Interesting albums from the folk and roots music history, by Marius Roeting.
When compiling a programme, you sometimes find yourself faced with great challenges. Take, for example, the album ‘Von einem Tag zum Anderen’ by the
German vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and composer Manfred Jaspers. It is one of the most beautiful German folk albums ever made and yet consigned to oblivion.
It is also a great example of an album which perfectly fits in a programme like this. However, a few problems occur. The playing time of the album is less than 60 minutes and so we have to add something by this largely unknown, but important, musician. These two things go together; despite several attempts to get in contact with Manfred Japsers in one way or the other, we did not succeed in learning much more about him. Initially, even the ‘magic box’ called the Internet couldn’t tell us more. That is also one of the reasons why a programme on this album was shelved for sometime and we didn’t take it further.
Until recently! While surfing the digital highway, I discovered a track which could be linked to Manfred Jaspers; it was a start after which the fire got slowly fanned again. I could not get much information about Manfred himself, but I remembered by chance – it must be my age – that there was another album on which Manfred Jaspers played a leading part. You can now listen to the result of all this cogitation which may have taken a while, but the music of the album ‘Von einem Tag zum is still beautiful and it has maybe matured even more. Anyway, with this programme it gets the attention it deserves.
Beda folk – Live 1973 – Da Camera Song SM 95042
1. Step It Out Mary (trad) 3.27
Moin – Songs, Dances and Ballads from North Germany – Polydor 2371 792
2. Min Vaterland (text: Klaus Groth, Music: trad) 4.09
3. Twee Königskinner (trad) 4.23
Manfred Jaspers – Von einem Tag zum anderen – Stockfish SF 5030
4. Klönschnack (tekst: Klaus Groth, muziek Jaspers 2.36
5. Verlaarn 3.42
6. Erinnerung An O. 5.56
7. Wiegenlied Den Kindern An Der Oker 3.06
8. Wiegenlied für Ned 3.11
9. Der Mond (Matthias Claudius) 3.26
10. Looking across the Irish sea 3.53
11. Daniels Eintritt 1.42
12. Dies Land Braucht Keine Träume Mehr 4.39
13. Die Namenlosen 4.34
14. Tod Mach Mir’s Leicht (Harvey Andrews,vertaling: J. Schöntges) 3.49
15. Abschied (trad) 3.42
All tracks are composed by Manfred Jaspers, unless otherwise indicated.
Produced by: