Sunday, August 9, 2009

How They Came To Rootabaga Country


A happy Sunday to you all. Yours truly is a tad under the weather, as I mentioned in a recent comment. Nothing too serious, I’m quite sure, but I’m not operating on all cylinders, & will need to rest up this week with the Concil Mountain Music Festival coming up next weekend.

Since it’s Sunday, I have some music for your enjoyment. This is another piece from our Rootabaga Country soundtrack—the overture, in fact, written by Eberle. I’ve always really liked this one. Eberle is on the piano & I come in on the plectrum banjo, then later on the train whistle.

For those who haven’t checked out Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories yet, here’s an intro I wrote as a blurb to our self-produced cd:

Carl Sandburg is probably best known as a poet & a biographer of Abraham Lincoln, but he also authored a delightful collection of children’s tales called The Rootabaga Stories. Originally stories Sandburg told his two daughters, the tales describe an enchanted land populated by characters such as the Potato-Faced Blind Man, Deep Red Roses, Hatrack the Horse & Bozo the Button-Buster—but the ultimate backdrop of the stories also is recognizable as early 20th century America, just as the backdrop for the classic Grimm’s fairy tales is medieval Europe. In fact, Sandburg saw The Rootabaga Stories as “American fairy tales” that would be more suitable for American children than the more traditional stories of princes & princesses. The stories were first published in 1920.

Hope you enjoy the music.



8 comments:

  1. Oh Yes John .I enjoyed very much! I want to jump on a Train RIGHT NOW!
    Anybody named Bozo the Button-Buster is alright by Me!
    Have A Fine Sunday Sir!

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  2. Hi Tony:

    Thanks! You have a fine day too.

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  3. Very enjoyable! I love the music and the images. The entire thing reminds me of the silent movie era. Love the way the trains come into play. Thanks for the ride!

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  4. That was cool. Eberle's music really captures the Rootabaga spirit. Thanks, John - and do get well soon.

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  5. Perfect images to go with the music. Very silent-movie-like, as Karen said. You have a knack for that. Feel better soon!

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  6. " Eberle is on the piano & I come in on the plectrum banjo, then later on the train whistle."

    And delightfully so. Enjoyed my musical and pictorial ride.

    Sending you feel better, feel GOOD HUGS!

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  7. Fine piece of music John. That train whistle nearly scared me half to death when it came in.

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  8. Hi Karen, Sandra, Audrey, Rose Marie & Alan:

    I'm up & about & feeling much closer to what passes for normal. Thanks for all your kind wishes! & so glad you folks liked the music.

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