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Until his death a dodecade ago, Munir Bashir was considered by many to be the greatest oud player alive. Or, rather the best musician who plays the oud. Quite frankly, even now most would argue he was the best of all time. Imagine a combination of John Fahey and John Coltrane, and you'd have some sense of Munir's importance in the field of Arab classical music, a sense of his mastery, mystery, and originality. And haunting. God, is it ever haunting.
You see, Munir doesn't just play the oud, he inhabits it. Or more accurately, he inhabits the music, be it maqam or taksim or whatever, and he molds it to the shape of his dreams, a cathedral made of shifting desert sand. And there are dancing shadows on the walls of the cathedral, and the walls are floating, and when you listen, you'll float on your shadow too. This music will transport you to another dimension; it will bend and fold your senses until time disappears. The magic of Munir Bashir is this: when you listen to him - I mean really listen, beginning to end - you begin to hear music in the silence, and all the silence around you becomes pregnant with a quivering life, about to leap into being.
Bio:
Munir bachir was born in Mosul (Iraq) in 1930 into a long established family of musicians. His father taught him to play the Oud at a very young age. He then spent six years standing at the Baghdad institute of Music, directed by Serif Muhiddin Targan. Later he completes a doctorate of musicology in Budapest. Munir bachir, passionate defender of Arab music is in constant rebellion against the misrepresentation of this music and its use for commercial ends. More recently he has fought to establish his lute as a solo recital instrument. He travels the world as a true ambassador for Arab classical music, bringing it to specialists as well as to a larger audience, restoring credentials to a music that has become debased though bending to the tasters of colonial nostalgia. Faithful to the letter and the spirit of traditional Arab music Munir Bachir improvises from fully authenticated sources. As much creator as performer, his music is forever evolving, never repetitive. Munir Bashir died in 1997.
Allmusic Biography by Craig Harris:
A master of the mode-based, raga-like Arabic Taqsim, Munir Bashir transformed the oud (Arabic lute) into an important solo instrument. His improvisations inspired comparison to jazz's most inventive players. According to www.rootsworld.com, Bashir's "improvisations (were) elegantly melodic. He (tended) to favor short phrases and certain moments remind me of the kind of development one might find in unaccompanied saxophone solos by Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchell." Descended from a long line of musicians, Bashir was shown the basics of the Arab lute, by his father, as a child. He continued his musical training at the Baghdad Institute of Music, which he entered at the age of six. Bashir's musical career was balanced by his experiences as an educator. Receiving a doctorate in musicology in 1955, he began lecturing for the folk arts department of Budapest's Academy of Sciences. He eventually rose to directorial positions at the Higher Institute of Music in Baghdad and the Music Service of Iraqi Public Radio. Previously unreleased recordings found by Bashir's children shortly after his death in October 1997 were released as Raga Roots. Bashir's musical legacy is continued by his son, Omar.
Here's an excerpt from an interview with Simon Shaheen, one of the finest living oudists:
"Munir Bashir--I know his playing. This is more the Iraqi school of playing the oud. Now, when we say the Iraqi school of playing the oud, it's not necessarily pure Iraqi. We are talking about the Iraqi musical tradition coinciding with the Turkish way of playing, because there were two excellent Turkish, musicians who came to Iraq and established the school of playing the oud in Iraq. We are talking about the 19th and early 20th century. So what the Iraqis, people like Munir Bashir, did was they took the technical aspects of the Turkish way of playing on the oud, and some of the ahank, which are the musical pulses, not exactly ornaments--colorings, if you will--and he applied them to the Iraqi style of playing. So it was a matter of combining both Turkish technique and color with the Iraqi traditional vocal instrumental style.
But actually, if you want to listen to a really impressive performance, you should listen to Munir Bashir's earlier recordings. Listen to something in the 60s and early 70s. I met his son [Omar Bashir] in Greece. I was giving a workshop and there was a gathering of instruments from around the Mediterranean, and I heard him playing. He is very much a replica of his father, very much influenced by his father's playing. He has good abilities, but we ought to see in the future how he will develop. But Munir Bashir as a player, definitely he was a fantastic player, and of course, he improvised a lot, and he utilizes both worlds, the Turkish, the Iraqi. He uses very much the Iraqi maqam. When we say the Iraqi maqam, it's not necessarily the scale system. The Iraqi maqam is something like a suite. They have very structured compositions called the Iraqi maqam. And each suite has its own modal structure and forms. So he used this in much of his playing and in some of the pieces he composed. He had his own sound. It's very important that we listen to somebody you know it's him. This is his sound."
