The Prairie Landscape

THE ILLINOIS HUMANITIES COUNCIL DEBUTS THE NEWEST ISSUE OF DETOURS, THEIR ON-LINE MAGAZINE

04/06/2000

CHICAGO -- The Illinois Humanities Council has devoted the newest issue of its on-line magazine, Detours, to music. Entitled “Notes,” this comprehensive look at music contains articles on a diverse range of subjects, including American labor songs, the fate of the Chicago blues, and the political power of song in Asia. Written by music critics, musicians, and music historians, “Notes” provides a diversity of perspectives on the music scene in Chicago and across the globe. Also included is an interview about the current state of jazz with William Russo, Director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and Chairperson of the Contemporary Music Department at Columbia College in Chicago.

In this latest issue of Detours, read about the Chicago blues’ “identity crisis” in “The State of the Blues at The New Millennium” by music journalist Bill Dahl; immerse yourself in the 1930s era of Chicago swing in music historian Lewis Erenberg’s article, “Chicago’s Swing Jamboree;” and discover how music has become a political mode of expression for female musicians in China in Ann Feldman’s article, “The Making of Unbreakable Spirits.” Ari Frede of the Old Town School of Folk Music writes about the Devil in music history in his article, “The Devil Before He Went Down to Georgia,” and composer Michelle Gillman celebrates the beauty of silence as a musical “sound” in her moving piece, “Collecting a Thousand Octaves.” To experience folk-rock musician and labor historian Bucky Halker’s unique perspective on playing and recording American labor songs, what he calls “the conscience of our country,” read his article, “Fanning the Flames of Discontent.”

The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized more than 25 years ago as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC promotes greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by the citizens of Illinois, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds. For more information, please visit Prairie, the website of the IHC, at http://www.prairie.org.

Prairie provides visitors with a detailed overview of the IHC, its events and grants programs. On this interactive site, one can easily download information about IHC grants, its True Learning, True Teaching Seminars, and the Road Scholars speakers bureau. Visitors can surf links about Illinois history and culture; plan Illinois outings by viewing the Events Calendar; and buy books through Ex Libris, the on-line bookstore affiliated with Barnes and Noble.

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