Beginnings

REVIEWED BY Mike Regenstrief

I first met Steve Goodman back in 1973 or ’74 when he did a four-night stand at the soon-to-be-defunct Karma Coffee House in Montreal. Hanging out with him then, we talked a lot about music and it was from Steve that I first heard of Bonnie Koloc. She was one of the best singers around, he told me.

I took Steve’s advice and sought out Bonnie’s early LPs – and what she’s done since – and she’s never failed to draw me in with her gorgeous voice and intelligent folk-pop (with touches of blues and jazz) approach.

Bonnie’s first LP came out in 1971 but she was already well-established as one of top performers on the Chicago folk club scene that included such peers as Steve, John Prine and Fred Holstein. But the music on Beginnings – released for the first time more than 40 years after it was recorded – dates from two 1969 live sets recorded by Rich Warren, then the student host of a folk music show on his college’s radio station. (For many years now, Rich has been the host of the legendary Midnight Special program on WFMT in Chicago.)

Listening to Beginnings, it’s quite obvious that Bonnie was already a great singer and performer; in fact, I would say it’s more even more obvious here than on some of her early LPs with their studio polish.

The sweetly sad “Rainy Day Lady” is Bonnie’s only original among the 16-song, hour-long set mostly devoted to her superb interpretations of tunes drawn from such well-known writers as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell as well as from local artists like Eddie Holstein and Steve Goodman (who was still completely unknown beyond the Chicago folk scene).

Among my favourites on the CD are Bonnie’s versions of Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (despite a couple of lyrical deviations)” and “Just Like a Woman”; Goodman’s “Song for David”; Eddie Holstein's "Victoria's Moring"; and one of the best interpretations I’ve ever heard of Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

She also does fine versions of such classics as Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child,” George Gershwin’s “Summertime” and Bessie Smith’s “You’ve Been a Good Old Wagon.”

Bonnie is supported throughout the album by the excellent playing of guitarist Ray Frank and bassist George Stevens. John Mathis plays flute on three songs and two others feature a guy named Bob (from the bar) on harmonica.

Mike Regenstreif’s blog

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REVIEWED BY Rich Warren

Bonnie Koloc is not a folk singer. Now that is out of the way, I can say she is fabulous. She sings blues, jazz and the odd folk song. Her versatile, fluid soprano pours forth effortlessly wrapping itself around whatever song it touches. Similarly, the songs wrap themselves around Koloc. Wisdom and passion burnish her performance to a fine patina. While Koloc has been singing and recording since the early 70s and is something of a super star in the Chicago area, Here to Sing is the first album to do her justice. Much of this can be attributed to producer and multi-instrumentalist Howard Levy. Although Levy is joined by other accompanists, the CD is far from over-produced and the musicianship shows exceptionally high quality. Koloc penned seven of the 12 songs on this CD. Her opening “Red Hot Red” ignites the CD with a sizzle, but her song that follows “Slow Dancing to the Blues” shows the remarkable range of her voice. Her intriguing song “The Snake” is an involving allegory. Koloc also does great justice to North Dakota farmer Chuck Suchy’s folk-style songs “Dancin’ in the Kitchen” and “Its Great When It Rains.” She has a lot of fun with Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster.” Her interpretation of “Skylark,” the classic by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer is an absolute keeper. If I set the CD player to repeat a single track, that would be it.

Koloc’s “I Love You Waltz,” written for her husband, sure sounds like a folk song. However, on the next track Koloc also displays a sense of humor with her song about the foibles of marriage “Crumbs in the Butter,” which she performs like a 1950s doo-wop classic. If you want to hear a knockout performance of diverse, well-chosen material, Koloc is Here To Sing.

Reprinted with permission from Sing Out! v.50#3. (c) 2006 Sing Out!
All rights reserved

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REVIEWED BY Mike Regenstreif

Most of Bonnie Koloc’s recordings, particularly a string of fine LPs from the 1970s, have long been out-of-print. That makes this two-CD set of previously unreleased tracks, most of them live, recorded between 1973 and 1990, particularly welcome. And it is particularly nice, after all these years, to again hear her warm and lovely voice wrapped around the lyrics and melodies from some of the best material from those old albums. Songs like Michael Smith’s “Crazy Mary,” Rosalie Sorrel’s “Up Is a Nice Place to Be,” Ed Holstein’s “Jazzman,” Steve Goodman’s “I Can’t Sleep,” John Prine’s “Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone” receive wonderful interpretations. On some numbers, like “Senorita,” written by her guitarist Elliott Delman, she gets playful with the audience and with songs like “Roll Me on the Water” and “Mr. Biscuit Blues,” she reminds us that she herself is also a fine songwriter.

