New York, NY. (Top 40 Charts/ Salasaree Records) -
Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul & Mary), together with his daughter Bethany Yarrow and her musical partner/virtuoso cellist
Rufus Cappadocia, are making headlines due to the success of their illustrated book and CD edition of Puff the Magic Dragon (Sterling Publishers). The trio also recently released a CD called Puff and Other Family Classics (Salasaree Records), which is being marketed as a companion piece to the Puff, The Magic Dragon book.
Beginning this March, public television stations around the country will air a musical special called "Peter, Bethany & Rufus: Spirit of Woodstock." Produced by Peter Yarrow Productions and distributed nationally by WLIW New York, "Spirit of Woodstock" features a concert of 17 songs, performed before a live audience at the iconic Bearsville Theatre, built in the 1960s by Peter, Paul & Mary's maverick manager, Albert Grossman. "Spirit of Woodstock" offers an intimate glimpse into Peter's relationship to Woodstock and the famous musical tradition that evolved there, partly due to Peter's presence.
As Peter Yarrow noted recently, "This tradition lies at the core of this TV special which is about much more than music as entertainment. More importantly, this kind of music expresses the passions, hopes and dreams of each passing era. It is a tradition that is now carried forward by Bethany and Rufus, who in many ways define the cutting-edge of folk music in the world of today." Peter, along with Bethany and Rufus, will personally host selected public television station pledge drive broadcasts (see schedule below and at https://www.myspace.com/peterbethanyandrufus).
In "Peter, Bethany & Rufus: Spirit of Woodstock," Peter returns to the Woodstock artist colony where he spent his summers as a child, to perform in concert with Bethany and Rufus. Together, the three musicians from two vastly different generations revisit the Woodstock of Peter's youth, musically and historically. Filmed before an audience of Woodstock families and children, the concert offers moments of humor contrasted with deeply moving tributes to the music of the '60s that changed the world.
As "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Blowin' in the Wind" meet the music of Bethany & Rufus, Peter is pulled into the vitality of today's roots-music perspective, now fused with elements of contemporary jazz, groove and world music. Special guests appearances by Bethany & Rufus' friends from around the globe make for brilliant instrumental exchanges featuring Mady Koyate on Malian kora, Bonga Jean-Baptiste on Haitian percussion, and Chuck Campbell of the renowned Campbell Brothers on pedal-steel. A convergence of vision and song emerges as Peter comes full circle to celebrate his early dreams, now transformed and carried on by the next generation.
Peter and Bethany also visit his long-abandoned cabin in the woods and, later, singing together on stage, they share the spirit and conscience of the music that has inspired all three of them in different ways. The cabin is part of the history of American folk music. It's a tiny, quiet, place in the woods where Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin and others lived with Peter or as his guests, and where they each wrote songs that helped to inspire great change in the world of the 1960s. To hear Peter speak to Bethany of that remarkable time, standing there in his long-abandoned cabin, is as fascinating to watch in "Spirit of Woodstock" as is the transformation of the musical tradition they share on stage in this remarkable special.
These broadcast dates will feature a local, live appearance by Peter Yarrow, joined by Bethany & Rufus in most cities. Check local public television listings for other broadcasts.
* Friday, February 29th and Saturday, March 1st - New York, WLIW
* Tuesday, March 4th - St. Louis, KETC
* Wednesday, March 5th - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Twin Cities Public TV
* Thursday, March 6th - Denver, Rocky Mountain PBS
* Saturday, March 8th - Los Angeles, KCET
* Sunday, March 9th - Atlanta, WABE
* Monday, March 10th - Tampa, WEDU
* Tuesday, March 11th - San Antonio, KLRN
* Wednesday, March 12th - New York, WNET
* Thursday, March 13th - Detroit, DPTV
* Friday, March 14th, Columbus, WOSU
* Saturday, March 29th - Boston, WGBH
* Saturday, June 7th - San Francisco, KQED
* Sunday, June 8th - San Jose, KETH
