Photoessay #1057 - Folklife

I was quite torn about Folklife this year. The last few years I have not enjoyed myself, just couldn't handle the crowds. But this year Dennis really wanted to hit it big time. Why not? No high school championships, no softball tournaments, no trips for the Lassies.

So Saturday he went for quite a long time by himself. Somehow it didn't seem right to me to not go; a unique folklife experience was still possible.

I used to maintain that one would have a unique unexpected rewarding experience at Folklife, you didn't know what it would be, you had to go and leave yourself open to it. Maybe it's Polynesian dancing, maybe it's being part of a gospel singing workshop, who knows?

Folklife, by the way, is a 'free' (not really) huge acoustic folk and otherwise festival at Seattle Center. This year they had 16 stages going. Jamming and busking encouraged. Ethnic music welcomed. You want to play hindustani music on the trombone, there's room for you. Musicians scheduled in 20-30 minute increments from 11am into the night.

This year the weather was pretty crummy. Was raining pretty bad this morning but the weather improved throughout the day. We started at the Jewish Show watching a series of three instrumental groups. The first a very clean tight and expressive duo of clarinet and acordian playing traditional Easterm European damce music. Then a larger group with more electrified music playing Jewish blues with shots of "In-a-godda-da-vita".

Afterwards, we wanted to catch part of the gospel show but throughout the next hour or so, we couldn't get into the groove, we went to several venues but always seemed to catch the last 45 seconds. Less programming on the final day but less people earlier in the day. So, we had some lunch (Dennis had a lamb gyro and I had a plate of Indain food). The crowds were starting to get huge and we came home.

First shot shows a view from the Fisher Green plaza on top of the former Flag Pavilion. Lots of people but not up to folklife crazy standards. But people flocked in as the weather included.

I did see my friend Lee (second shot) who performs in an Appalachian clogging group. Got mixed up in the crowd and didn't make it back for their show. Good to see her back doing things she enjoys after a recent family tragedy.