- read the whole (excellent) article here
Munir Bachir - In Concert in Paris
Year: 1988
Label: Inedit
Review by John Storm Roberts, Original Music
Here's Ud virtuosi of two generations and two traditions. Munir Bachir is perhaps the finest living player in the great Iraqi school. In this Paris concert he concentrates on the high-classical tradition in four maqamaat.
Tracks
1 Maqam Yekah et Aoudj - 16:20
2 Maqam Nahawand - 14:58
3 Maqâm Bayât - 12:34
4 Maqam Hijaz - 12:32
the shape of silence
mp3 192kbps | w/o cover | 77mb
for more Munir & Omar Bashir recordings, check out WeLove-Music and FolkMusicSMB.
and for more amazing oud music, check out the Hamza El-Din posts in the archives, and also browse around WeLove-Music and FolkMusicSMB.
if anybody has his Quartet album, the Stockholm Recordings, or Concert in Budapest, I'd love to hear 'em. Thanks!
May 21, 2009
Munir Bachir - In Concert in Paris
May 19, 2009
New England Contra Dance Music
As requested, here is Kicking Mule's 1977 LP New England Contra Dance Music, generously provided by BanjoReinhard. For those of you who have never gone to a contra dance before, I highly recommend it. The music's great and the dancing is a helluvalota fun. It's a great way to meet people and interact in a physical and playful way, without the pressure of performance or the sexual undercurrents of many other dance forms. Not that there's anything wrong with those, but this is the sort of dance that all ages can do, with great live rootsy, old-timey music. This album is, I suppose, a classic of the genre (I haven't heard of any other specifically contra-dance albums, though much of the repertoire is common among old-time, British, Scottish, and Irish traditional musics). It's actually a pretty neat blending of all those traditions, unified by their danceability. Needless to say, the album is long out-of-print!
If you're wondering just what contra dance is and what makes it different from square dances, English Country dances, and other folk dances, I've snabbed these definitions from the interweb:
Definition 0: the only real definition
Definition 1: an earnest attempt
A dancer and his or her partner dance a series of figures, or moves, with each other and with another couple for a short time. They then repeat the same figures with another couple, and so on. The figures are similar to those of old-time square dancing. The figures are combined in different ways for each different dance.
The caller teaches each dance before it is actually done to the music. This gives everyone an idea of what to expect so the movements can be easily executed. The caller leads the dances while they are being done to music, so dancers are able to perform each movement to the music. Once the dancers appear to have mastered a particular dance, the caller may stop calling, leaving the dancers to enjoy the movement with music alone.
People of all ages and lifestyles, including children, are welcome. Contra dances are a place where people from many walks of life come together to dance and socialize. Dancers often go out to a restaurant after the dance, have a potluck before or during the dance, or hang out with musicians in jam sessions and song circles.
Children as young as seven can participate in adult dancing; your mileage may vary. As long as parents are responsible for keeping non-dancing children out of harm's way, everyone will enjoy everyone else's presence.
Some groups sponsor family dances. These are dances designed for participation by the whole family. In addition to dancing, the leader of a family dance might also initiate other activities such as games and singing, and singing games, and dances with singing.
First-time dancers will likely find experienced dancers extremely friendly and helpful. If this does not seem to be the case, talk to the dance organizers. They need to know! Or, depending on your location, you could find another dance group.
An evening that includes contra dancing might be called a Contra Dance, an Old-Time Contra Dance, an Old-Time Country Dance, a Barn Dance, or similar. Most contra dance events will include a few dances of other kinds: traditional squares, waltz, polka, swing and other types of couple dance.
At most dance events in North America, we dance with a different partner for each dance, although dates who attend together and significant others might dance with each other more than once.
This is [insert current year here]. Women can ask men to dance. At a contra dance this is certainly true and has been for some time. It might be just as common as men asking women, or more so. Women will sometimes dance with women, and men will sometimes dance with men. In general, especially for the men, this happens only when a gender imbalance exists in the hall (men tend to be real chicken about dancing with other men otherwise).
The above notwithstanding, it is a good idea at some point to dance the opposite role. It's a real eye-opener! Be warned, however, that you'll need extra alertness and concentration.
Contra dancers make eye contact whenever possible. This adds to the connectedness of the dance, and helps reduce dizziness, especially during the swing. It is also uncomfortable for some. Don't let anyone tell you that you must make eye contact, but give it a try even if it's a little uncomfortable. Expand your comfort zone. You might get used to it and even like it. Remember: they're gazing into your eyes not because they love you but because they want to make the connection, and they don't want to throw up on you.
