A Salute to Travis Edmonson in His Diamond Jubilee Year
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click logo for more infoFor a website featuring over 75 Travis Edmonson music clips go to
Travis Edmonson Songs C
CAMINANTE DEL MAYAB * CAPE ANNE * CARMEN CARMELLA * CHOCOUNNE * CIELITO LINDO SON JUASTECO * THE CLOCK * CLOUDY SUMMER AFTERNOON * COTTON EYED JOE
Alphabetical links to other songs
at the bottom of this page
CAMINANTE DEL MAYAB
Because of its importance to Travis Edmonson, we have devoted a full page to this haunting song which reaches out to the heart of the Mayan people.
go to "CAMINANTE DEL MAYAB" page
Hear sound clip on “The Latin Album ” LP page
CAPE ANNE
This fun song he arranged for “On his Own” offers another side of Travis Edmonson which fans of his lighter material will especially enjoy. It's bright, and quick, and full of personality!
CARMEN CARMELLA
Portraying the poet's vision of hopeless lost love, Travis Edmonson's spoken introduction, describing the protagonist and “the shadows of his loneliness,” makes this gentle song one of his most unforgettable. Also released as a studio single in addition to being an integral part of the Santa Monica concert, though written in English, the song has a specific Latin cadence. Its references to faith dying with the sunset strike a chord in anyone who has failed to locate someone or something cherished which they have lost.
CHOCOUNNE (“She Never Loved Me” / “Yellow Bird”)
Travis Edmonson's smooth and lilting rendition of this Caribbean song on the “Tucson Tapes 2” CD and the Liberty self-titled “Bud and Travis” (“She Never Loved Me”) demonstrate his ultimate persuasiveness with a song as well as that ability to convey loss with a philosophical touch.
CIELITO LINDO SON JUASTECO
On the “Spotlight” album this lonely lament of a man tending his animals and thinking of his “little heaven,” offers a vivid exhibition of Travis Edmonson virtually creating a musical sculpture with his voice, at one point, ascending with total control in three perfect waves, then creating an arc which floats downwards to the gentlest of landings. An emphatic declaration of his special vocal gift. (Available also on the “Best of Bud and Travis” CD, and as live performances on the "In Person" LP and "Live at UCSanta Barbara" CD)
THE CLOCK
Travis Edmonson's penchant to write an enigmatic lyric is no better displayed than in this image-laden song which can be heard on the Santa Monica Concert CD (originally from Volume 2). While countless songs etch the emotion of love's loss, few have so graphically synthesized the sense of sterile emptiness at the end of a love affair the way this one does, while still harbouring a tinge of tender reflection.
CLOUDY SUMMER AFTERNOON
Many things make this charm-filled Travis Edmonson composition special, not the least being the idea that falling in love can be so uncomplicated or reading newspapers so romantic. The appealing rhythm and happy spirit of this breezy number - the single of which went into the Top 30 charts - propels one along both effortlessly and blissfully.
Falling in love was indeed what it was all about, and the song was a gift designed to surprise the object of his affection, telling the story of that particular cloudy summer afternoon in 1958 when she won his heart. The further revelation that “the lady like the song a lot” should be of no surprise to anyone, however. It's kept enchanting many of his admirers as their top favorite for decades.
The curious tempo is actually a 2:4 jazz rhythm, with the irresistible element being the overlay of a unique something of Travis Edmonson's own creation.
He adds, “when I got to the part where there is a jazz chorus, I had no jazz instrument, nor did I play one, so I whistled. And surprisingly enough, it's one of the parts of the song that people like the best.”
The cheerful and catchy number was a must in every live appearance, and there are fortunately several recorded versions, including the “Spotlight” and “In Concert” LPs, as well as the CDs “Best of Bud and Travis,” “Santa Monica Concert,” “Tucson Tapes 2” and “Live at UC Santa Barbara” (the latter two being solo tracks).
COME TO THE DANCE (see “Vamos Al Baile”)
COTTON EYED JOE
This historic blues piece, reputed to be the oldest in the Library of Congress, was recorded by Travis Edmonson during a live performance at The Troubadour in Los Angeles (“On Cue”). The ambience of the evening, relaxed and warm, presented an ideal opportunity to include such items of the genre which he commands so well, this one, a mother's lament to her child.
CUANTA LA MERA (see “Guantanamera”
For a website featuring over 75 Travis Edmonson music clips go