For the first evening of its two-night, 40th anniversary hootenanny, the Old Town School of Folk Music, jammed to the rafters with fans, staff and performers Friday, looked a lot like a three-ring circus.
Jim Hirsch, the master of ceremonies for the evening at 909 W. Armitage Ave. and the Chicago school’s executive director, was a toddler when the school opened in April 1957. But Frank Hamilton, the show’s opening act, was already a seasoned performer and was tapped to teach its first classes.
The only survivor of the school’s three founders (the others being Dawn Greening and Win Stracke), Hamilton, with his energetic performance style, huge grin and strong, charismatic tenor, seems to have stumbled on a fountain of youth. Banjo in hand, he opened with “There’s a Meeting Here Tonight,” beginning what proved to be, in typical Old Town School fashion, an evening of enthusiastic sing-alongs.
Next up was Fred Holstein, a pivotal member of the Chicago folk scene since the 1970s. Holstein’s wry stage persona, gentle baritone and quiet, precise guitar work showed why he has remained a local favorite.
Singer-songwriter Mike Dunbar was Hirsch’s mentor when he first taught at the school in 1972. Dunbar wowed the crowd with his haunting, minor-key ballad, “The Medicine Show,” and made the audience members shake their keys during his beloved children’s tune, “Ivan the Gypsy Frog.” Bluesy folkie Terry Callier cast a mellow, hypnotic spell with his “Lazarus Man” and finished with some impassioned gospel singing.
Another crowd favorite was Jim Post, who focused on songs from his current theatrical production, “Mark Twain and the Laughing River,” accompanied by wife Janet on cello and piano. At set’s end, Post ditched his microphone and roamed the aisles singing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
The school’s current teaching strengths were demonstrated by a staff house band that performed a brief, rocking set consisting of “Iko Iko” and “Lonesome Road Blues.” Particularly exciting were solos by harmonica whiz Joe Folisko and tap-master Reggio.
Consummate songwriter Tom Paxton, accompanied by Hirsch on lead guitar, emphasized his more familiar tunes, such as “Bottle of Wine” and “Ramblin’ Boy,” which he sang as a lovely duet with Post. His “Modern Maturity” struck a nerve with the largely Boomer audience.
The show closed with folk legend Odetta, resplendent in turban and a flowing gown. Before launching into another standard, “Kumbaya,” she remarked, “It’s good to be back here with some of my old buddies, and we’re looking better and better.”
Although the anniversary bash failed to attract such high-profile alumni as John Prine, Roger McGuinn and Stephen Wade, it did offer a nice overview of the performers who defined the Old Town School, particularly during its first three decades.
