Addiss and Crofut - Eastern Ferris Wheel (Columbia, 1968)

Even by my standards, this is one weird record. I always find it interesting to follow the career trajectories of folkies as the 1960s wore on, and Steve Addiss and Bill Crofut are among the more interesting case studies. The two multi-instrumentalists took part in a US State Department-sponsored cultural exchange program during the early part of the decade, resulting in the 400 Years of Folk Music LP on Folkways. This album showed an affinity for folk music from all over the world, but especially that of East Asia. As other writers have pointed out, Addiss and Crofut were "world musicians" before the term was even invented. Imagine some sort of cross between the works of Simon & Garfunkel with Henry Kaiser and David Lindley's international music projects, and you'll get an idea of what this pair sounds like.


Eastern Ferris Wheel can be viewed as Addiss and Crofut's magnum opus and actually fits in quite comfortably with the experimental musical climate apparent during the late 1960s. Columbia Records seems to have pulled out all the stops for this folk-world fusion album as legendary producer John Hammond was brought in to supervise the recording sessions, which also featured an impressive array of accompanying musicians. Most notable among these are keyboardist Edward Murray, whose work on organ and harpsichord gives a baroque flavor to many of the performances, and percussionist John Bergamo, who provides an equally strong Indian presence with his tabla playing. Although this kitchen-sink production will undoubtedly appeal to fans of music with a progressive bent, I can't say that the duo's somewhat twee singing style (probably rooted in their early 1960s background) will be everybody's cup of tea. But if that's not an issue for you, then get on board this audio excursion to exotic locales.

STEVE ADDISS (L) & BILL CROFUT

The concluding lyrics of "Om" and "Alleluja" featured in "The Jimmy Song" (partially inspired by Bach's "Sleepers Awake") are most appropriate since the territory covered on Eastern Ferris Wheel comprises all musical points between these two spiritual words. "In Just Spring" finds e.e. cummings' poem set to music with what sounds like a kalimba at the fore, while "Flowers Fall Away (Sakura Sakura)" and "Down by the Meadow (Komoriuta)" display Addiss and Crofut's prowess at performing Japanese-influenced material. With lush orchestrated backing and Bergamo's flawless rhythms, Gordon Lightfoot's "Softly" never sounded better. I'm guessing that the duo's inclusion of Charles Ives' "He Is There," which quotes numerous patriotic American songs such as "Rally Round the Flag" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic," was intended as an ironic anti-war statement. Whether that was the case or not, this schizophrenic piece reminds me of some of the goofier material on Joe Byrd's United States of America LP, also released by Columbia in 1968. Both "Willow Rustling in the Breeze (Suliram)" and "Gentle Robyn (Gamban/Robyn)" contain prominent elements of Indonesian music, with the latter title combining the sounds of a gamelan orchestra with an old English folk song. The Jesus parable "Forty Days" comes from Dave Brubeck's oratorio Light in the Wildnerness and, in fact, features the jazz pianist and his rhythm section to excellent effect. The Chinese-derived "High in the Mountain Pass (Alishan)" has to be my favorite song on this album and gives you an idea of what Confucius might have sounded like had he been a Greenwich Village folk singer. "Azulao" is a pleasant Brazilian ballad sung in Portuguese, and "Dry Riverbeds" comes off as keyboard-heavy folk rock. The closing track, "Spring" finds Addiss and Crofut back in an East Asian setting, using an English translation of an ancient Chinese poem as its lyrics.



1. The Jimmy Song
2. In Just Spring
3. Flowers Fall Away (Sakura, Sakura)
4. Softly
5. Down by the Meadow (Komoriuta)
6. He Is There
7. Willow Rustling in the Breeze (Suliram)
8. Gentle Robyn
9. Forty Days
10. High in the Mountain Pass (Alishan)
11. Azulao
12. Dry Riverbeds
13. Spring