Bok samlar texter av Izzy Young

Den bland mycket annat före detta Jeffersonredaktören Scott Barretta har sammanställt en bok om folkmusikpredikanten och Stockholmsboende Izzy Young kallad The Conscience Of The Folk Revival. Där samlas huvudsakligen texter Young skrev från mitten av femtio- till mitten av sjuttiotalet. Det tyckte vi var så intressant att vi gick och ordnade en liten intervju.

How come you decided to do a book on Izzy Young?

I first met Izzy in 1992, shortly after I arrived in Sweden, and we soon became close friends.  I had been told about him before I arrived in Sweden by Ralph Rinzler, an old friend of Izzy's who was likewise an important figure in the folk revival. I was living in Helsingborg, and later Lund, and would often stay in Izzy's store when I came up to Stockholm. We talked for hundreds of hours, often about the years when he ran the Folklore Center in New York City (1957-1973).

I remember looking at a proposal someone had put together for a book of Izzy's writings back in the '90s, but didn't think about it again until about four years ago, when I was contacted  by a book series editor who told me that the person who was going to do the book was sick and couldn't continue with the project. He wondered if I would consider doing it. I didn't hesitate to say yes.

What did you learn during the process? What surprised you the most?

Having spent so much time with Izzy in person or on the phone I was very familiar with his basic story and the issues about which he was most passionate. Preparing the book, though, forced me to read in detail all of his writings, and in so doing I really gained a strong and nuanced understanding of how the folk revival progressed. I think what probably surprised me the most were his earliest writings on the folk revival - he was watching the whole thing unfold, and his predictions about what was going to happen were frighteningly accurate.

Plans for any more books?

Yes, but I don't have the plans for actually doing them!  Actually, I've been talking with Jim O'Neal about a book on the Mississippi Blues Trail - we have now written nearly 180 markers, and would love to present the information all in one place. Also, I'm currently working on a documentary film about Mississippi Fred McDowell, and we're finding more information than can fit into the film. It would be fun to include it in a book about him. His story is wonderful, and the people that knew him all loved him.

Last but not least, any recommendations for music old or new?

Regarding old music, my favorite recent release is the five CD boxed set Soul And Swagger, which collects The ´5´ Royales' recordings from 1951 to 1967. It's on the Rockbeat label, and has excellent notes and artwork, and really gives the group the respect they deserve. As far as new recordings go, I've really been enjoying the new CD Prospect Hill by Dom Flemons, who recently left the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The album really captures his musical adventurousness, and he performs with multiple groupings of musicians. And my favourite record over the last years is probably Mindbender by Brother Tyrone from New Orleans. He's just in his fifties, but evokes the spirit of Bobby "Blue" Bland. If You Ain't Cheating is a really thoughtful song about infidelity, and When It's Gone, It's Gone address Katrina with some wonderful black humor.

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