Because these recordings are drawn from different time, places and levels of technology, the sound quality is uneven in spots. However, she quite rightly puts the quality of the performance first and the tape hiss, for example, on “Jazzman” fades in the power of her a cappella singing.

Stylistically, Koloc works in a folk-pop vein with occasional country, blues and jazz overtones. In addition to Delman, Koloc’s accompanying musicians include such stellar players as Steve Goodman on guitar, Jim Tullio on acoustic bass, and Howard Levy on piano and harmonica.

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REVIEWED BY Fred Koch

As parents, we are literally deluged with music. To my ears, most of it is mediocre at best, so pay attention to this month’s picks because we only spotlight what we feel is really worthy of your attention. This month we highlight two of the CD projects that have found their way into my “got to find time to write about these CDs” pile. The first features a longtime favorite with Chicago audiences, Bonnie Koloc, who just released a book/CD combo that was eight years in the making.

A BESTIARY: BEASTS OF THE FARM, by Bonnie Koloc, Ruskin Press,
$32, www.bonniekoloc.com; all ages.

I was driving to one my graduate classes a few weeks ago when over the radio came a whimsical song about—of all things—a goat. I was sure I recognized the singer. I was also wide-eyed with excitement over the arrangement, and certain that my students would love this song.

It was indeed Bonnie Koloc singing, and that multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Howard Levy was also involved. A week later Koloc herself called, offering to send a copy of her new project, a CD and book of “poems to sing.”

After I received the CD, I put it on and listened intently following the poems in the companion book. Not only did Koloc write the poems and the songs, but she also created 13 black-and-white linoleum block prints—one for each of the farm animals.

And her work as a visual artist has not gone unnoticed. “A Bestiary” won best in show at the Iowa State Fair Art Salon in 1996. Previously available in a limited box edition, the new version of the soft cover book comes with this amazing CD.

The songs and musical treatments are as varied as the farm animals themselves. And though purposely sparse, the musical arrangements and production support the song and Koloc’s intimate interpretations.

OK, back to the songs. One of my favorites, “The Goat,” begins with an accordion introduction that will have you longing for a good Chianti and homemade pasta, then quickly veers off into a humorous plea that you “don’t get a goat.” The imagery comes alive as Koloc sings, “His kids are darling/ and he makes great cheese/ but he’ll eat your undies and your neighbor’s trees.”

The imagery factor plays a vital and vivid role in all of these songs. And isn’t that the mark of a skilled songsmith? In song after song, we hear a clear and concise portrait of a particular farm animal, whether it be “The Pig” (“Sitting down with a thud/ in a yard full of mud/ puts him in the most delightful mood”), “The Dog” (“Get down/ good boy/ get down Rex/ don’tcha get mud on my Sunday best”) or “The Duck” (“Out of his egg he breaks with his beak/ the duckling arrives with a mighty peep!”).

Koloc says this project is rooted in her own childhood experiences. “As a child, I loved the yellow records that were in a book for the stories of ‘Bambi,’ ‘Snow White’ and ‘Cinderella,’ ” she says. “I played them over and over again, and they were very good music. I’m hoping that this piece will introduce children to different instruments and different styles of music, and also help them realize that there are rhythms, not only in music, but also in language and in art, and that they can all go together.”

Not only will children enjoy Koloc’s project—inspired by the work of French poet Guillaume Apollinaire and the artist Raul Duffy—but parents and teachers will also find her work artistically satisfying and worthy of its recent praise.

I grow fonder this CD each time I hear it. This is a magnificent work of artistry from an extraordinary and passionate artist.

Reprinted with permission from Chicago Parent
www.chicagoparent.com

Read more from Bonnie about The Bestiary

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