Theodore Bikel and Geula Gill- Folk Songs from Just About Everywhere

DSCN1867Theodore Bikel passed on today at age 91. This album was 25 cents.

Link to Theodore’s Obit

p_FAlthough the man who was once called “A Poor Man’s Peter Ustinov” was primarily known as an actor, he was also quite an accomplished folk singer.  He released countless albums of folk music from all areas.  Although he focused on Jewish and Russian folk, he was able to perform folk music from Latin America, the USA, and other areas.  He cofounded the Newport Folk Festival with Pete Seeger and also was the first person to perform “Blowin in the Wind” after Bob Dylan.  On stage, he originated the role of Captain von Trapp in the Sound of Music.  “Edelweiss” was written specifically for him when it was learned he had no song of his own in the show.  Bikel had also performed the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof more times than anyone else (2000+).  Finally, no highlight reel would be complete without mentioning he had a role in Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels.

DSCN1868This album shows off Bikel’s grip both on international music as well as language.  Although heavy on the Israeli folk, Bikel and Geula Gill also sing Russian, Bolivian, Greek, Argentine, Brazilian, and French-Canadian to name a few.  The majority are duets and the voices contrast well.  The songs are good as the music is all over the place and makes for an excellent mix.  I should point out that Geula Gil, a former kindergarten teacher in Israel, has a fine voice and does well on this album.

theodore-bikel-premiere-argo-01From the album, here is the Bolivian folk tune “Pollerita” in tribute to Bikel.  Bikel has better performances on here but this is my favorite song.

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