New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
by Alan Korolenko
The New Bedford Folk Festival, scheduled for July 4th and 5th, will feature many concerts and showcases. Two dozen workshops are of special interest over the weekend. These are shows which feature multiple performers on stage at the same time. Each workshop/show has a specific subject. One of these shows is called “Eyes on the Prize: Songs and
Stories of Civil Rights.” Sharing the stage will be Kim and Reggie Harris and Jack Landrón.
Kim and Reggie possess a wealth of knowledge about Afro-American history, particularly the Underground Railroad and Civil Rights. Jack Landrón performed as Jackie Washington at Cambridge’s legendary Club 47 during the 1960s folk revival. But Jack found other pursuits when he traveled to Mississippi in 1964 as part of the Civil Rights Movement.
Instead of singing at rallies and then coming back to the north, Jack stayed in the south. He worked as a personal assistant to Martin Luther King, Jr. and was involved in minority voter registration. His interest in acting led to his helping form the Free Southern Theater which toured throughout the south during those turbulent years. So be at the Custom House Park Stage on July 4th at 2:30 PM to experience this dramatic period of our history with these three incredible performers.
Another workshop with an international approach features Jez Lowe, a fine singer-songwriter from northern England, Beppe Gambetta, a master guitarist from Genova, Italy, the Yves Lambert Trio, all hailing from Quebec Provence in Canada and Hiroya Tsukamoto, a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Kyoto, Japan. All will be on the stage of the Zeiterion Theater on July 5th at 11:30 AM.
For a complete festival schedule, including all concerts and workshops, go to newbedfordfolkfestival.com/schedule/.