Definition 2: what contra dance is not
Contra dance groups receive absolutely no funding from Oliver North.
No classes are required, or even offered (in general), except for a non-required half-hour or fifteen minute introduction to contra dance before the dance, at many regular dance events.
We do not wear costumes (except on Halloween) or any particular style of clothes. Some groups ask that you bring a separate pair of soft-soled (non-scuffing) shoes to protect the dance floor. Tennis shoes are quite adequate for the first-time dancer.
Very little footwork is required in contra dance. The most common type of movement is a smooth walking step.
Definition 3: whimsical
Actually, this is only true sometimes. It might be more prudent, but less whimsical, to say that contra dance is one of the few dance forms where by the end of the evening you are likely to have danced with everyone.
Definition 4: analytical
A contra dance with minor sets of three couples is a triple minor contra dance.
The minor set dances one time through the dance. Each couple moves on to a new couple, forming new minor sets, and repeats the dance. Some slightly more advanced dances involve interaction with dancers who are not in the minor set. Other dances involve two minor sets each time through, and you move on to the third minor set. These dances are called "double progression." There are even a few, rarely called, triple and quadruple progression dances.
The dances are done to live music, usually reels or jigs. The music consists of an A part and a B part, which are related much like a chorus and a verse. Each part consists of 16 beats, or steps, and is repeated twice. So a complete dance goes A, A, B, B, and consists of 64 beats total. (Musicians will usually say 32 measures.) The A and B parts are usually specified A1, A2, B1, B2. The music is phrased in 8-beat sections, and to a lesser extent, in 4-beat sections. A typical figure takes up 4, 8 or 16 beats of music.
Definition 5: an analogy
History:
At the end of the 17th century, English country dances were taken up by French dancers; hybrid choreographies exist from this period using the steps from French court dance in English dances. The French called these dances contra-dance or contredanse. As time progressed, English country dances were spread and reinterpreted throughout the Western world, and eventually the French form of the name came to be associated with the American folk dances, especially in New England (this Frenchified name change may have followed a contemporary misbelief that the form was originally French).Contra dances were fashionable in the United States until the early to mid-19th century, when they were supplanted in popularity by square dances (such as the quadrille and lancers) and couple dances (such as the waltz and polka). By the late 19th century, square dances too had fallen out of favor, except in rural areas. When squares were revived (around 1925 to 1940, depending on the region), contra dances were generally not included. In the 1930s and 1940s, contra dances appear to have been done only in small towns in widely scattered parts of northeastern North America, such as Ohio, the Maritime provinces of Canada, and particularly northern New England. Ralph Page almost single-handedly maintained the New England tradition until it was revitalized in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly by Ted Sannella and Dudley Laufman.
By then, early dance camps, retreats, and weekends had emerged, such as Pinewoods Camp, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which became primarily a music and dance camp in 1933, and NEFFA, the New England Folk Festival, also in Massachusetts, which began in 1944. These and others continue to be popular and some offer dancing and activities besides contra dancing.
In the 1970s, Sannella added heys and gypsies to the contra dances. New dances, such as Shadrack's Delight by Tony Parkes, featured symmetrical dancing by all couples. (Previously, the actives and inactives —see Progression below— had significantly different roles). Double progression dances, popularized by Herbie Gaudreau, added to the aerobic nature of the dances, and one caller, Gene Hubert, wrote a quadruple progression dance, Contra Madness. Becket formation was introduced, with partners next to each other in the line instead of opposite. The Brattleboro Dawn Dance started in 1976, and continues to run semiannually.
In the early 1980s, contra dance musician Randy Miller started the first Saturday dance in the Peterborough Town House, which remains one of the more popular regional dances. Tod Whittemore started the popular Thursday night Boston area dance. As musicians and callers moved to other locations, they founded contra dances in Michigan, Washington, California, Texas, and elsewhere.
Gender free or queer contra dancing started in the 1980s as well. In 1981, a group in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota called "Les be Gay and Dance" was started, in which contra dance was done without any reference to gender, avoiding calling moves with any reference to "ladies" or "gents." In 1987, Chris Ricciotti started a gay dance group in Providence, R.I. using the terms "ladies" and "gents" although dancers were not lining up according to gender. Other gender-free dance groups started up in the area after that, and in 1989, at the gender-free dance group in Jamaica Plain, MA, a group of dancers led by Janet Dillon protested the use of these terms, and the armband system was devised: the traditionally male-role dancers (leads) would wear armbands and be called "armbands" or just "bands," and the traditionally female-role dancers (follows) would be called "bare arms" or just "bares." The Lavender Country and Folk Dancers organization now serves as an umbrella organization for dances in Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, and California.
