Alderman Harry Rankin greets Effie Jones at a dinner held in Ukrainian Hall Nov. 22 to honor the nona-
genarian civic reform =— pioneer role “in changing the face of veneer politics” over three
decades. ;

Good — but folk music?

Vancouver folk singer Tom
Hawken (ook in the First Fall Folk
Festival at the Orpheurn Nov. 14.
These are his comments.

Vancouver’s First Fall Folk Fes-
tival took place in the gilt splendor
of the Orpheum Theatre to a near
capacity crowd. Sound systems
and ‘lighting were orchestrated
flawlessly to present each artist and
group in the best possible light. In
fact, nothing marred the evening
— except a deep sense of prejudice
of what folk music is sally suppos-
ed to be.

Like it or not, folk music in
North America owes its popular
existence and renaissance today to
the efforts and inspiration of a
group of left wing musicians, art-
ists and musicologists who saw in
the music of the people a deep hu-
manism and a primarily uncon-
scious, but sometimes conscious,
class identity. This is the tradition
we inherit. The tradition is not al-
ways political — not by along shot
— but_certainly those allowing
themselves to be billed as folk sing-
ers should feel compelled to ad-
dress themselves to that tradition.

The evening began well enough
with David Sereda, doing “‘Swing
Low, Sweet Chariot”’ acapella, but
degenerated to personal state-
ments. Whether he or somebody
called Mark should have become
lovers is of no great interest to any-
one, apparently not even Mark. It’s
a shame that such a rich voice and
firm stage presence should findi it-
self so ambivalent.

Heather Bishop’s appearance
was characterized by her strong
voice and competent guitar work in
performing songs tailor-made for
the women’s movement. Anger
and humor mixed comfortably in
what was probably the most inter-
esting set of the evening. Still, this
reviewer wished she could some-
how change the channel and turn
her considerable talents to broader
perspectives.

British Columbia’s own Bim
really ran with the hook. An ex-
cellent blues guitarist, he parlayed a
couple of his own compositions in-
to a fun set that was pure rock and
roll. Frustrated with the limitations

of the acoustic guitar, he resorted
to a Fender electric, converting the

audience into a foot-stomping,
hand-clapping rhythm section.
There’s nothing the matter with
rock and roll, of course — but at a
folk festival?

Introduced as. being ‘‘as Cana-

“dian as maple pie,”’ Stringband fin-

ished off the first half trying to re-

store a folk feel to an already shat-

tered atmosphere. Perhaps it was
because of the company they were
keeping, or that the group is cur-
rently scattered across Canada, but
it lacked a certain vitality. None-
theless, it was a warm contribution,
well received.

Vancouver’s Ferron began the
second half and epitomized non-
folk music. Vague and ambiguous

‘personal statements blended awk-

wardly as she used the audience,
the stage — and finally used up a
lot of precious time.

At the end, Connie Haldor final-
ly made her appearance after what
was beginning to feel like a long
night, perhaps because of Ferron’s
attempt. to touch every base.
Haldor has a following: she has

humor, style and sensitivity and

could probably have a variety tele-

vision ine: Unfortunately, what
little time she had she spent doing
just that — variety. -

It’s not that what happened at
the Orpheum was all bad, not by
any means. In fact, there were
some good moments. It’s that it
was done in the name of folk music
that rankles. When we order a
steak, we don’t want chopped liver.

If the head of the Folk Festival —

Society, Gary Cristall, finds him-
self in financial difficulty again and
needs a money-making evening to
get himself out of the red, then let’s
help him all we can. After all, we
don’t want to lose the Festival any
more than he does. But he, in turn,
should pay some attention to how
he bills his presentations. A pot-
pourri of contemporary songwrit-
ers, popular entertainers and/or
rock and roll hopefuls do not folk
music make.

‘The sad thing about all this is
that he, too, probably laments the
fact that he couldn’t get the turnout
that he needed with artists who
demonstrate a respect for, and an
ability to present, the real traditions
and content.of folk music.

