Arhoolie Foundation has had a big year as folk there tried to adapt their mission of documenting, preserving, and celebrating roots music to the unexpected challenges we all face. In addition to their ongoing work preserving the Frontera and Strachwitz collections, and presenting the third annual Arhoolie Awards to a group of outstanding musicians and educators, some of our other efforts this year have included:
- Working from Home, a co-production with Little Village Foundation, featured intimate mini house concerts recorded live by traditional musicians around the country.
- Frontera Collection En Vivo, a new recurring YouTube live stream hosted by Juan Antonio Cuellar, has brought classic recordings and hidden gems from the Frontera Collection into homes around the world.
- 60 Years of Arhoolie: An Anniversary Celebration (streaming now for a limited time) honoured the history and spirit of Arhoolie with exclusive performances by a powerful lineup of musicians across a variety of styles. It also featured the third annual Arhoolie Awards, honoring musicians, organizations, and individuals who carry on and uplift roots and regional music.
- The Robert Stone Sacred Steel Gospel Collection of photos and audio interviews found a permanent home in the archive. This month the University Press of Mississippi published Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus!, a beautiful book of Bob’s photos, made possible in part by a grant from the Arhoolie Foundation.
Arhoolie has also announced that the Ann Savoy Interview Collection will soon be featured on their website in streaming audio. Volume II of her magnificent Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People is available for pre-sale.
In these times it is more important than ever to support musicians and the arts. If you are able, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us keep tradition based music alive and celebrated. Here’s to a 2021 filled with renewed connection and good health – Adam Machado, Arhoolie Foundation.
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