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Red Star Line-From Belgium to America is truly an international country dance project. This recording represents a fruitful collaboration between Philippe Callens, a Belgian dance leader and choreographer, and A Joyful Noise and Hold The Mustard, two dance bands from the United States. Together we have chosen fifteen English country dances, all written or interpreted by Philippe. A
Joyful Noise and Philippe first worked together in 1999 at the
Playford Weekend in London, Ontario.
When they reunited at the John C. Campbell Folk School in
Brasstown, North Carolina for Winter Dance Week 2000, Philippe
proposed the idea for this recording. He felt it would reflect our
common understanding about how the music can be made just right
for each dance. As
the project took shape, it was a natural step to include Paul
Prestopino. Philippe had long been a fan of Hold The Mustard’s
recordings and playing style, and this was an opportunity to tap
into the musical versatility of both bands. In
searching for a title for the project Philippe found a book about
a steamship company called the Red Star Line. From 1872 to
1935, this line transported passengers between Philippe’s native
Antwerp and major cities on the East Coast of America. During that
time, many immigrants from Eastern Europe were among these
travelers. We were excited to learn that Daniel’s mother’s
family made this very journey in 1923! Renewing that connection
through music and dance seemed a perfect theme for the title and
artwork of this CD. We
hope you will enjoy dancing and listening to it as much as we
enjoyed producing it. Philippe Callens A Joyful Noise Hold The Mustard
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(Illustration: Poster from De Red Star Line by Robert Vervoort, Antwerpen, Pandora, 1999) Track Listing 1. Arlington Assembly (3:39) AJN 2. The Astonished Archaeologist (3:43) HTM 3. The Two Pauls (6:14) HTM 4. Patrick's Waltz (4:44) HTM 5. Excuse Me (5:27) AJN 6. Enfield Common (5:17) AJN 7. Gentleman's Delight (4:32) AJN 8. Return to Newcastle (1:52) AJN 9. A Trip to Amsterdam (3:54) HTM 10. The Delight of Kentish Countryside (4:46) AJN 11. Hortonia (5:48) HTM 12. La Gavre (3:59) HTM 13. Volpony (6:47) HTM 14. Gold for the Mahieus (1:47) HTM 15. An Early Frost (5:26) AJN
AJN: A Joyful Noise HTM: Hold The Mustard |
