The Weavers: Getting Near to Gilbert
The other day, I posted a segment from the wonderful 1981 documentary about The Weavers, Wasn’t That a Time, culminating with their reunion concert at Carnegie Hall. I was able to track down another segment. This one focuses on Ronnie Gilbert, and begins with her and singer-songwriter Holly Near who talks about how influenced she was by Gilbert and her strong, soaring style. And to drive that style home, the film cuts to a vibrant performance of Ronnie Gilbert singing lead with the other Weavers of “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” at a photo shoot for the concert. But more to the point, the clip here leads to one of the more memorable sequences in the film, when Gilbert and Holly Near are just visiting one another and begin to sing an impromptu, extremely moving a capella version of one of Near’s song about the junta in Chile.
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