Too Late the Guitar Hero

I first became aware of the name, Bert Jansch, from listening to the early Donovan records. In fact, Donovan titled one of his songs, "House of Jansch."

Jansch had a huge influence on Donovan's guitar playing and while American critics were dismissive of the latter as a British Dylan clone, he was actually a disciple of the Bert Jansch/Davy Graham school that combined traditional British folk styles with eastern modalities and chord structures.

For decades now, Bert Jansch has been one of my favorite musicians. I became familiar with his work in the early 1970s, about the same time I had discovered other British folk acts such as Fairport Convention, (which, at that time, included guitarist extraordinaire Richard Thompson and probably the greatest singer England has ever produced, Sandy Denny), Pentangle (which included Jansch and another guitar phenomenon, John Renbourn), and the Incredible String Band.

Over the years, I have had an opportunity to see most of the great British folk guitarists when they toured the Midwest: Donovan, Richard Thompson, John Martyn, Ralph McTell, and John Renbourn. But for some reason, Bert Jansch has been elusive. Either I have been out of town on the date of the show or there has been some other obstacle impeding the opportunity.

Well, Bert Jansch is in town again tonight to headline the Friday night portion of a three-day music festival at the Empty Bottle here in Chicago. He is currently touring in support of his new album, The Black Swan, which has been garnering rave reviews, and showcases a supporting cast that includes longtime admirers Beth Orton and Devendra Banhart.

[Speaking of admirers, Bert performed a duet last month with Neil Young at Neil and Pegi's s annual Bridge Benefit Concert. Neil Young has long been one of Bert Jansch's most vocal supporters, citing his influence on his own guitar playing on many occasions.]

Unfortunately, Bert isn't slated to perform until after midnight. And there are two supporting acts prior to his set that I am sure are just fine, but I really don't want to wait through two sets to see a headliner perform after midnight. Am I getting old or what?

Maybe next time...

I guess I will listening to the latest Luka Bloom album (see November 16 post) instead.


Photo courtesy: www.BertJansch.com

Not Those Barrymores...This Barry Moore

I have been listening to the latest cd from Barry Moore, aka Luka Bloom, entitled Innocence, which was released stateside in Spring of this year. It is one of his most consistently satisfying efforts in a long time. His voice seems to have a richer timbre these days and, as a result, he is not hesistant to favor a more subdued program as opposed to the more rhythmic exercises of his earlier work -- which is not a criticism by any means.

There are still a few uptempo numbers, but the most pleasant surprise is the inclusion of two songs that have an Arabic and North African (Moroccan) flavor, one a narrative about a Muslim carpenter. A great late night or early morning listen.

For the uninitiated, Luka is the younger brother of legendary Irish singer-songwriter, Christy Moore. Because Christy was well established by the time Barry stepped onto the world stage in the late 1980s, the older brother (by ten years) probably cast a huge shadow of expectations. Barry apparently was playing club dates during that span and heard Suzanne Vega's hit single, "Luka", and a change was in order.

Gee, What's for Dinner? And What Time Should I Be There?

While this isn't the most sensational of the legendary (New York crime scene photographer) Wee Gee's photos, it is one of his most published and it bears the most interesting title, Human Head Cakebox Murder. Perfect name for a thrash metal or punk band.

I was watching the local (Chicago) news last night and a reporter was interviewing neighbors of a Park Ridge, Illinois (Hillary Clinton's hometown) man who had been murdered in the early morning hours. Many neighbors described being awakened by a popping sound and were genuinely astounded later to discover that such a nice guy had been murdered -- he owned a plumbing business. Maybe there was a business connection to the crime? Still, a real tragedy and one that would shake a small community to the core.

What really appalled me was, that, while a murderer was on the loose, the reporter and the station continued providing far too much specific detail about the neighborhood that could endanger the community further; for example, what the neighbors heard, what they might have seen, or where they lived in relation to the victim. The station even flashed their names across the screen! What the interviewer neglected to ask was what each neighbor might be serving for dinner that night. After all, murderers gotta eat too...

Kudos to the administrators of the private elementary school across the street from the scene. They had the sense to implement a phone tree to notify parents that the school would be closed for the day so the children wouldn't be curious about all the police cars (and yellow tape) or media vans parked outside.

Photo: Wee Gee, Human Head Cakebox Murder (1940)

Are You Ready?

"When the coal brick man comes round,
On a cold November day
You'll be on the Celtic Ray,
Are you ready?"

From "Celtic Ray" (Van Morrison) Caledonia Productions

Artwork: Chris Sheban

♫ "We're Trader Joe's Organic Pepper Soup" ♫

A Day in the Soup...

This item was in today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Not sure how it's all connected but it sure sounds like it was a festive time:

"Trader Joe's, the quirky California-based grocery chain, opened its first store in the Milwaukee area at the Bayshore Town Center on Friday morning with music, dancing and organic tomato roasted pepper soup for $2.99 a quart..."

It almost reads like a statement from a cognitive abilities test -- the section that measures one's abstract reasoning capabilities. "Which one of the above items does not belong with the other two?"

And, of course, congratulations to Trader Joe's on its entry into the Milwaukee market.


Artwork: Euan Myles

Hold On For Dear Life

Now that the Dems have recaptured both houses, maybe they can move this country forward. Let's hope last Tuesdays's election results have taken some gas out of the windbags who were trying to spook their disenfranchised voters away from the opposing candidates.

"Beware ... the Democrats (Liberals) are going to raise your taxes."

