to be useful in classrooms and libraries.

Website: www.hunktabunkta.com

Animal Musicians

Animal Musicians by Pedro Alcalde. Book. 60 pp. The Secret Mountain. 2019. $14.95.

Grades 2 – 5

Pedro Alcalde, a noted orchestra conductor, showcases 14 animals, from the enormous humpback whale to the tiny St. Andrew’s Cross Spider. He devotes 4 pages to each animal, including facts about the animal’s behavior and habitat, and information about the “music” that the animal produces. Julio Antonio Blasco creates lovely artwork for each animal. The other animals in the collection include gibbons, superb lyrebirds, wolves, nightingales, starlings, northern cardinals, cicadas, Atlantic canaries, sac-winged bats, musician wrens, Chinese torrent frogs, and club-winged manakins. Readers interested in hearing the sounds can go to the publisher’s website, to listen to a recording of all the animals, except for the spider, which produces vibrations rather than sound. The link is: https://www.thesecretmountain.com/portfolio/animal-musicians/. This book, originally published in Spain, provides fascinating facts that will help increase a child’s understanding of nature. 

Little Creatures: An Introduction to Classical Music

Little Creatures: An Introduction to Classical Music by Ana Gerhard. Performed by various musicians. Book and CD. The Secret Mountain. 2019. $16.95. Book: 72 pp. CD: 35 min.  

2^nd – 5^th grades

20 bright and lively classical music pieces feature small creatures including insects, spiders, amphibians, and snakes. Each double-page spread contains a stunning illustration of the creature by Mauricio Gómez Morin, who uses a variety of painting styles, from comic, to stylized, to dreamy and Victorian retro. Each spread also includes a text box with the title of the composition, the name of the composer, and a short description of the creature and the musical piece. The contents include “Flight of the Bumblebee” from The Tale of Tsar Saltan (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov), “He Spake the Word…” from Israel in Egypt (George Frideric Handel), “From the Diary of a Fly” from Mikrokosmos, Volume 6 and “The Night’s Music” from Out of Doors (Béla Bartók), “Overture” from  The Wasps, Aristophanic Suite (Ralph Vaughan Williams), The Child and the Spells (Maurice Ravel), Violin Concerto (Georg Philipp Telemann), The Wandering Tadpole and Sensemayá (Silvestre Revueltas), “The Frog,” aka String Quartet opus 50, no.6 (Franz Joseph Haydn), The Cricket (Josquin des Prez), “March of the Grasshoppers” from Music for Children (Sergei Prokofiev), “The Grasshopper” from Two Insect Pieces (Benjamin Britten), “Song of the Flea” from Faust (Ludwig van Beethoven), The Flea (Joseph Bodin de Boismortier), “Tarantella” from Bardic Sounds (Johann Kaspar Mertz), “The Spider In Its Web” and “Entrance of the Ants” from The Spider’s Feast (Albert Roussel), The Butterflies (François Couperin), and Seven Butterflies (Kaija Saariaho). A number of musical groups give superb performances, including Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, Aradia Ensemble, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony, Ensemble Baroque, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, Kodály Quartet, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Capilla Flamenca, and Mexico Festival Orchestra. Additionally, various individual musicians give outstanding performances on piano, oboe, harpsichord, guitar, and cello. A couple of pieces feature professional vocalists. Several appendixes appear at the back of the book, including Listening Guide to each piece; a brief biography of each composer; a glossary of musical terms; and a timeline with a chart of each composer in his/her musical period: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20^th Century. This ambitious picture book, first published in Spain, is a must for every child’s musical education.

Website: www.thesecretmountain.com

Beneath the Cherry Tree

Beneath the Cherry Tree. Performed by Kare Strong and Josh Goforth. CD. Approx. 48 min. Humming Bear Music. 2019. CD: $14.99; Digital: $9.99.

Gr 1 and up

Gorgeous vocals and harmonies are the hallmarks of this fine album. Featuring folk, bluegrass, and Celtic musical styles, Kare’s voice soars in rich and melodious tones on these 11 original compositions. Instrumental accompaniments by Josh Goforth and others on guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, piano, bass, tuba and percussion are stellar. The narrator looks for faeries beneath “The Cherry Tree.”

The whistle pig, or “The Happy Groundhog,” could dance a jig. “The Little Tree” is unhappy with her plain appearance. “Little Bluebird” brings joy when she sings. Violet, Bluebell, Primrose, and Poppy are just a few of “The Flower Faeries.” A family builds a chicken coop for five chickens “Down on Blackberry Lane.” In “The Daffodil & the Faery Child,” a faery rescues a daffodil by holding it up through a blustery storm. “The Merry Band” are squirrels who found gold faery dust in their acorns. Picking apples and swinging on the porch swing are only two of the fun activities “On Our Carolina Farm.” In “The Bluebell & the Boy,” a young lad is amazed to hear a bluebell speaking to him. The “Autumn Jewels” the faeries gather end up as freckles on the faces of sleeping children. Mole and several other animals plan “A Party for Pig” to welcome him to the neighborhood. “To the Country We Will Go” tells of a family planning a move. “Song of the Wind” expresses the wind’s many moods. One of Goforth’s main career goals is to get young people interested in traditional music. This excellent album will go a long way in helping accomplish that goal.

Website: www.karestrongmusic.com

Finding Friends Far from Home: A Journey with Clara Net

Finding Friends Far from Home. Performed by Oran Etkin. CD. Approx. 34 min. Timbalooloo. 2019. CD: $14.00; Digital: $9.00.

K – Gr 5

Subtitled “A Journey with Clara Net,” this multi-cultural album takes listeners on a fun and wonderful musical journey to six countries: Czech Republic, Zimbabwe, China, Turkey, Russia, and Japan. These international songs were recorded in Prague, Czech Republic; Harare, Zimbabwe; Beijing, China; and Bodrum, Turkey. The journey begins with children chanting “We Want a Story.” In each country, Grammy Award-winning Etkin is joined by a native citizen/musician and together they perform music in a style traditional to that country and in the country’s native language. A variety of instruments accompany these songs, including some familiar to Americans: piano, bass, clarinet (aka Clara Net), bass clarinet, trombone and drums. In addition, the following accompanying instruments are traditional in the various countries: cimbalom, hosho, mbira, erhu (Chinese violin), guzheng (Chinese harp), kopuz, balalaika, djembe, and shamisen (Japanese guitar). Etkin introduces each song with a short narration and joins in on each with clarinet and vocals.  Pavlina Matjova represents the Czech Republic, singing “Chaye Shukariye (Sweet Girl).” In Zimbabwe, Irene Chigamba introduces listeners to “Kariga Mombe” and “Kutapira (Sweet).” China’s Min Xiao-Fen teaches Etkin “Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower).” Jehan Barbur of Turkey sings a lullaby, “Dandini Dandini.” Kirill Yacovlev of Russia plays the balalaika while singing “Tumbalalaika.” Finally, in Japan, Sumie Kaneko teaches listeners “Sakura (Cherry Blossom).” Delightful, informative, and musically appealing, this creative album is an excellent addition to every child’s musical education.  

Website: www.oranetkin.com