Folklore de Montréal / Montreal Folklore, like Canada: A Folksong Portrait, is a vital Gesser collection. When Samuel Gesser collected Canadian folk music for the Folkways label in the 1950's and 60's, he amassed a large amount of material by performers based in his native Montreal for the Folkways label. Analekta has reissued a two-CD boxed set of this collection as Folklore de Montreal / Montreal Folklore, with Gesser material licensed from Smithsonian-Folkways. While both Gesser collections are similar in concept and sound, this set is more tuneful--more of the selections are performed by professionals. The compilation also contains a short poem read by a young Leonard Cohen. A must for serious collectors.

Folklore de Montréal / Montreal Folklore
1994 Analekta / Smithsonian-Folkways (AN 2 9221-2)

CD1: CD; Sun Dance Chant (Barbeau, Marius); Noël Huron (the Huron Carol) (Mills, Alan); Au Chant De L'Alouette (Baillargeon, Hélène;Mills, Alan); Sur Le Bord De La Seine (Labrecque, Jacques); Le Songe (Grandbois, Alain); The Fair Maid On the Shore (James, Karen); The Barsted King of England (Lamb, Derek); General Wolfe (Mills, Alan); Reel With Harmonica And Spoons (Reel Avec Harmonica Et Cuillères) (Beavan, Robert); Le Mariage Anglais (Barbeau, Marius); La Fille Maigre (Hébert, Anne); Nous N'Irons Plus Au Bois (Audet, Jean-Louis (Mme)); Le Papier D'éping' (James, Karen); Paper of Pins (James, Karen); Daniel O'Connell (Kines, Tom); Pis Ote-toé Donc! (Beavan, William (Mme)); Montreal (Klein, A.M.); Travelers' Reel (Reel Du Voyageur) (Carignan, Jean); Un Canadien Errant (Mills, Alan); Lord Randall (Dunbar, Max); The Miner's Dream of Home (Lamb, Derek); The Parting Glass (Kines, Tom); Le Roi Louys (Labrecque, Jacques); Ti-Jean And the Devil (Carignan, Jean;Mills, Alan) 58:58

CD2: CD; Reel Du Bon Vieux Temps (Old Time Reel) (Carignan, Jean); À La Claire Fontaine (Labrecque, Jacques); En Passant Par Le Bois (De Vienne Blanc, Lucie); L'Ombre Rouge (Lasnier, Rina); Greensleeves (Hall, Barry); The Sun Rises Bright in France (Dunbar, Max); I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard (Lamb, Derek); J'Ai Tant Dansé, J'Ai Tant Sauté! (Audet, Jean-Louis (Mme)); Les Vieux (the Elders) (Cohen, Leonard); Tum-Balalaika (Singerman, Raasche;Singerman, Tassy); Komm Lieber Mai (Vopel, Erika;Vopel, Elsa); Lou Bailero (De Vienne Blanc, Lucie); Chumm Mit I D'Berge (Liechti, Fritz); Son Ar Martolod Yaouank (the Young Sailor's Song) (Conan Family); Khalliha'Ala-Allah (Sawaya, George); El Sol Y La Luna (James, Karen); Mrs. Jacob (Caribbean Chorus of McGill University); Voici Venir Le Temps (Hénault, Gilles); Reel (Beavan, Robert); Son Voile Qui Volait (Beavan, William (Mme)); Little Maggie (Hall, Barry); Cod Liver Oil (Kines, Tom); Reel Du Pendu (Hangman's Reel) (Carignan, Jean;Seeger, Pete); I Went to the Market (Baillargeon, Hélène;Mills, Alan); Donkey Riding (Hemsworth, Wade); Road to Grand'mere (Samuels, Art); À Paris, Sur Le Petit Pont (Labrecque, Jacques); Les Fraises Et Les Framboises (Morin, Aldor); La Bastringue (Morin, Aldor) 57:53