When I was a kid, my dad, Joe Adler, was a high school teacher. He learned to play guitar so he could sing the songs of the times in his U.S. history classes, hoping that at least the students would be entertained, and maybe it would get them interested in the subjects he was talking about – the American Revolution, Slavery, the Civil War, The Civil Rights Movement, and all that stuff that makes up our collective American past.
I remember him pacing around the house, playing his guitar, practicing his songs, and it was the first music I really got to hear. Dad and mom (Esther) gave me a little guitar when I was about 3, so I could play along. It was an amazing education – hearing all those great folk singers, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Weavers, Odetta….the list goes on and on.
And I learned it was not just the music that was so moving, but it was the message of these singers and the songs they sang. They were the stuff that inspired movements, and in turn, were inspired themselves by the movements. My parents took me on the peace marches, my little brother, Franklin, in a stroller. There were amazing speakers, and signs and banners, and always the songs.
In the years since, I’ve become a jazz musician and producer. But I still feel my roots in the folk and freedom songs that I learned from my dad.
We just celebrated dad’s ninetieth birthday, and I thought it would be really amazing to record jazz versions of some of these songs that he turned me on to back in the day. With all that’s been going on, they sound just as relevant and fresh and they did in the sixties and seventies.
So I hope you enjoy this little tribute and maybe even feel moved to sing along with these songs.
Wishing you peace and love, and a life filled with Inspiring music,
Lincoln Adler – Berkeley, CA – July, Twenty Twenty Two
Produced and Arranged by Lincoln Adler
Arrangement of If I Had a Hammer and Additional Production Assistance: Adam Shulman
Recording: Alberto Hernandez at Bird and Egg, Richmond CA.
Additional Recording: Lincoln Adler, Adam Shulman, Kai Eckhardt, Brian Rice and Dave Rokeach
Mixing: Lincoln Adler
Golden Ears: Greg Sankovich
Mastering: Piper Payne, Infrasonic Mastering
Cover Art: JulieAnn Accornero
Graphic Design: Lincoln Adler
Vocals: Tony Lindsay, Joe Adler, Anna de Leon & Lydia Walker
Saxophones: Lincoln Adler
Keyboards: Adam Shulman
Bass: Kai Eckhardt
Drums: Lorca Hart
Drums on War: Dave Rokeach
Percussion: Brian Rice
My warmest, heartfelt gratitude to all the beautiful people who made this album sing!