American Roots Music

( 1 )

Overview

This two-DVD set collects all four episodes of American Roots Music, an acclaimed PBS series that examines the rise of a number of homegrown American musical forms, including blues, country, gospel, bluegrass, Cajun, folk, and Native American sounds. In addition to the show's four one-hour installments, this set features additional archival footage of rare musical performances not included in the original broadcast, as well as a time line feature that allows users to trace the growth of American music. The images...
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More About This Product

Overview

This two-DVD set collects all four episodes of American Roots Music, an acclaimed PBS series that examines the rise of a number of homegrown American musical forms, including blues, country, gospel, bluegrass, Cajun, folk, and Native American sounds. In addition to the show's four one-hour installments, this set features additional archival footage of rare musical performances not included in the original broadcast, as well as a time line feature that allows users to trace the growth of American music. The images have been transferred in their original full-frame format, and the audio is mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo.
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Special Features

Full-length performances by Bob Willis, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and others
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Chas Turner
Casting its documentary net even wider than Ken Burns's Jazz series, American Roots sets its sights on more of the nation's quintessential styles and musical pioneers -- affording context and continuity for viewers turned on by the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. In this four-hour, soul-stirring gumbo, just about every root gets its due, including bluegrass Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe; blues B. B. King, Charley Patton, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson; country Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, Hank Williams; gospel Mahalia Jackson, Thomas A. Dorsey; folk Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Mississippi John Hurt; Cajun and zydeco Clifton Chenier; Tejano Valerio Longoria, accordion master Flaco Jimenez; and Native American Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman. Celebrating these musicians and their contributions are current artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Robbie Robertson, and Ricky Skaggs who also plays the neo-traditional series theme song. At times, the project threatens to buckle under the weight of its task. But producer-director Jim Brown -- whose previous work includes the passionate The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time! -- and coproducer-editor Sam Pollard are deft masters of subtle excavation. American Roots benefits from the duo's command of history and resources, and their willingness to connect the past as Greil Marcus wrote of Harry Smith, "the old, weird America" to current artists participating in the roots revival movement. To cure the excerpt fever that often befalls epic documentaries, the two-disc DVD version of the series also allows the viewer to eye some half dozen performances in their entirety. This, in the end, helps American Roots to pack the force of a revelation.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/30/2001
  • UPC: 660200303921

    • Rating:

  • Source: Palm Pictures / Umvd
  • Region Code: 0
  • Presentation: 2 Pack
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 13,591

Scene Index

Side #1--
0. Episode Access
0. Episode 1: When First Unto This Country
1. Fisk Jubilee Singers [10:58]
2. Recorded Music [7:50]
3. The Bristol Sessions [8:44]
4. Delta Blues [9:37]
5. The Grand Ole Opry [8:31]
6. Gospel Is Born [7:14]
0. Episode 2: This Land Was Made for You and Me
1. Country & Western Swing [9:14]
2. Lead Belly & Lomax [4:13]
3. Woody Guthrie [5:28]
4. Bluegrass [9:54]
5. Honky Tonk [9:35]
6. The Blues & Radio [15:06]
Side #2--
0. Episode Access
0. All My Children of the Sun
1. Cajun [12:23]
2. Zydeco [6:23]
3. Tejano [10:17]
4. Native American [5:46]
5. Nakai & Mirabal [6:20]
6. Evolution of Roots [9:28]
0. The Times Are A-Changin'
1. Chicago Blues [6:19]
2. B.B. King [5:41]
3. Golden Age of Gospel [12:13]
4. The Weavers [8:42]
5. The Folk Revival [7:08]
6. Newport Folk Festival [12:50]
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Menu

Side #1--
   Play
   Special Features
      Bonus Performances
         Play All
         Bob Wills: "Sitting on Top of the World"
         Earl Scruggs: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"
         Doc Watson: "Never No Mo' Blues"
      Weblinks
      Palm Previews
Side #2--
   Play
   Special Features
      Bonus Performances
         Play All
         Sister Rosetta Tharpe " Down by the Riverside"
         Steve Riley "Ossun Two-Step"
         Valerio Longoria "Rosalito"
      Weblinks
      Palm Previews
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