New England Contra Dance MusicYear: 1977
Label: Kicking Mule (KM 216)
Tracks:
1. Strathspey - Hull's Victory
2. Arm & Hammer String Band - Medley: Kitty McGee/A Hundred Pipers
3. Alan Block - Double File
4. Strathspey - Medley: Ross's Reel/Batchelder's Reel
5. George Wilson - Swing Away
6. Strathspey - My Home Waltz
7. Arm & Hammer String Band - Medley: Salamanca Reel/The Hunter's Purse/Tarbolten
8. Strathspey - Medley: Turnpike Side/Tobin's Fancy
9. Arm & Hammer String Band - Medley: Goin' Uptown/Avalon Quickstep
10. Strathspey - Medley: Farewell To Whiskey/Mara's Wedding
11. Arm & Hammer String Band - Medley: Apples In Winter/Hitler's Downfall
12. Arm & Hammer String Band - Westphalia Waltz
13. Strathspey - Mountain Ranger
take your partner by the hand.
mp3 128kbps | w/ b&w scans | 34mb
BIG thanks again to BanjoReinhard
May 13, 2009
From Smithsonian Folkways
Greetings from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings,
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the United States. We are dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among people through the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of sound.
From reviewing your website, we think a recent episode of “Tapestry of Times”, a new weekly radio program and podcast form WYPR public radio in Baltimore that explores the Smithsonian Folkways collection, would be of interest to your users. The episode, entitled “Ola Belle Reed: An Enduring Legacy” (http://www.tapestryofthetimes.org/shows/archive/episode_27.php) is online now and takes an in-depth look into the life and legacy of Ola Belle Reed, the influential singer/songwriter/instrumentalist, with testimonials, interviews, and original on-site recordings. It’s a must-listen for any fans of Ola Belle Reed, bluegrass, and old-time music, or compelling storytelling in general. The show is available for free stream or download, via the podcast.
Listen to the podcast: (http://www.tapestryofthetimes.org/shows/archive/episode_27.php)
Watch the video: (http://shanecarpenter.com/ola/ola.html)
See Ola Belle Reed’s Albums at Smithsonian Folkways (still in print!): (http://www.folkways.si.edu/searchresults.aspx?sPhrase=ola%20belle%20reed&sType='phrase')
With your blessing, we’d like to post the above note to your message board or forum. Alternatively, you can post this on our behalf. Our goal is to spread the word about this tribute to Ola Belle Reed and Tapestry of the Times (www.tapestryofthetimes.org). In addition, we’d like to offer your listeners a discount code on any Ola Belle Reed recording from Smithsonian Folkways. Just enter “OlaBelleReed09” to save 20% off either CDs or Digital Downloads. Lastly, if you’d like a copy of an Ola Belle Reed CD to give away to one of your members as a contest, just let us know!
Please contact us if this interests you. Thank you very much for your time and consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you.
A note to all my readers: Ola Belle Reed was an amazing musician. A true pioneer of American music. There's even a festival named after her. I strongly encourage all of you to listen to the podcast, watch the video, and support the fine folks at Folkways.
request from a reader
Greetings. I like your blog very much...both the writing and the music. I have an incredible album on vinyl that I am wondering if you have heard. It is called New England Contra Dance Music originally issued by Kicking Mule #216. Check it out if you can or maybe ask your participants if anyone has a digital copy.
Regards
I don't have a copy, but maybe some reader does. I love doing contra dances, though. Oh, and I'm off for a week on travel. If any of you have a lead on this album, or anything related, leave it in the comments of this post.
Good luck!
May 10, 2009
D.W. Griffiths - Workingman's Banjo
Hello folks, for today's Banjo-related post, we have something of a mystery. I found this album in some dark, recessed corner of the internet years ago. No cover or information accompanied it, and subsequent searches have yielded next to nothing on the artist or the album. I am assuming that 'D.W. Griffiths' is a stage name, though it would be pretty cool if the directer of Birth of a Nation ressurected himself and recorded an album of banjo pieces 30 years after his demise.
Musically, the album runs the gamut from traditional to progressive bluegrass, incorporating some jazzy numbers (Summertime, which features banjo-scat duetting) and exploratory works such as 'Friends and Lovers' and 'Please Keep Your Dissonance'. The guy's no Tony Trischka, but he was treading some of the same ground, and there weren't many banjo-players doing this kind of trailblazing in the 70s.
