Pete Seeger: Live in Australia 1963

Reelin' in the Years Productions, responsible for the multi-volume Jazz Icons line (arguably the best jazz performance DVD series around), has made an impressive start with this initial Folk Icons offering, featuring Pete Seeger's 25-song 1963 concert filmed in a Melbourne concert hall. Seeger was a controversial character in America at the time—in the 1950s, the former Communist Party member had been blacklisted and banned from American television; he was even convicted for contempt of Congress in 1961 (and would have served a 10-year prison term, had his case not been dismissed)—but he was welcomed with open arms Down Under, where he demonstrates his skills as a musician (on the 12-string guitar and especially banjo), singer, storyteller, and amiable entertainer. The set list includes “If I Had a Hammer,” “Down By the Riverside,” “Goodnight Irene,” and other protest songs, children's tunes, traditional folk and gospel numbers, and material by Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton, as well as adaptations of pieces by Bach and Beethoven, and songs from Scotland, Germany, Brazil, and Japan (Seeger played “world music” long before the term existed). DVD extras include a featurette with Seeger discussing and playing songs by the great 12-string master Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter (including some 1945 footage of Lead Belly himself), home movies, a stills gallery, and a 16-page booklet with liner notes by Seeger biographer David K. Dunaway. As was the case with Jazz Icons, the restoration and digital remastering of the original material are impeccable: the black-and-white visuals are clean, and the mono audio is crisp and clear, right down to the insistent tapping of Seeger's foot. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)