cELLAbration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins

Musical play at its best.

Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Children's Music Label: Smithsonian Folkways Parental Advisory: No Edited Version Available: No Release Date: 09/21/2004

Common Sense Note

Here's a gold standard for children's music -- enjoyment for the whole family in classic Ella Jenkins songs performed by well-known artists.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Christine Walker and Dennis Hysom

C"ELLA"BRATION! A TRIBUTE TO ELLA JENKINS contains a liner note from producers Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer: "It is with love, honor, respect, and a large measure of fun that we bring together many of today's finest folk, children's, and family performers with a delightful children's choral ensemble to pay tribute to a master and mentor. Thank you, Ella." Those performers include Tom Chapin, Pete Seeger, and more, along with accomplished musicians and the University Park Children's Ensemble. With a delicious mix of musical styles and cultural references, the album lifts the spirit and satisfies the ear.

Sweet Honey in the Rock's rich rendition of "Did You Feed My Cow?" draws on spiritual, gospel, and jazz. They deliver the classic Ella "Go Miss Mary Mack" with their amazing vocal instruments, segueing from slow blues to a speedy, stunning melodic repetition. Tom Paxton's "I Know a Tom" -- "Tom Thumb, Tom Sawyer, Tom Foolery,"-- is hilarious with hand claps, mouth pops, and a little help from his grandsons. Bill Harley's wacky version of "The World of Whickam Whackam" is a wonderfully silly tongue twister. In "Let's All Sing a Yodeling Song," the Riders in the Sky evoke an easy ride in the saddle and the smell of sagebrush.

The album takes the listener around the world, from the Swahili "hello" in Red Grammer's "Jambo" to the Latin rhythms of Mariachi Los Camperos to Mike Stein's violin in "Rushing Around Russia." The productions are just right with a variety of instrumentation and nothing overdone. It's the equivalent of giving children cardboard boxes or pans and letting them play for hours. What's presented here is musical play at its best. Ella's songs have light that shines through every reinvention. Thank you, Ella!

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