Bush Lady by Alanis Obomsawin

Bush Lady is the only recording ever made by Alanis Obomsawin, a member of the Abenaki First Nations and best known as one of Canada’s most accomplished and decorated documentary filmmakers. Less well known is that Obomsawin began her artistic career as a singer-songwriter in the 1960s, part of a broad movement of Indigenous artists from across North America rallying in new assertions of cultural consciousness, political rights, and reckonings with oppressive colonial history. She was invited by Folkways to perform at Town Hall in New York City in the early 1960s and spent that decade primarily identifying as a singer, channeling traditional songs hand-in-hand with modern composition. Twenty years later, amidst her burgeoning film career, Bush Lady was born of sessions sponsored by CBC Radio in 1984. Unsatisfied with these recordings, Obomsawin reclaimed the master tapes, remade the album, and issued it on her own private press in 1988. This unique, profound, magical record has been out of print and gaining cult status ever since. Constellation is honoured to be working with this legendary Canadian cultural icon to issue a newly remastered version of Bush Lady on audiophile 180gram vinyl — and for the first time on CD.

Tracklist

1.	Odana	3:40

2.	Bush Lady Pt 1	10:04

3.	Bush Lady Pt II	2:45

4.	Of The Earth And Of The Sea	0:25

5.	Theo Pt I	8:00

6.	Theo Pt II	8:08

7.	Nziwaldam	1:06

Credits

released June 15, 2018

Paroles et musique/Lyrics and music:
Alanis Obomsawin (CAPAC)

Musiciens/Musicians:
François Richard flûte/flute
Mario Giroux violoncelle/cello
Marie-France Richard hautbois/oboe
Dominique Luc Tremblay violon/violin

Arrangements et direction/Arranger and leader:
Jean Vanasse (à l’exception de/except Bush Lady)
Dominique Luc Tremblay (pour/for Bush Lady)

Mixage/Mix:
André Riopel (à l’exception de/except Bush Lady)

Prise de son et mixage/Recorded and mixed by:
Richard Belanger (Bush Lady)

Conception graphique/Design:
Leo Yerxa

Photographie/Photography:
Musée des Abénakis d’Odanak/Odanak Abenaki Museum
Alanis Obomsawin

Réalisation/Production:
Les Productions WaWa Enrg./WaWa Productions Reg.

Toutes les chansons, à l’exception de BUSH LADY, ont été enregistrées par le Service du Québec nordique de Radio-Canada.
All songs except BUSH LADY were recorded through CBC Northern Québec Service.

Producteur/Producer:
Alain de Grosbois

Nous tenons à remercier/Special thanks to Serge Gagné

Toutes les chansons ont été enregistrées au Studio Marko.
All songs were recorded at Studio Marko.

Remasterisé à partir des bandes originales 1/4” analogique/Remastered from the original 1/4” analog tapes by Harris Newman, Greymarket Mastering, Montréal, 2018.

Nous tenons à remercier/Special thanks to Frédéric Savard & Radwan Ghazi Moumneh pour la réalisation de cette réédition/for bringing this reissue to fruition.

Une portion des recettes de cette réédition sera reversé au Musée des Abénakis d’Odanak/A portion of the proceeds from this reissue shall be donated to the Odanak Abenaki Museum.

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