Anywho, lap it up and enjoy, and if you feel inspired, design a cover for the album, or supply some (optionally fraudulent) information.
Edit: we now have some information! From Banjo Newsletter Vol.7 #3, scans supplied by a generous banjo-playing blog-reader from France!. Click on thumbnails for larger images.
D. W. Griffiths - Workingman's Banjo
Year: 1978
Label: BMA 138 197906
Tracks:
1. Salt River
2. Banjorito (Spanish Dancer)
3. Rosewood Breakdown
4. Please Keep Your Dissonance
5. Summertime
6. Tones of the Universe
7. Rueben's Train
8. Maggie, O, Maggie
9. Crazy Creek Blues
10. Friends and Lovers
11. Red Winged Bully
12. Devil's Dance
13. Jersey Hoedown
14. Sally Goodin
brokedown universe.
mp3 192kbps | no cover | 54mb
reposts
The files for The Great Clarence White Bootleg Tapes, discs 2 & 4 (to be found in The Last Great Post) and for the Lionel Belasco post have been re-uploaded.
Yes, that means that now as I'm back in the old US of A, I can handle any reposting requests you'll be throwing my way. Go ahead and shout.
May 8, 2009
Maria Muldaur - Gospel Nights
And continuing the thread from the last post, we have Maria Muldaur! You've heard her before in the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, and she's had an amazing career since then, getting steadily better. I for one have always been impressed at how versatile a singer she is - she can slip between blues, gospel and jug-band numbers, country, jazz, and pretty much anything she wants to. And she's a really adventurous singer, hitting the hard notes and then sliding in two different directions. Trained by blues sass Victoria Spivey, Maria's singing is inimitable and immediately recognizable. And like Jody Stecher, after you hear her version of a song, it will become THE version of the song, and you can never escape the echoes of her melodic phrasing - her gliding moans, and rootsy wails. This album is rather unique in her discography, because not only is it full of gospel (sometimes a capella, sometimes with tasty electric backing), but it also finds Maria singing harmony with others (mostly the Chambers Brothers); and she usually sings the low or middle part.
"Recorded live at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, CA, Muldaur brings her earthy approach to mostly traditional songs with the zealousness of a new believer."
This is quite a rare album, only barely reissued on CD (as half of a two-fer with John Fahey's 'Yes! Jesus Loves Me' oddly enough), and is long-since out-of-print.
Maria Muldaur - Gospel Nights
with special guest artists The Chambers Bros.
Recorded at McCabes
Year: 1980
Label: Takoma
Reissue: Takoma/Allegiance CDP 72820 (1987)
There may be a track missing, track 11 - Said I Wasn't Going To Tell No One. Maybe it was taken out when this was issued as half of a twofer with John Fahey's 'Yes Jesus Loves Me'
Tracks:
1 - Brothers And Sisters
2 - My Jesus Is All
3 - Trials, Troubles, Tribulations
4 - Bright Morning Star
5 - Daniel Prayed
6 - Nobody's Fault But Mine
7 - Just Like An Eagle
8 - Did You Remember
9 - Traveling Shoes
10 - People Get Ready
11 - Guide Me, O Great Jehovah
oh set me free!
not my rip | 192kbps | w/ cover | 56mb
note: in case any of you have problems with a corrupted track 9, here it is uploaded separately:
http://www.mediafire.com/?amqkynnn43m
Mud Acres: Music Among Friends
L to R: Bill Keith, Jim Rooney, Pat Alger, Roly Salley, Artie Traum, John Sebastian, John Herald, Cindy Cashdollar, Happy Traum, Larry CampbellI uploaded this album already in the Last Great Post, but since we're on a Bill Keith note at the moment I thought I'd revive it. This album was the product of a get-together of friends who happened to all be superb musicians. It gathers together many of the leading lights of the Boston/Greenwich Villiage/Washington D.C. folk scenes, sets them in a cabin in the Woodstock mountains and lets 'em rip. It was one of the first folk supergroups, though they didn't really exist as a band, they just came together to record this and subsequent projects under the name "Woodstock Mountain Revue". Just look at the artists above for an idea of the talent. And add Maria Muldaur and Paul Siebel, who weren't around for this 2003 reunion photo. The diversity of musicians gives a diversity of styles and musical settings. And though there's a whole bunch of great musicians here, they never step on each others' toes, show off, nor crowd the music, which always feel just right, whether sparsely or densely instrumented.
