The Ultimate Supercollector: Alan Lomax
Friday, February 17, 2012
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Alan Lomax at the Mountain Music Festival in Asheville, North Carolina (Wikimedia Commons)
Long before the rise of the Internet, Alan Lomax envisioned a “global jukebox” that could play every style of music on the planet. Today: our Supercollectors series concludes with a look at the quest to digitize and distribute the late historian’s vast archive of recordings. Plus: A live performance from L.A.-based Gypsy jazz collective Noah and the MegaFauna.
Supercollectors: Lomax and 8-tracks
Supercollector Don Fleming of the Association for Cultural Equity joins us to talk about history’s ultimate supercollector, the late ethnomusicologist and folk historian Alan Lomax. Plus, Fleming talks about his own collection, which includes 15,000 albums, 10,000 45-rpm singles, laserdiscs, Edison discs, Betamax video tapes ... and more eight-track tapes than you'd expect.
Noah and the MegaFauna: In Studio
Fronted by musician Noah Lit, Noah and the MegaFauna combines Django jazz, indie-rock and boho folk on a debut album called “Anthems for a Stateless Nation.” The L.A.-based swinging ensemble joins us to play live in the studio.
Playlist: Lomax and 8-Tracks + Noah and the MegaFauna: In Studio
Click through for today's playlist.
How To Store Virgin Vinyl?
After yesterday's Supercollectors segment about digital audio storage, our listener Matt emailed us to ask us a question of a very analog nature.
Gig Alert: Lila Downs
Mexican-American chanteuse Lila Downs brings her vibrant pan-Latin fusion to El Museo del Barrio on Saturday night. Download the cumbia tune "Paloma del Comalito" from her new album.