In the Labyrinth

Gaiteiros de Lisboa and João Lemos: Fantastical Music, Art, and Instruments

I have to give a special thanks to artist João Lemos (of whom I have posted on before here)  for introducing me to a terrific Portuguese band, Gaiteiros de Lisboa. While their music compositions are based on traditional Portuguese and Galician folktunes (heavy on the powerful voices of the bagpipes and kettle drums), they have fused traditional music with all kinds of musical innovation -- including the creation of original one of a kind instruments. The band produces a unique sound -- that can shift in a moment from deeply mythic in the nasal whine of bagpipes and reed-type horns, to middle-eastern as drums and reeds are complemented by a spectacular instrument made of huge pipes and tapped with a paddle to produce a hollow-throated percussion, to baroque as the band combines men's voices, pan pipes, and a french horn.

 

It was almost impossible for me to choose from among the many videos which ones to put in this post! But I chose two: "O fim da Picada" atop the post which gives one a good view of the remarkable percussive instrument with its huge pipes and paddle stopper; and "Sarandillera" below which is a lovely piece for voice, various pipes and french horn. But I also recommend Lenga-Lenga for its killer trio between chant, pipes, and some really fierce drumming, and Chamarrita du Pico, a traditional dance piece.

But let me return to my friend João Lemos,who recently helped luthier and instrument inventor of the band, Carlos Guerreiro, to create a gorgeous new little table organ -- complete with faun and nymph attending on the instrument. João sent me some photos of the process from sketches to instrument:

  

 

Additionally, João has done wonderful art work for the new Gaiteiros de Lisboa CD, Sátiro (which I don't think is available yet in this country unfortunately but can be found here.) Have a peek at a sample of the drawings from the cover and the interior liner notes:

 

Gaiteiros de Lisboa also has a MySpace page and a Face Book page where one can become a fan.

Happy Fourth of July: Madrid, NM circa 1924 to 1932

 

As we all prepare for the various holiday festivities, I thought it would be enjoyable to share with you photos of Fourth of July festivities from the small mining town of Madrid, NM between 1924 and 1932. (I am not always sure of the dates on some of the photographs.) I have posted about Madrid, NM before (here and here) and every time I go back and look at the CD disk of 600 photos sent to me by Pinky Werner, the granddaughter of Oscar Huber, owner and superintendent of the mine, I am amazed at the obvious community spirit of the small town. Famous for its Christmas light shows, Madrid certainly didn't stint other holidays that brought the community out together to have fun and enjoy the day.

 

These photos show how Madrid did it up on the Fourth of July -- from parades of cars, decorated carts, floats, and bands. The baseball field was turned into a place for horse races, bronco busting, boxing matches, and Taos dancers. What is perhaps most wonderful about these photos is that they are a far cry from "ghost-town" images we now have of Madrid -- and I think it important to remember the place as it was -- alive, working, and celebrating together.

"Forget me not," More Friendship Calling Cards

The pleasure of unpacking in a rented house is deciding once and for all to unpack everything, knowing that in due time, one will be moving again. So there is a desire on my part to organize and winnow everything that has sat in a box somewhere in my old attic for thirty years waiting to be noticed. Well, I am noticing now!

A while back I posted a cache of these lovely "calling cards" which you can view in a gallery located on the right sidebar. They belonged to my great grandmother as mementos of past visitors to her home. In a file folder, I found a handful more -- and these are a bit different. Most of them express a sentiment on the front and then when one lifts the hand or the image, there is a signature underneath on the card stock. They are quite ornate -- and I love the ones with the images of the houses as though seen in a crystal ball. So here are a few more to enjoy.

"Bright as fair flowers, be thy life's fair hours!"

 

 

 

 

"From A Friend," the Art of the Calling Card

I have been going through a cigar box of collected calling cards from my great grandmother and I am astonished by the variety of pretty designs combined with the elegant scripts. It just seems such a lovely convention and I am rather sorry we don't do it anymore. Now we hand out "business cards" which have every conceivable method of contacting us crammed on the card -- and while it's true the designs can be quiet striking -- their function is so different than these beauties, which was simply to announce or memorialize one's visit. That my great grandmother gathered them together and stored them says something too about her visual delight in keeping them, not just as mementos but small slips of domestic art. I love too that they were used equally by both men and women.

So I thought I would share them with you and have created a little gallery of all the cards which you can find here -- or in the right hand column for future reference. Seeing them all together really makes me want to design a few for myself -- and to hell with the clever, efficient business card!

Here are some of my favorites (though I confess to being besotted by all of them):

The last calling card is especially unique as it is made from a small rectangle of birch bark inscribed with the visitor's name -- A. G. Robinson.

You can view other terrific collections online, such as the accumulated calling cards of the Washburn Family of Camps Mills, Town of Hounsfield, Jefferson County, New York, or read about the etiquette of using the cards on the Jane Austen website, or rather wistfully have a look at this gorgeous antique silver and mother-of-pearl calling card case here.