Product Description:
'Mud Acres: Music Among Friends' was just that - an album concept brought to the fledgling Rounder Records in 1971 by Happy & Artie Traum, and featuring a wide variety of their musical friends from the Woodstock area. Happy Traum, Artie Traum, Maria Muldaur, John Herald, Eric Kaz, Jim Rooney, Bill Keith, Tony Brown, and Lee Berg, yielding an album that was at once relaxed, spirited and diverse yet very coherent. As so many of the folk labels of the early Sixties left folk music seeking greener pastures, 'Mud Acres' captivated listeners hungry for music that better embodied a real sense of community emblematic of the times. This is the album that spawned several successors over the following years.
And here's a review by Roundup Newsletter:
For a time in the mid-'70s, the area around Woodstock, NY, was a magnet for musicians from around the country. The music found on this release is a product of that community. Here are some of the best folk musicians of that decade performing a repertoire of primarily traditional American songs from sources that range from Blind Willie Johnson to The Delmore Brothers. Happy and Artie Traum, Maria Muldaur, Eric Kaz, Bill Keith, and others weave through "Hobo Blues," "Cowpoke," "Off to Sea Once More," and a dozen more.
Mud Acres: Music Among Friends
Year: 1972
Label: Rounder
Tracks:
1 Cowpoke - 01:27
2 Done Laid Around - 02:49
3 Darlin' Corey Is Gone - 03:24
4 Titanic - 04:01
5 Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents - 01:48
6 Out of Joint - 01:46
7 Jackhammer Blues - 01:46
8 Oh, the Rain - 04:56
9 Hobo Blues - 03:11
10 Off To Sea Once More - 04:20
11 Fifteen Miles To Birmingham - 02:35
12 Lonesome Pines - 03:44
13 Prison Wall Blues - 02:20
14 Parting Friends - 01:37
15 Mud Acres - 02:03
friendly.
vinyl, cleaned (a couple blips) | mp3 vbr >192kbps | w/ cover & liner notes pdf | 65mb
May 6, 2009
Bill Keith - Something Auld, Something Newgrass, Something Borrowed, Something Bluegrass
Hello, dear readers! I've returned to the states. And one thing that my year away from home made me really appreciate is the things that are uniquely, beautifully American. And to that end, I've decided to learn to play the banjo this summer. So you might see an increase in banjo-related posts. Hope you have a high tolerance for twang!
Bill Keith is one of a handful that come up whenever you talk about the greats of banjo playing (the others being, Béla Fleck, Tony Trischka, Earl Scruggs, Jens Krüger, Don Reno, Alison Brown). I mean, there's loads of great players in many styles, but these are the innovators, the seeds if you will. And Bill Keith did just as much as any of them to push the limits of what the banjo was capable of. Like Doc Watson, he brought fiddle tunes to a fretted instrument, syncopated them and spawned a style of his own. And he didn't stop there. He co-wrote the book on banjo with Scruggs, but was cut out of the royalties and recognitions. He was the first guy to start teaching banjo players music theory rather than hot licks. He's been a member of some of the all-time greatest bands folk & bluegrass: Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, Jim Kweskin's Jug Band, Muleskinner, etc. But he's never gotten much fame outside the bluegrass community, and though he's got thousands of session credits, he has relatively few albums of his own.
This album shows the whole gamut of what Keith was capable of. Bluegrass, Newgrass, Jazz, Fiddle-tunes, popular music; all rendered in his impeccable, crisp and sparkling style.
Biography by Sandra Brennan
Bill Keith had great impact on modern banjo playing, particularly in the direction of "newgrass." He even had a picking style informally named after him.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Keith began taking banjo lessons at a young age, and also learned to play piano and ukulele. During adolescence, he played in a few Dixieland bands, but by the late '50s, became interested in folk music after listening to such inspirational artists as Pete Seeger and Earl Scruggs. Using instruction books, the Amherst college student began learning their two different styles. Eventually, Keith began developing his own unique style, which became known as the melodic, chromatic or "Keith" picking style. This distinct technique was borne of his desire to play fiddle melodies on his instruments. In 1958, he teamed up with fellow Amherst student Jim Rooney and began playing at local coffeehouses and on campus. Eventually they hooked up with promoter Manny Greenhill; with his assistance they founded the Connecticut Folklore Society, which sponsored a series of traveling campus concerts throughout New England.
