I used to want the Wheels on the Bus to fall off and roll into a ditch, especially after having to suffer through that song with three toddlers. But then Rhythm Child's Norman Jones and his skillful horn-drum-fiddle-full Rhythm Child Network took that broken-down bus, funked it up and turned it into something fun and---I can't believe I'm writing this-- cool on their 10-song CD Eat a Bowl of Cherries.

What's also cool is the entire premise of the Rhythm Child Network, which singer, performer and hand-drummer Norman and his wife Heather created to expose kids to a blend of positive-message music and a beat that even parents will be able to appreciate.

With the soulful and upbeat title song, which gets its backbone from the traditional "Pick a Bale of Cotton" folksong, plus their hip-hop version of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and the joyful ska of "Oh Susanna", I'm totally sold on Rhythm Child's mad skills. I actually prefer these transformed classic kids' songs to some of their original pieces, although Norman and Heather's young son Bailey totally rocks it on his "Everybody is the One" rap.

Anyone who thinks toddlers are too young for the blues hasn't heard Rhythm Child's authentic "Sam the Lamb Blues", which seems to know that any kid worth his weight in temper tantrums already knows how to sing the blues.

-Christina

Get your copy of Rhythm Child's Eat a Bowl of Cherries kids' music album at their website, rhythmchild.net.

HEAR
 

Picnic Playground Tour

What: Rhythm Child sings songs about cherries and other tasties featured on Putumayo Kids's new CD.
Why: Let your belly dance.

When: Thurs., noon.

Where: Pershing Square, 532 S. Olive St., b/t W. Fifth & W. Sixth Sts., Downtown (213-847-4970).

Putumayo Kids Presents Picnic Playground

Feast on a collection of songs about food from around the globe. Catchy tunes like Kheswa's (South Africa) "Beautiful Day" and Jay Mankita’s (USA) "Eat like a Rainbow" will be on the tip of your tongue even when Junior’s not around.

LISTEN
 

Putumayo Kids Presents Picnic Playground Concert Tour

What: L.A.-based Rhythm Child Network sings songs from the eclectic new album about food.Why: It's all you can beat.

When: Sat., 1 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.

Where: Sat., Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd.; Sun., Bay Area Discovery Museum, Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Rd.

Macaroni Music
Rhythm Child
Eat a Bowl of Cherries!

Rhythm Child's new CD "Eat A Bowl Of Cherries" is music that will get your body moving with or without the children around. The creative blend of reggae drumming, heartening lyrics, and family focus ( Dad and Kids perform together!) is sure to beckon a dance session in your home or car. Rhythm Child is a pleasure to listen to and will encourage your children to do their best in all the little obstacles they face. Their CD can be purchased at www.rythmchild.net

Katherine Howard

A cultural anthropologist with an amazing kid-connection, Katherine has spent her life surrounded by music of all kinds and brings a sophisticated perspective to the sometimes silly world of children's music and entertainment. She can be reached at katherineH@macaronikid.com

Happy Birthdays, Misters Presidents

Today is Presidents’ Day. Unless you work for L.A. Weekly, you probably get the day off. Well, bully for you. Do something fun for the rest of us schmucks. Like this –Norman Jones and His Rhythm Child Band at LACMA. Norman is joined by his boys Bailey, age 8, and Andre, age 3, in a show to celebrate our new president. This is an interactive gig – so all you kids, big and small, are gonna drum your little hearts out. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., Mon., Feb. 16, 1& 2 p.m.; free. (310) 575-9372.

–L.M.

Quoted from SheKnows:
Enter to win Eat a Bowl of Cherries CD
RHYTHM CHILD
SheKnows Giveaways & Contests Team

Eat A Bowl of Cherries from Rhythm Child is up for Grammy consideration for "Best Musical Album For Children" from the National Academy Of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).

Featuring 10 high-energy songs, Rhythm Child is currently offering a free download of "Shaker Song" from Eat A Bowl of Cherries at www.rhythmchild.net. The new CD is the follow-up to the 2003 multi-award winning Drum Circle Sing-A-Long CD, which garnered numerous awards including the 2005 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize Winner for "Jammy Put On," a 2005 Children's Music Web "Best Song" award for "Learn From Nature" and a 2004 Children's Music Web "Best Song" award for "Bird & The Dragon." "Jammy Put On" also ranked in the XM Kids Radio Top 10 for 22 weeks.

