River Of Song - A Musical Journey Down The Mississippi

This two-hour, 36 track, musical journey down the Mississippi from the headwaters to the delta captures the power and diversity of American music in the late 20th century. The music, recorded between 1995 and 1997 in small towns and large cities along the river, reflects centuries of interaction and experimentation along America’s great waterway.

This album offers a landmark presentation of contemporary musicians who have forged their styles out of the rich musical heritage found along the banks of the Mississippi. The combination of musical diversity and striking continuity found in this remarkable region, which slices through the center of the United States, is reflected by a range of artists including Soul Asylum, John Hartford, Chippewa Nation, Babes in Toyland, and the Mississippi Mass Choir.

"River of Song" is the first of a stunning multimedia project (including a four-part PBS documentary, public-radio interviews, and book) on which an array of artists under the tutelage of director-curator Anthony Seeger give voice and share the lore of America's great Mississippi River. The musical journey is parceled into quadrants: from the Northern headwaters, slicing through Twain's heartland; snaking down into the Deep South; wending through Louisiana, where music is king; and culminating at its life-giving, life-taking mouth, the Gulf of Mexico. Prolonged visitation occurs in musical meccas Minneapolis, St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans, showcasing the abundant talent and distinct sound of each locale. River of Song celebrates not only the landscapes through which the water traverses but also the colorful cultures that have sprung from and thrive at her banks: Native American, Dutch, African-American, Cajun, and subcultures and hybrids of youth and religion, including indie-rock hipsters, heartland country rockers, Delta blues men, Mexican Dixieland jazz, and both black and white gospel musics from deep believers of faith. Much like driving the Natchez Trace, the journey is profoundly American - deeply affecting in providing not only a sense of the present but of our very roots.

River Of Song, pt. 1
River Of Song, pt. 2
(192 kbps)