It was so good to hear the voice and thoughts of this iconic singer and activist. He shared a bit of his personal story, which I knew nothing about, and touched on so many subjects that I had known or shared. He often gives credit to others who have helped him during his life, e.g.: The Smothers Brothers who took a risk and insisted on having the blacklisted Pete sing on their show without editing. In consequence, their TV show was shut down. The writer of the song 'Tsimme' and his hopes for Jewish/Palestinian open dialog.
However, based on current awareness of racial bias, Pete's spur-of-the-moment comments fall short in a few places. Most notably was his talk about the creation of the Cherokee alphabet by Sequoyah, which ended with "and of course, when we discovered California and the redwoods, they were named after him, which is why he is famous." And the mention of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, which he had to keep guessing at the numbers of Cherokee involved and dead, and which ended with a white man "saving" a Cherokee woman & child from deportation. I know his point was that the actions of just common people can be important, but it ended feeling like the Cherokee were without agency. His talk about the banjo also seemed to focus on how the white peopel developed it's musicality and brought the instrument to prominence after they learned about it from the slaves (who, apparently, promptly stopped playing it)
The edition I listened to could benefit from some sound editing: sometimes I could barely hear and other times (especially when the title was announced by someone) it was too loud. Other than that, the mix of talk, instruments, and singing was generally fine.

Reviewed with 'Pete Seeger: Storm King - Volume 2'

Pete Seeger was an iconic American folk musician whose work was at its zenith during the Civil Rights Movement. His signature song, “We Shall Overcome” was a reworking of the gospel song, “”I’ll Overcome Some Day”” (Charles Albert Tindley, 1900); but there is more to Pete Seeger than that one song at that one period in U.S. history. This pair of offerings from Hachette Audio gives listeners a glimpse into the man, his influences, his causes, and his legacy in a format that highlights his contributions. Pete Seeger himself narrates anecdotes set against background music; and interstitial pieces (a poem, a song, an interview with a notable person) are cut between the stories. There are guest performers, and the whole is edited into a sort of highlight reel of Pete Seeger’s life by Jeff Haynes.

For those who do not know or remember Pete Seeger, the Storm King set is a pleasant introduction to the musical folklorist; and may encourage a deeper look into his biography, his catalogue of works, and the Clearwater Festival. For those who do know/remember him, it’s a nice nostalgia piece. The whole of the works have a slow, evenly paced rhythm that reflects the late singer’s aesthetic. It doesn’t seek to dazzle, but to gently inform and entertain the listener. It has a “hippy” or New Age feel to it, a contrast to the violence of the Civil Rights Movement and the turmoil of modern politics. Those who groove on NPR will probably like this a lot.

The two audio offerings seem to actually be one work arbitrarily split into two titles. The first volume is the stronger of the two; by virtue of setting the tone, and introducing all the performers other than Seeger himself. The second volume feels like a continuation, and while not less well produced, feels unsupported without the first volume. ( )

A two hour and twenty minute audio collection from Audible. It was released in 2013, so is quite recent. It is kind of like having Pete Seeger sit in your kitchen and reminisce about his life, his music, and people he knew. He only sang and played a little bit, but did plenty of storytelling. The one thing I didn't care for was that during the musical parts, I often didn't know who was performing. But it made a fitting memorial as I listened to him share the stories of a long life well lived.