Cellabration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins

by CELLABRATION: TRIBUTE TO ELLA J

Overview

Leading children's music performer Ella Jenkins had been recording for the Folkways or Smithsonian Folkways labels for almost half a century by the time this tribute album was released in 2004. While it's true the artist lineup contains several of the usual suspects from the folkie children's music world (Cathy Fink, Tom Paxton, Tom Chapin, Pete Seeger), it's obvious that a great deal of care was taken in making this a record that could hold up under its own merits, rather than a more common throwaway homage project. All of the songs were performed at some point by Jenkins in her own repertoire, and in addition to the usual kiddie folk singalongs, there are ventures into less expected arrangements -- gospel (Sweet Honey in the Rock, who make children's music about as soulful as it's going to get), Latin (Michele Valeri's "Dulee, Dulee"), cowboy (Riders in the Sky's "Let's All Sing a Yodeling Song"), and mariachi (Mariachi los Camperos' "La Raspa/Fiesta de Ninos"). Rock and soul fans might be surprised to hear lyrics quite similar to those in Rufus Thomas' "Walking the Dog" in Sweet Honey in the Rock's "Go Miss Mary Mack"; Paxton throws in an amused reference to himself in "I Know a Tom"; and while Seeger's voice is almost worn out on "The World Is Big, the World Is Small," he gets a lot of needed help from a robust actual children's chorus. As with virtually all tribute albums, many might prefer to hear these done by the original artist, but for a tribute collection the arrangements are more diverse than usual, and for those who care about such things, the sound quality and production clarity are better than they are on many of Jenkins' own recordings. The result is superior to both the standard tribute album and the standard children's record. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	09/21/2004
Label:	SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS
UPC:	0093074505922

Tracks

1. You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song  - Cathy Fink  - Ella Jenkins
2. Did You Feed My Cow?  - Ella Jenkins  -  Sweet Honey in the Rock
3. Dulee, Dulee  - Ella Jenkins  - Michele Valeri
4. I Know a Tom  - Ella Jenkins  - Tom Paxton
5. Please Is a Pleasant Expression  - Tom Chapin  - Ella Jenkins
6. Let's All Sing a Yodeling Song  - Ella Jenkins  -  Riders in the Sky
7. The World of Whickum-Whackum  - Bill Harley  - Ella Jenkins
8. Jambo  - Red Grammer  - Ella Jenkins
9. The Union Team  - Ella Jenkins  - John McCutcheon
10. Turkey in the Straw  - Cathy Fink  - Ralph Gordon  - Ella Jenkins  - Marcy Marxer  - John McCutcheon  - Rickie Simpkins
11. The World Is Big, the World Is Small  - Ella Jenkins  - Pete Seeger
12. Rushing Around Russia  - Ella Jenkins  - Mike Stein
13. The Hukilau Song  - Ella Jenkins  - Marcy Marxer
14. Go Miss Mary Mack  - Ella Jenkins  -  Sweet Honey in the Rock
15. Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero  - Cathy Fink  - Ella Jenkins
16. La Raspa/Fiesta de Ni¿¿os  - Ella Jenkins  -  Mariachi Los Camperos
17. Circle of Friends  - Ella Jenkins  - Spencer Perkins
18. Sing Me a Song Again, Ella  - Ella Jenkins  -  University Park Elementary School Ensemble

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rickie Simpkins   Primary Artist
Red Grammer   Primary Artist
Marcy Marxer   Primary Artist
Riders in the Sky   Primary Artist
Pete Seeger   Primary Artist
John McCutcheon   Primary Artist
Mike Stein   Primary Artist
Cathy Fink   Primary Artist
Spencer Perkins   Primary Artist
University Park Elementary School Ensemble   Primary Artist
Mariachi Los Camperos   Primary Artist
Bill Harley   Primary Artist
Sweet Honey in the Rock   Primary Artist
Tom Chapin   Primary Artist
Ralph Gordon   Primary Artist
Michele Valeri   Primary Artist
Tom Paxton   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

D.A. Sonneborn   Liner Notes,Production Supervisor
Ella Jenkins   Composer
Richard James Burgess   Production Supervisor
Marcy Marxer   Mixing,Engineer,Photography,Liner Notes,Producer
Cathy Fink   Photography,Liner Notes,Producer,Engineer,Mixing
Jim Robeson   Engineer,Mixing
Bob Dawson   Mixing
Linda Bangham   Art Direction
Emily Gremlich   Production Assistant
Bernadelle Richter   Photography
Carla Borden   Editorial Assistant
Dick Bangham   Art Direction,Cover Art