Nevermind the fact that when the Republicans cut taxes (and programs), the financial burdens ("No Child Left Behind," for one) shift to the states and, subsequently, state (or municipal) taxes are significantly increased instead. Of course, many large corporations are rewarded with enormous tax breaks or exemptions from those states so the burden inevitably shifts back to the middle class tax payer (again). Talk about sloppy seconds. It's just a shell game, folks!!!

I saw a political cartoon from the 2004 Presidential election that contained a caricature of Bush and the text read:

"Vote for me once, shame on me. Vote for me again, shame on you!"

I remember on that last Presidential election day, an associate (who was in her mid-50s at that time) seemed perplexed and wasn't sure who she should vote for President. I said to her (matter-of-factly): "If you have to think about it, you should vote for Bush. And enjoy your golden years!"

Unfortunately, some political experts have suggested that Tuesday's victories were merely a reactionary swing and could easily fall the other way in another two years. So the Dems have a very narrow window to regain the public confidence.

Hopefully, the soon-to-be-released movie, "Bobby" (the forthcoming biopic of Robert F. Kennedy, one of my lifelong heroes), will remind people that, at another time in history, altruism and idealism weren't bad attributes to possess. And helping the less fortunate was actually considered a good deed. Maybe the public will be remember a time when government existed to serve the people not those who served within it, before the word liberal (progressive) had been twisted into an ugly pejorative muck.

I am now stepping off the soapbox and pouring the contents into the toploader (wash cycle).


Artwork: Adri Berger/TSI Images

If the Shoe Fits, Keep On 'Runnin'...

Even though advertising agencies have plundered just about every recognizable hit song from the 60s and 70s for television spots, there seem to be some tunes which, so far, remain untouched.

I was driving around my hometown, Milwaukee, Friday afternoon, and the Doobie Brothers' version of "It Keeps You Runnin' " (Carly Simon also recorded this song at about the same time) came on the oldies station. I pondered why this one hasn't been tapped. Why would Creative Directors be distancing themselves from this radio staple?

The more genteel Carly Simon version would seem a natural fit for products like the Sears Diehard battery or a vitamin (or herbal) supplement, while the Doobies version (with Michael McDonald's bloated and unintelligible wailing) might not be out of place in an Immodium or Taco Bell spot ... or maybe even a Produce Growers' Council ad campaign (if such an organization exists).

I was just wondering ...

[A slightly crass and humorous thought from Yours Truly]


The above photo is another from the series of my photos from the sculpture park in Skokie, Illinois.

Meet the New Blues Man

While working at the computer last week, I was streaming the excellent college radio station here in Rogers Park (Chicago), WLUW (the Loyola University station), and the dj played a track called "Song of the Blackbird" by William Elliot Whitmore. After identifying the track, he mentioned that Whitmore would be playing Friday night at the Cabaret Metro (locally referred to as the Metro), here in Chicago. He offered tickets for callers, and on a whim I called and got on the list.

It's not often that I would be compelled to see a performer based on a three minute sampling of his work, but there was much in those three minutes that told me he would be worth hearing further. I love delta and acoustic folk-blues. And since many of the great ones, such as Rev. Gary Davis, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Dave Van Ronk, to name a few, have long since passed, there haven't been many contemporary artists to carry the mantle.

Even one of the more talented members of this shrinking community, Chris Whitley, died within recent years. He showed great promise with his debut album, seemed to be scared off by the critical acclaim and radio attention and then veered off into increasingly edgy terrain only to disappear into relative obscurity by the time he died. I had an opportunity to see him in the late 90s and he looked scary -- rail thin and heavily tatooed under a thin white tank-top t-shirt, I think he could have even spooked the legendary blues guitarist and recovered heroin-addict himself, Johnny Winter. His appearance that night seemed to foreshadow a typical blues title like: "I'm Not Long for this World."

William Elliot Whitmore took the stage at the Metro on Friday night, the opening set of a three artist bill (Rocky Vololato and Lucero were subsequent acts). With just a banjo, a heavy, yet steady foot stomping to serve as his rhythm section and a loose and familiar demeanor with the audience, Whitmore provided an engaging and memorable set that seems to indicate he is a performer with a bright future ahead of him. His style does harken back to the hoot n' holler type of blues that typified the delta blues artists such as Sonny and Brownie, Charlie Patton or even Elmore James. But there are hints of Jimmie Rogers and even contempary singer-songwriters, such as fellow Iowan Greg Brown, one of the most influential songwriters currently on the scene. It seems that Whitmore has been formed of the same clay as Brown in that these songs of anguish and loss are strongly rooted in a nearly spiritual (I would almost say evangelical) underpinning. Some of the songs from his current album, Song of the Blackbird, wouldn't have been out of place on timeless recordings such as The Band's, Music from Big Pink or the eponymous debut of Jesse Winchester (which featured both Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson of The Band), and are not dissimilar to the type of songs Bob Dylan is writing these days.

While the songs did have that old-timey feel of a revival meeting, I would offer that my only criticism is that he needs to musically stretch a little more. By the end of his forty-five minute set these evocative pieces started to yield a sameness in tone and the familiar chord progressions seemed to mimic other classics from this bygone era. Still, there is much to be mined in the future for Whitmore and I think he will be a major artist, maybe not through sales or radio play, but in terms of a name that will immediately prompt respect and recognition. I was thinking that, with a few albums under his belt, William Elliot Whitmore would be the perfect type of performer that Dylan would want on the bill with him. That would make for a memorable evening...

The photograph is not from the Friday night performance (notice he is playing a guitar and not a banjo) and comes courtesy of the Southern Records website --www.southern.net -- William Elliot Whitmore's label.