Following graduation and a brief stint in the US Air Force Reserve, Keith began learning to make banjos with Tom Morgan. Later he, Rooney, mandolin player Frank Wakefield, and guitarist Red Allen formed the Kentuckians. In 1963, Earl Scruggs contacted Keith to lay out the tablature for the instructional book Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo. Later that year, Keith and his former Amherst classmate Dan Bump developed a new kind of tuning peg that was adopted by Scruggs who provided a name for the resulting company in 1964. In the mid-'60s, Keith joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, where he was listed as Brad Keith. He left the band after only eight months to do more session work and by the year's end had joined Jim Kweskin's Jug Band where he would stay for four years. After that he played with the Blue Velvet Band. He abandoned the banjo for a while in 1968 to become a pedal steel guitarist. In 1970, Keith moved to Woodstock, New York, and spent a year with Jonathan Edwards. He then went on to work with Judy Collins. He and long-time cohort Rooney also toured together in both the U.S. and in Europe during the '70s and '80s, with Keith developing a particularly large following in France. When back home in Woodstock, Keith began playing banjo for the Woodstock Mountain Review. In 1977, he worked briefly as a columnist for Frets magazine. Later, in 1989, Keith, Rooney, Eric Weissberg and Kenny Koseck re-formed their old group, calling it the New Blue Velvet Band.
Bill Keith - Something Auld, Something Newgrass, Something Borrowed, Something Bluegrass
Year: 1976
Label: Rounder
Review by Chip Renner
Catch Tony Rice, David Grisman, Jim Rooney, Tom Grey, Vassar Clements, Ken Kasek, and Al Jones on this album. The bluegrass is top-notch, and Bill Keith struts his stuff.
Tracks
1 No Expectations - Jagger, Richards - 3:09
2 Green Mountain Hop - Reno - 3:05
3 I'll Stay Around - Certain, Stacey - 3:10
4 Crazy Creek - Jackson - 2:55
5 Pain in My Heart - Funches, Junior - 2:20
6 Farewell Blues - Traditional - 3:04
7 Caravan - Ellington, Mills, Tizol - 5:19
8 Detour - Westmoreland - 2:47
9 Sugar Foot Rag - Garland, Vaughn - 1:49
10 Jordu - Jordan - 2:25
11 Rickett's Hornpipe - Traditional - 1:21
12 Auld Lang Syne - Burns, Traditional - 3:23
Musicians
* Bill Keith - banjo, pedal steel
* Vassar Clements - fiddle
* Tom Gray - bass
* David Grisman - mandolin
* Al Jones - vocals (Pain In My Heart)
* Kenny Kosek - fiddle, piano
* Tony Rice - guitar
* Jim Rooney - guitar, vocals
get it while its auld.
vinyl, cleaned | mp3 >192kbps vbr | w/ cover | 59mb
May 2, 2009
Woody Mann, Jo-Ann Kelly, Son House - Been Here & Gone
This CD is the stuff of legend. Or at least it would be if more people knew about it. Which is why I post, dont'cha know. It is actually a mixture of 3 different recording sessions: you have the last recordings of Son House before his death, with Woody Mann playing guitar; then you have the cuts from Jo Ann Kelly's 1974 album on Blue Goose (which also featured John Fahey among others), again with Woody Mann on guitar; then you have new solo guitar instrumentals by Woody, further exploring the moods and concepts of Son's and Jo Ann's songs, transmogrified to tie the whole thing together.
The tracks with Son House are undescribable. You know how Johnny Cash's last recordings capture something unearthly, from a man who knew he was on death's door? Well, it's like that with Son House, except he's a hell of a lot more soulful and haunting than Cash. He sings pieces here that he never recorded before, and there is a perpetually unhinged quality that refuses to be aestheticized - a bit like Rembrant's self-portraits when he got really old and his eyes started failing, or Goya's black paintings from his final years, deaf and exiled. There is almost a feeling that Son is singing from the other side - behind the veil, beyond the vale of death.
Jo Ann Kelly is in top form as well, and Woody's accompaniment is stellar. These recordings are easily a match for any old blues duets from the 78-rpm era. Woody's solo pieces are slow boilers fraught with tension and abounding in moodiness. They are probably the most haunting pieces he's ever crafted, among the most elegiac tunes in the history of steel-string guitar music. After hearing these pieces, you'll probably become obsessed and hunt down Woody's other releases or his instructional videos if you're a guitarist. I did.
And since I've already talked a lot about Jo Ann Kelly and Son House in previous posts, here's a bit on Woddy:
Stefan Grossman and Woody Mann had a lot in common. They both studied under the legendary Rev. Gary Davis as kids, and they became his best students. They mastered a number of fingerstyle blues styles, and are among the few modern guitarists who truly understand the subtle dynamic qualities that make the real country blues come to life. But while Grossman stayed at that level, collecting thousands of 78s and learning how to sound just like them, Woody went further. Having perfected the blues, he wasn't content to rest on his laurels and just teach or concertize; instead, he plunged into the most difficult arena: jazz.
