First 10 acts sign on for ’08 folk festival Groups include Creole, bluegrass, Franco

BANGOR – The first 10 of more than 20 performing groups that will be featured in the American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront Aug. 22-24 have been signed up, according to Heather McCarthy, the festival’s executive director.

Among the groups already committed are Diunne Greenleaf and Blue Mercy, Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys, Chino Nunez and Friends, and Hassan Hakmoun.

A special collection of performers with an accent on Franco traditions also will be featured: Chuck and Albert, Genticorum, the JP Cormier Trio with guest Joe Cormier, the Beaudoin Legacy, and a Franco-American House Party with Don Roy, Lucie LeBlanc Ouellette and Marce Lecouture.

. Following in the footsteps of many great Texas blues singers, Diunne Greenleaf blends elements of gospel, jazz, R&B and soul to create her own unique style of blues. She will appear with her band Blue Mercy.

. Jesse McReynolds started performing 60 years ago with his brother as Jim & Jesse, part of the first generation of bluegrass greats. McReynolds still captivates audiences with his mandolin, signature brother-style duet singing and band, the Virginia Boys.

. Jeffery Broussard, heir to a family musical legacy in zydeco, leads one of southwest Louisiana’s hottest new dance bands, the Creole Cowboys.

. Percussionist, bandleader, pianist, arranger and composer Chino Nunez brings his salsa orchestra to Bangor’s festival. McCarthy predicts the dance tent will sizzle with the energy and excitement of the New York group.

. Having grown up with the musical form of the Gnawa people of Morocco, Hassan Hakmoun performs a mesmerizing blend of Islamic mysticism and hypnotic African rhythms, according to McCarthy.

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City this year, and in recognition of the large portion of Maine which shares the French heritage, the festival will present performers from various French traditions.

They include Chuck and Albert (formerly of the Acadian group Barachois); Genticorum from the heart of Quebec’s vibrant musical heritage; the Beaudoin Legacy, celebrating Louis Beaudoin’s traditional music, song and step dance; the Cape Breton fiddle of the JP Cormier Trio with special guest Joe Cormier (JP’s father); and a Franco-American House Party featuring Don Roy, Lucie LeBlanc Ouellette and Marce Lecouture.

The American Folk Festival is produced by the Bangor Folk Festival, in partnership with the city of Bangor, Eastern Maine Development Corp., the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the Maine Discovery Museum and the Maine Folklife Center at the University of Maine.

For more information about the 2008 American Folk Festival, visit www.americanfolkfestival.com, call 992-2630 or contact the American Folk Festival at 40 Harlow St., Bangor 04401, 207-992-2630.

Source: Heather McCarthy, executive director, American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront.