Hugh Blumenfeld (born October 11, 1958) is an American

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

musician and singer-songwriter from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. He was born in

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfi ...

, New York City, graduated with degrees in Biology and Humanities from

M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

in 1980, and got a master's degree in English Literature from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

in 1981. He was active in the

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

music scene in the 1980s, attending the Cornelia Street Songwriters Exchange and performing at Folk City and Speak Easy while working on a PhD in Poetics from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. He also helped to edit the ''Fast Folk Musical Magazine'' (now part of the Smithsonian-Folkways collection) and recorded songs for a dozen issues. After earning his PhD in 1991, he worked as an English professor until 1994, when he began writing and performing full-time. Over the next 10 years he toured mainly in the Northeast and Midwest, with several short tours in Europe and one in Israel. In 1999 he was appointed

Connecticut State Troubadour The Connecticut State Troubadour is an honorary position, established in 1991 by the Connecticut General Assembly. The State Troubadour functions as an ambassador of music and song and promotes cultural literacy among Connecticut citizens. It bega ...

. In the fall of 2003, he enrolled in medical school at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

and became an MD. He currently practices family medicine in Hartford, Connecticut, and continues to perform as part of a folk quintet, The Faithful Sky with long-time collaborators including Jim Mercik.

Recordings

Blumenfeld's first album, ''The Strong in Spirit'', was self-released as an LP in late 1987. It featured performances by

Lucy Kaplansky Lucy Kaplansky (born February 16, 1960) is an American Folk music, folk musician based in New York City. Kaplansky has a PhD in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University and plays guitar, mandolin, and piano. Life and career Kaplansky was or ...

, Marshal Rosenberg,

Kenny Kosek Kenny Kosek (born 1949 in The Bronx, New York), is an American fiddler who plays bluegrass, country, klezmer, folk music and roots music. In addition to his solo career, he has performed with many other well-known performers and contributed to ...

and Mark Dann, and was produced by David Seitz. It includes "Let Me Fall In Love Before the Spring Comes," which was later included in on a Winter's Night, a popular compilation edited by

Christine Lavin Christine Lavin (born January 2, 1952) is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded with other female folk artists under the name Four Bitchin ...

. In 1993, ''Barehanded'' became the first release of the New York-based independent label Prime-CD. In 1996, Blumenfeld released ''Mozart's Money'', a more highly produced album that helped him gain a national audience through reviews and indie radio airplay. AllMusic praised it as a leap forwards with its more "confident" and "radio-friendly" sound. Lucy Kaplansky and Mark Dann feature prominently and are joined by Michael Visceglia (of Suzanne Vega's band) and Mindy Jostyn. ''Rocket Science'', the last of his Prime-CD recordings, came out in 1998; AllMusic noted its "brave", "bold" and "endearingly honest songs" in a 3/5 review. In 2000, he recorded ''Big Red'' in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

for the Brambus record label with percussionist Shane Shannahan, who later joined

Yo Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

's Silk Road Project, and popular

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

country music singer

Doris Ackermann Doris may refer to: People Given name *Doris (mythology) of Greek mythology, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys * Doris, fictional character in the Canadian television series ''Caillou'' and the mother of the titular character *Doris (singer) (born ...

. In 2010, his CD ''Dad'' was released on Waterbug Records.

Discography

* '' The Strong in Spirit'' (1988) * '' Barehanded'' (1993) * '' Mozart's Money'' (1996) * '' Rocket Science'' (1998) * '' Big Red'' (2000) * '' Mr Jekyll and Dr Hyde'' (1998, 2004) Compilations: * ''On A Winter's Night'' (Rounder) * ''Big League Babe: Tribute to Christine Lavin, Vol. 2'' (Prime-CD). * '' Postcrypt'' (Prime-CD) * ''The Folk Next Door'' (WWUH-FM) * ''

Fast Folk ''Fast Folk Musical Magazine'' (originally known as ''The CooP'') was a combination magazine and record album published from February 1982 to 1997. The magazine acted as a songwriter/performer cooperative, and was an outlet for singer-songwriters ...

'' * ''Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Community of Songwriters'' (Smithsonian-Folkways, 2002)

References

External links

Hugh Blumenfeld's official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenfeld, Hugh 1958 births Fast Folk artists Living people Jewish American musicians Musicians from New York City Jewish folk singers University of Chicago alumni MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences alumni New York University alumni Waterbug Records artists Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Brambus Records artists 21st-century American Jews