Let Madonna have her “Material World.” Let Aretha Franklin drive down her “Freeway of Love.” Let the Talking Heads travel their “Road to Nowhere.”

Elise Witt and the Small Family Orchestra will take Nicaragua.

The five Atlanta musicians have made a video to prove it “on location” as they say in showbiz. The penned title is “Notes from Nicaragua.” Editing of the nearly 30 minute videotape was completed in December, and beginning Monday the video can be seen on Atlanta television.

“In the strictest sense, “Notes from Nicaragua” is not a music video of the sort you see on MTV.” Says Elise Witt, 32 year old leader of the band. “It is a videotape of music, but it’s also about the meeting of two cultures.”

These truly wandering minstrels – and as it turned out unofficial US cultural ambassadors – spent about two weeks in February 1985 in five of the seven geographical regions of Nicaragua. They succeeded in staying clear of the fighting between the leftist-controlled government and assorted rebels.

“At the San Ramon coffee plantation in the northern mountains, we played music and helped pick coffee beans.” Ms. Witt recalls, “We were constantly aware of the danger of the nearby fighting which was moving closer to us. We moved on to another area but learned that three days later fighting had come to San Ramon. That was as close as we got to the war.”

Primarily, the trip was a musical mission. It was a chance for the Atlantans to perform for everyday people in Nicaragua while shooting a video – which also includes live musical performances by Nicaraguans. The documentary style tape shot on borrowed home video equipment is lively collage of interviews, music, and sights.

But as the video demonstrates clearly, the Atlanta band’s foray into Central America was somewhat politically motivated.

“We were curious to explore conflicting stories we had read and had heard on the radio, television, and in talking to people who’d been to Nicaragua.” Ms. Witt says, “We wanted to bring back a picture of the people of Nicaragua to people of the United States.

“I think sometimes music is stronger than words. Rather than hearing from us you can actually see in the video how Nicaraguans eat, dance and work. It’s a people-to-people look at a country living under the shadow of war.”

While there, Ms. Witt sensed two strong undercurrents of daily life.

“The first is a creative surge among the people to build up the country’s health programs. To find ways to better feed the population. To discover their own culture. The other undercurrent is the enormous drain on their resources because of the war.”

“We carried no weapons other than our musical instruments. In the video, in fact, we interviewed a guitar teacher, named Chamorro, at a cultural center and he said that there are many ways to defend a revolution. He said, “My weapon is a musical one – my guitar.” (The band will tour with Chamorro in April in the Boston area, the name of the tour is “Rambo Versus Reality.”)

Ms. Witt believes the band was able to gain political insight.

Although not everyone we encountered was a Sandinista, the large majority of them supported the programs of the Sandinistas. They feel they war every minute of every day, but there’s a spirit of hope in the country. Because for the first time in 100 years, the people are actually running their own government. There’s an incredible sense of their participation in creating their future.”

Produced by Ms. Witt and Atlanta media artist George Scott King, “Notes from Nicaragua” is touted as a “music video travelogue” although you might not want to plan your next vacation around what you see onscreen. That is, Ms. Witt clarifies, unless you enjoy “grassroots adventure far from tennis courts and swimming pools.”

Robin Reidy, executive director of IMAGE Film/Video Center in Atlanta has seen the video and found it intelligent and well-crafted. She says, “Members of the band don’t dominate, but rather serve as the curious travellers in a foreign land and asking interesting, thoughtful questions and experiencing, via the camera lens, a fascinating culture. The tape tells the story of a people who love freedom as much as Americans do and who are willing to fight to the death to keep their country free from outside invaders including Americans.”

The “small family” plays acoustical instruments. Ms. Witt (lead vocals, guitar) her sister Mary Witt (french horn), brother-in-law Rick Ruggles (mandola, bass, clarinet) and friends Beth Heidelburg (flute, clarinet), and Steve Harris (fiddle). Everyone sings and when necessary, can also play the cello.

“We play folk, in the broadest sense of the word, which includes a little jazz, a little swing, a little country and a lot of international music.” She says. The performers often sing in foreign languages, among them, Spanish and French.

“Folk music is about people’s lives. We feel that this music communicates easily to people of different countries. Nicaraguans loved New Orleans swing songs. The understand the music, it’s so catchy, even if they didn’t know what the words meant. In fact, we call our production company Pegajosa, a Spanish word for “catchy,” like a tune.”

Ms. Witt would like to return to Nicaragua. “I’d like not only to play music there again, but also to pick cotton or coffee. We want to find out what happened to the friends we made. It’s an inspiring place to visit because the people are so actively creating a new country.

“Our video is like a folk song, “ she adds a bit wistfully, “We traveled to a foreign country and gathered information and impressions. We now want to pass them along to people, much as a folk song is passed along form generation to generation. Or from culture to culture.”

Sunday, January 19, 1986