Peter Yarrow is best known for his work with the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul Mary. He now divides his time between Telluride, Colo., and New York City with an ongoing commitment to his dreams for a better world through anthems such as "Day Is Done,""Light One Candle" and "Weave Me the Sunshine.
" "These are all concept songs in the line of 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone,''If I Had a Hammer,' and 'Blowin' in the Wind,'" he said. "My interest generally has been to explore that and also the passion for hope and requited love. A lot of songs are also reflective of the tradition itself.
" Yarrow will share a bill with the duo Bethany Rufus at Sanctuary Concerts in Chatham Township on Jan. 13. "We'll be doing some things separately and some things together," said Yarrow.
"The things I'll be doing will be more reminiscent of the Peter, Paul Mary years." One can expect such favorites as "Puff, the Magic Dragon,""Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "500 Miles." The concert will provide a rediscovery of these songs for many listeners who grew up with the folk music of the 1960s.
For a younger generation, it may be a first exposure to songs with that past era's ethos. "You'll see the next generation's interpretation of folk music and roots music in Bethany Rufus," said Yarrow. "Then you'll see the two perspectives combined.
" As a member of Peter, Paul Mary, Yarrow embarked on a music career when folk music topped the charts in the United States. War protests and civil unrest marked the era. So how have the two generations differed in their approach to interpreting traditional music?
"Mine was, with Paul and Mary, to use the language of who we were and not make any bones about it and sing the songs with our own tastes, but respecting the tradition," he said. He likened Peter, Paul Mary's approach to that of the Weavers in contrast to the New Lost City Ramblers, the latter of which took a kind of repertory approach to re-creating the traditional music. Bethany Rufus have recorded twice to date.
The duo's debut CD, "Rock Island," explored old ballads and working songs. Its new, eponymous duo CD is a deeply felt interpretation of traditional folk music. As Yarrow's daughter, Bethany Yarrow in her duo with musical partner Rufus Cappadocia has taken a new approach to interpreting traditional music.
"What Bethany Rufus have done is take elements that didn't even exist at that time like hip-hop, groove music and world music, which I wasn't aware of at the time, and combined them and synthesized them with very contemporary jazz to present traditional music to contemporary ears. But instead of focusing on a lot of newly written material, they've gone back to the really roots stuff," said Peter Yarrow. He feels the duo "will talk about individual instances in people's human lives that get revealed and become emblematic of a larger perspective.
" He said Bethany's songwriting has been greatly influenced by her studies in literature at Yale University, whereas Rufus' cello playing derives from his background and interests in jazz and classical music. "Between the two of them something has emerged that is so powerful and so heartfelt," said Peter Yarrow. "The spirit of it guides them, but the form of it is a passionate amalgam of their perspectives.
" "It's in the places where we're reaching for each other and finding each other," he said. "It's something that binds us and we feel it intuitively. It's like love.
You can't be analytical about it completely. You observe it and share it." Peter Yarrow is currently working on several projects.
He participates in Operation Respect, an educational program designed to address the social, emotional and intellectual growth development of children to create a sense of community through music. For more information, visit operationrespect.org.
He is also currently showing a film that examines our past governmental policies about Vietnam, sponsored through the Fund for Reconciliation and Development. He and Bethany Rufus plan to release a trio CD in 2007.
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