On this album by clarinetist Julian Bliss, the titular work refers to gumboot dancing, South African miners' dances that during the apartheid era conveyed coded meanings as well as joy in the face of enormous hardship. A look at YouTube will reveal plenty of examples of a form that has been little known outside South Africa. Composer David Bruce's clarinet quintet falls into two parts, an untitled slow "Part One" (track 1) that presumably sets the dark scene of the mine, followed by a second part consisting of five dances.
Commemorating the 25th anniversary of Graceland, Paul Simon's groundbreaking album that continues to influence and inspire generations. Following its Sundance Film Festival premiere in the US, the Joe Berlinger-directed documentary Under African Skies, chronicling the creation and lasting influence of Graceland, it has its UK premiere at Sundance London. The documentary garnered critical acclaim on the film festival circuit with screenings at SXSW 2012, where it received an Audience Award, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival. To help commemorate the anniversary and celebrate the indelible musical legacy of Graceland, this is a special Graceland 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box Set with two CDs and two DVDs including the re-mastered original album, audio narrative The Story of 'Graceland as told by Paul Simon, Under African Skies, documentary film with extended interviews, the original 1987 African Concert from Zimbabwe, three original music videos and the iconic Saturday Night Live performance of "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"; replicas of an original Graceland poster, handwritten lyrics pad; deluxe 80-page book featuring new and archival photos and interviews with Paul Simon.
The Complete Album Collection is Paul Simon's Complete Recorded Works – minus Simon & Garfunkel, of course, along with "Slip Sliding Away" – and, as a whole, it is a mightily impressive body of work, showcasing an artist who remains restless and curious four decades into his career. The package is handsome, presenting each CD as a mini-LP, the sound is terrific, the price is affordable, and the scope is complete, so The Complete Album Collection is in every way an upgrade over the previous The Complete Studio Recordings.
A stunning live performance by the legendary Paul Simon featuring performances of some of his most beloved and classic songs as well as newer selections from his critically acclaimed 2011 release, So Beautiful or So What…
This boxed anthology includes nine solo studio albums the veteran singer-songwriter released between dissolving his epochal partnership with Art Garfunkel and 2000 ably underscores the long-term pursuit of those eclectic tastes. Digitally remastered, each of the albums also contain bonus demos and outtakes; culled together, they're essentially an additional double-album's worth of raw insight into Paul Simon's adventurous creative vision and restless musical soul. — Amazon.com