DESCRIPTION:
Assembled musicians at the Morning Minstrel Jamboree of the 2015 Florida Renaissance Festival perform "Nero's Expedition", a song in round originally written and composed by New York street musician Moondog (Louis Hardin).

This was filmed in the early morning of the last day of the 2015 Florida Renaissance Festival, just after the gates opened. Every morning of the Festival there is a "morning minstrel jamboree", a get together just for fun of whichever musicians can make it to just jam together for a while as the park opens.

This particular performance features the musical talents of (listed from left to right as seen in this video):

Jack Stamataes (from Celtic Mayhem)
Alex Korolov (from Cantiga)
Misti Bernard (from Hooligan)
Bob Bielefeld (from Cantiga)
Jay Michaels (from The Harper and The Minstrel)
Abby Michaels (from The Harper and The Minstrel)
Martha Gay (from Cantiga)
Rex Blazer (fiddler for Reveler's Round)
Ehrich Gauvin (from Iron Hill Vagabonds)
Mark Gauvin (from Iron HIll Vagabonds)

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This song refers to a historical event in Roman history. In the autumn of AD 61 the Emperor Nero sent a party of Praetorian soldiers under the command of a tribune and two centurions into Nubia, who reached the city of Meroe where they were given an escort, then proceeded up the White Nile until they encountered the swamps of the Sud and many primitive peoples they described as "cavemen" or "troglodytes". Their passage was indeed blocked by the dense water vegitation of the Sud. This expedition marked the limit of Roman penetration into equatorial Africa. Ironically, despite the lyrics to this song, some historical research suggests that Nero;s expeditionary force may have in fact successfully reached the source of the White Nile. Seneca wrote a book, De Nubibus in "Naturales Quaestiones",that gave details about a Nero expedition up the White Nile in AD 62. In this book he explained to have reported what two legionaries told him about their discovery of the "caput Nili" (the origin of the Nile river). Seneca wrote that the legionaries told him they had portaged past the Sud and continued up the White Nile in small boats, and that the water of the Nile river, that jumped through two huge rocks, was coming from a very big lake inside the African lands. This lake -according to the historian Vannini- could only be the Lake Victoria, the biggest African lake. Indeed the only river that goes out from this huge lake is the White Nile that in Jinja (Uganda) goes north toward the "Murchison Falls".

Despite it's historical accuracy, the song itself, has become a popular song to be sung in the round ever since Moondog introduced it, and has been performed by many choirs, bands, and groups over the years. Bob Bielefeld brought it to the Morning Minstrel Jamboree here at FLARF. It's a wicked little catchy tune that will stick in your head. Enjoy It!

For more great music, check out the various bands CDs on Amazon and CDbaby, or check out their websites. Also please consider supporting the RESCU Foundation that helps support Renaissance Festival musicians, performers, and craftsman with medical issues and emergencies.

For more information about the Florida Renaissance Festival, check out their website at www.ren-fest.com