1921-1976

disappointment.

Enclosed please find $50.00

Special 60th Anniversary Edition

CANADA'S PARTY OF SOCIALISM
History of the Communist Party of Canada

Will be off the press early in 1982
Progress Books will publish a special, numbered, cloth -
edition of this exceptional book with a printed inscription
honoring the 60th anniversary of the Communist Party of
Canada. Only a limited number of the special collector’s
edition will be printed — order now to avoid

Special limited edition: only $50.06
Prices of regular editions to be announced shortly.

O66. & 0, 9/6) 01a ee w Shoo bree bp. % (o.0. 010300 6.0 dhe.’ si i) 0-06 0 < 0.5 @ 90.0 0.9:

wre a 86a ee OO E Se Sw ¥_0 0 6 0-06 0p eS. 665 us 4 0. 6. O08: we) OE OTN ESRD

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Send to: Progress Books, 71 Bathurst St., Toronto M5V 2P6

tte *

"PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOV. 27, 1981—Page 10

PHOTO—JULIUS FISHER ~

Brecht _
recreates
Finnish.

conflict

MR. PUNTILA AND HIS
CHAUFFEUR MATTI. A Tamah-
nous Theatre production. At the
Vancouver East Cultural Centre
till Nov. 28.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s
not an easy fight

When times are tough and
money’s tight.

cpa helps to win the

’ So we present a comic play.
With this apt verse, the Van-
couver East Cultural Centre cal-
endar introduced Mister Puntila
| and his Chauffeur Matti, based
|’ on the writings of Hella Wuoli-
joki, renowned left-wing Fin-
’ nish author, playwright and wo-
_ men’s rights, activist. The play,
- as presented, was fahioned by
. Bertolt Brecht in the early 1940s
’ and so bears his name.

The Finnish people, struggled
for their nationhood for over
700 years, first against the
Swedes, under whose domina-
tion they endured for 600 years,
- and later against the Russian

czars.

When Finnish national inde-

" pendence was finally recognized

in the last days of 1917 by the

new workers’ state in Russia,

Finland was thrown into a short

but bitter and bloody civil war.

It is the aftermath of the defeat

“of the Red Guard forces by the
White Guards that sets the stage
for this Brecht play.
Wuolijoki’s and Brecht’s col-
laboration in painting a truthful
- canvas of the sharp class contra-
dictions of Finland in the early
1920s is to be admired — the
more so when the tragic reality
of life in that instant is presented
with such biting humor.

_ Movement in Finland under the

,actors that appear on. stage all,

Steve Miller as Mr. Puntila
and John Moffat as Matti in
the Tamahnous Theatre pro-
duction.

Puntila, the drunken, lecher-
ous, rich landowner is closely
tied to the similarly drunken
judge and the parson in an un-
holy reactionary alliance which
has its real life equivalent in the
birth of the Lapua (fascist)

tyrannical leadership of Vihtori
Kosola and Pastor (Pappi)

Kares.

Certainly the Red Guard
Surkkala is the heroic figure to”
emerge in this play. Despite lim-
ited dialogue, his very presence
comes through, representing all
that is pure, sober and principk |
ed in: Finnish society. On the
other hand, though an element
of growing consciousness is de-
tected, Matti the chauffeur 1s
definitely more an onlooker
than a participant.

The play mirrors the struggle
between rich and poor and il-
lustrates the difference in moral
and other values between the
two classes. The procession of

to one.degree or another, are
bound to the feudal despotic
landowner Puntila. He, in turn,
covers his reactionary essence
with a false, jingoistic patriot-
ism which oozes with ultra-na-
tionalism, -
Tamahnous Theatre provides
a rich and rewarding evening
with this production.
_ Osmo Lahti |

ANNOUNCING...

Calendar.

the:interr

The Boag Foundation, Limited, is pleased to announce
the publication of the 1982 edition of A Socialist

This unique calendar brings you the life and history of
i t. The

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A Socialist Calendar 1982 can be ordered directly from the Boag
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