Recently, Rhythm Child was one of three American groups asked to contribute a song to internationally-renowned children's music label, Putumayo Kids, for their latest CD release, Picnic Playground. This past August 2009, the band completed a four-concert summer tour to support the July 28 Putumayo Kids CD release.

Putumayo Kids can sate families' musical appetites
By Michelle J. Mills, Staff Writer

Pack some nutritious snacks, grab your jackets in case it gets chilly and head to the Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena 7 p.m. Wednesday for the family concert, Putumayo Kids Presents Picnic Playground Featuring Rhythm Child.

Putumayo World Music has been releasing compilation CDs featuring sounds from around the globe since 1993. In 2002, it launched Putumayo Kids with the goal of offering the same wide selection of music for children.

The label has since released albums of lullabies and activity songs focused on different lands, animals, traditional dances and more. It has received Parents Choice Awards and other accolades and consistently donates a portion of sales from each effort to nonprofit groups which reach out to children.

Its latest album, "Picnic Playground," was released July 28. The effort includes world music with lyrics in English and other languages. Listeners will learn about nutrition with U.S. artist Jay Mankita's "Eat Like a Rainbow," visit a farmer's market in South Africa with Kheswa's "Beautiful Day," laugh at the tale of a boy who brings his cow to school during "Milch" by Germany's Donikki and more. A tour with various artists across the United States has been launched to celebrate.

Rhythm Child's song, "Bowl of Cherries" is also on "Picnic Playground" and they will be performing for the Pasadena show. The Los Angeles group was formed by drummer Norman Jones and his wife Heather and incorporates rhythm and movement to encourage children and parents to dance, sing and drum together. The show is interactive and you are welcome to bring your own percussion instruments to join in the fun.

If you feel inspired when you get back home, enter Putumayo Kids' recipe contest at www.putumayokids.com. You could win the label's complete collection and other prizes.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of "Picnic Playground" will be donated to Vitamin Angels, a charity which provides nutritional supplements to children around the globe.

Quoted from The Mommy Files:

The Rhythm Child Network: Eat a Bowl of Cherries CD Review
Posted by Shannon on November 17, 2009

I love listening to children's CD's that I can enjoy as well! Thanks to The Rhythm Child Network, I had the opportunity to review their new CD, Eat a Bowl of Cherries. My kids really enjoyed the music and so did I! The music was upbeat and fun to listen and sing to! It was described to me as imagining Bob Marley, John Lennon, and Otis Redding holding a family music festival on Sesame Street. I thought this was a great description and quite accurate!

The group includes a modern day Partridge family, featuring Award-Winning Songwriter/Performer, Norm Jones, his sons, 9-year-old Bailey and 3 1/2-year-old Andre, his wife Heather as Business Manager, plus Co-Writer/Guitarist Duane Neillson. This is their 2nd CD, which was released nationally on September 15th, 2009. Eat a Bowl of Cherries was also made available on iTunes on August 31st. The CD is also up for Grammy consideration for 'Best Musical Album For Children' from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).

You can purchase Eat a Bowl of Cherries on their site for $15.00. This would make a great Stocking Stuffer or Christmas Gifts for kids everywhere!!!

Quoted from Mom Most Traveled:

07 November 2009,

I'm teaching preschool full time now, and MUSIC is a fun and exciting part of our play time.

I have two children in my class who excitedly ask me every day if we can turn on the music.

Once I oblige, they dance and scamper about with some nice flowing scarves that I added to the home corner of the class. We also like to play "freeze dance" and other musical movement games.

During snack time, I pick a relaxing sound track to serenade us as we eat. Music is a welcome part of my school day, and, of course, as the adult present, I want the music to have an appeal for the children but not drive me crazy with kiddie-ness. Thankfully, these days, quality children's tunes abound! Eat A Bowl Of Cherries, from Rhythm Child, is (naturally) infused with rhythm and dance-inducing. I am one of those Mamas who has a basket of percussion instruments right in our living room. My brother is a musician (and a drummer too), and I want to give my children an outlet for their musical talent (hey, sometimes these things are genetic.) So we love the songs on Eat A Bowl Of Cherries!Shaker Song, perfect, we have a shaker! Riding On The Bus, Deeds is my resident bus fanatic! 'Misunderstandings', what do you mean? (Haha!) Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, will this word indeed make me sound precocious? Or just weird? Bowl Of Cherries, the title track, is also included on Putumayo Picnic Playground, another favorite around here.

Posted by CanCan