CD Review
FINGERSTYLE GUITAR CLASSICS (RE-ISSUES)
Bromberg, David
My Own House / You Should See the Rest of the Band (1978/1979)
(Fantasy)
Baker, Duck
Kid On The Mountain (1980)
(Kicking Mule)
Evans, Dave
Sad Pig Dance (1974)
(Kicking Mule)
Graham, Davey
The Complete Guitarist
(Kicking Mule)
These four classic re-issues arrived together and define a historic explosion of instrumental innovation in folk music. So, I reviewed them as a group.
The Bromberg disc collects two early recordings - the first one all acoustic and mostly solo, the second an electrified band recording. All the tunes are American classics - including traditional folk and Celtic tunes, blues, and Tin Pan Alley - and so are these performances. Bromberg helped define the American roots tradition through both his broad knowledge of the music and his virtuoso skill on anything with strings. This reissue (78 minutes) is not to be missed by fans of Bromberg or anyone who wants to hear the real roots of today's resurgence in Americana, bluegrass and folksong.
Duck Baker's original Kid on the Mountain released in 1980 collected thirteen guitar arrangements of traditional Irish and Scottish tunes long before the current Celtic boom. The reissue adds four bonus tracks from earlier sessions in 1977 and 1978. A familiar figure around London in the late '70's, Baker was one of the first to blend American guitar-style idioms with the music of the Celtic tradition. Baker certainly took a key step in the extensive cultural and musical crossover that has occurred in the intervening years. There is a purity in these performances, the focused, unselfconscious intensity of classical music. Considered a classic album.
Jazzier and more joyful than Baker, Evans is part of the British tradition of guitar fingerstylists that starts with Davey Graham and includes Martin Carthy, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch and Martin Simpson. Excellent liner notes by Duck Baker puts Evans and this work in a broad and fascinating musical/historical context. The generous nine bonus tracks include tunes from the legendary 1977 Contemporary Guitar Workshop album feature the Evans' pioneering use of alternate tunings. Very rewarding listening.
According to Duck Baker, Davey Graham single-handedly transformed the way guitarists in England approached the instrument, both in terms of technique and the way traditional British and American idioms could be combined. This disc makes Graham's range clear, moving easily from Bach to Big Bill Broonzy, Vaughan Williams to Willie Dixon. It also includes a lot of traditional English and Celtic material and some originals as well. The original 16-tracks of the 1977 recording has been augmented with eight bonus tracks. Again, Duck Baker's liner notes are worth the price of admission - a complete tutorial. -HB