Photo by Rajiv Patel (Rajiv's View)
While
everyone else you know is listening to the same old A to Z countdown on the
local classic rock station this weekend, why not try something different. Soak
up some rare and truly special Americana and check out the National Jukebox, a
unique collection of recordings organized by the Library of Congress.
According
to the official website, “The Jukebox includes more than 10,000 recordings made by the
Victor Talking Machine Company between 1901 and 1925. Jukebox content will be increased
regularly, with additional Victor recordings and acoustically recorded titles
made by other Sony-owned U.S. labels, including Columbia, OKeh and others.”
A wide variety of genres are covered
from opera, ethnic/regional, blues, humor songs, musical theater, ragtime,
jazz, traditional/country, religious and spoken word recordings. There are even
collections of songs that specifically feature whistling and yodeling if that’s
more your scene.
Artists
span the spectrum from lyricist Andreas Aabel to composer Pedro de
Zulueta — and everything in between. Some recognizable names include Efrem
Zimbalist (Sr. not Jr.) and Oscar Hammerstein. But the real fun is exploring
the work of people you may never have heard of like Franceso Daddi, Jacques
Offenbach and Boleslawa Iza Wawrzynska.
Enjoy… and
God bless America.
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