Title: Playground
Artist: Dave Fry
Label: CD Baby
Product Type: COMPACT DISCS
UPC: 888174398785
Genre: Children's
Dave Fry's Playground is just that: a sonic playground complete with musical hopscotch, hoops, a sand box, jump ropes, and swings. With a crackerjack ensemble of great friends and studio players, Playground celebrates kids-based music traditions with jump rope rhymes, play songs, and curious ditties - all set to bluegrass, folk, rock 'n' roll, and R&B, and all with snappy arrangements and engaging performances. Many songs are from the folk tradition, collected from legends like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, from teachers in the classrooms, and from kids on the playground. The music is meant to be sung out loud in the car, danced to in the kitchen, and shared in the school yard. And it is meant to be fluid: changed and passed on. That's the essence of folk music. A bunch of Dave's wonderfully creative friends came out to play with him on this CD, including: Kevin Soffera (percussion, production), Rob Stoneback (trombone), Ansel Barnum (harmonica), Reid Tre (electric guitar), Kjell Benner (bass), Doug Hawk (keyboards), Joe Mixon (steel drums), and Wendi Bourne and Robbi Kumalo (vocals). And Dave delivers some great vocal performances along with his crafty acoustic instrumental work on guitar, mandolin, and banjo. Jump Rope Mashup is a special cut. It's a medley of jump rope rhymes, performed by Dave, his daughter Rosalie, and Kevin's daughter Jordan. Set to a rhythm Kevin created with an actual jump rope, and layered with kids' playground sounds captured at Dave's neighborhood school, Holy Infancy, the Mashup is an amazing performance piece unto itself. This project was initially funded by the late Linny Fowler and The Beall and Linny Fowler Foundation. Her very personal philanthropy focused on increasing the common wealth of families in our community. Her spirit flows through this CD, and Dave is grateful that she recognized his folk music/art is a part of that process. 'Some say folk music, some say theater, some dare say rock and roll, but it's all a part of what Dave does so well - 'play' music.' - Allentown Symphony Hall Dave has three albums to his credit: Pearls, an adult-oriented folk album featuring blues, swing, Celtic instrumental and folk music, I Like Peanut Butter, a compilation of two kids' music tapes, a winner of the Children's Web Music award in 1999, and a new kids' music album, Shake It!, a variety of dance music for children. Dave Fry's work has appeared on PBS-TV nationally, winning best Children's Programming in PA in 1991 with his RockRoots program. His Play Guitar with Dave Fry, an introduction to acoustic guitar was released on PBS-TV in 2005 and has been broadcast on over 150 stations. His I Like Peanut Butter CD won Best Re-release from the Children's Music Web in 1999. Dave has been associated with Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern PA for many years, and has been named Master Artist by the state of New Jersey and Teaching Artist by the state of Connecticut, as well. Dave also founded and was Artistic Director of Godfrey Daniels, nationally recognized folk club for 25 years. Dave's concerts feature both traditional and contemporary folk music, spliced together with guitar, mandolin, banjo, wry and spontaneous commentary on American family life, and plenty of participation on everyone's part. Dave Fry is unique in his ability to entertain all ages, and builds a sense of community everywhere he performs.
Tracks:
1.1 Playground
1.2 Jimalong Joe
1.3 Finger in the Air
1.4 Skip to My Lou
1.5 Three Slow Snails
1.6 Friend of Mine
1.7 Giants
1.8 Gnu Song
1.9 Baby Shark
1.10 Rosalie, Where Are You Going?
1.11 Jelly in the Dish
1.12 Jump Rope Mashup
1.13 Figure It Out
1.14 All Around the Kitchen
1.15 Tutti Tah
1.16 Shoo That Fly