He studied under Lennie Tristano, who took him through the rigors of jazz training - exacting scales, imbibing jazz theory and inspiring improvisation. Now he has a teaching position at Juilliard school - one of the top schools for classical musicians in the world.
Woody Mann bio:
Woody Mann received his first musical schooling in the living room of Rev. Gary Davis, the now legendary blues, gospel, and ragtime guitarist. Though Davis died in 1972, his guitar mastery proved to be an indelible influence on his young student and friend. The passion, energy and artistry of Davis’ early work became a lasting touchstone for Mann as he embarked on his own musical journey.
Mann soon went on to perform with modern day blues musicians John Fahey, British great Jo-Ann Kelly, as well as early masters of the genre, such as Bukka White and Son House. Mann complemented the tutelage of Rev. Davis with formal training at New York’s celebrated Juilliard School. In addition, Mann completed a period of intense study with noted Chicago-born pianist Lennie Tristano, who introduced him to the world of jazz and its infinite possibilities. During this time, Mann’s early musical grounding began to blossom into an improvisational style all his own.
Since then, Mann has pursued a rich and diverse career, which ranges from playing with jazz great Attila Zoller, accompanying songwriter Dori Previn, and teaching guitar to legendary recording artist Paul Simon. Mann has recorded extensively and performed everywhere from the orchestra pits of Broadway to festivals, clubs and concert stages worldwide. Mann’s reach as a teacher, producer, and writer has been just as sweeping; he has been a faculty member at the New School in New York City, conducted master workshops throughout the world, founded International Guitar Seminars and Acoustic Sessions Inc, and schooled countless guitarists through his acclaimed books and DVDs including the series “The Art of Acoustic Blues Guitar,” “The Complete Robert Johnson,” “The Blues Fakebook,” and the recently published “Lisboa – the Guitar Of Woody Mann,” a collection of his original compositions.
Mann’s remarkable ease and grace with which he blends a wide pallet of influences was summed up in a recent Acoustic Guitar Magazine review of his recent recording “Road Trip”… “Mann has absorbed so many guitar styles that he can change moods on a dime, weaving lyrical single string lines and chord harmonies that can take his tunes across the musical divides between genres...”
Mann has not forgotten those early lessons in the Rev. Davis’ living room, however, or the jazz traditions that were his wellspring. He has since become one of the world’s most renowned guitar masters and song story tellers - updating the past with his own unique contemporary improvisational style.
– The London Times
"A brilliant convergence of guitar and song... completely original."
– Village Voice, New York
"This is one of those names that schould be uttered only in hushed tones. Not only was he taught by the peerless guitar picker the Rev Gary Davis, but Mann has played with Son House, Bukka White and John Fahey... In between giving lessons to Paul Simon and accompanying Dori Previn, he has also managed to cut some dazzling music...Don’t miss a chance to see him; you are unlikely to hear anything- or anyone – better in the fields that Mann has chosen to master.” – The London Times.
You can hear classical, jazz, and blues approaches somehow converging into a single sparkling sound – a sound completely his own. Woody takes a fresh approach to his blues re-creations and his own compositions defy category. If there was a category simply called “Great Music,” Woody’s C.D. would belong there.
– John Fahey
Woody Mann, Jo-Ann Kelly, Son House - Been Here & Gone
Year: 1999
Label: Acoustic Music Records 3191174
Son House : vocals
Jo Ann Kelly : vocals
Woody Mann : guitar
Rec. 1971/1972 Yazoo Studio, New York City
except tracks 3,5,9,12,15,18,21 rec. 1999
Tracks:
01 4 O'Clock
02 Sun Going Down
03 Green River
04 Come To Die
05 Been Here And Gone
06 Henry Millers Dream
07 Jo's Mistreated Blues
08 Bothering That Thing
09 Travelling Solo
10 King Street
11 Baby Where You Been
12 For Son
13 Blues Ain't Nothin'
14 Come To Die - Son's Take
15 Slow Motion
16 Rolling Log
17 Pigmeat
18 Sour Jive
19 New Stockyard Blues
20 Drunken Barrelhouse
21 Coda For Jo
better than death.
mp3 224 kbps | with covers | 100 Mb
and check out Woody's web site where you can get CDs, DVDs, books, and find out about concerts & workshops. http://www.woodymann.com/