- Stefan Grossman & John Renbourn – Same Primo album di duetti datatp 1978 per John Renbourn l’ English-folk guitarist, e Stefan Grossman an American-blues guitarist. ( tutti i brani di questo cd ad esclusione di "Spirit Levels" contengono il file con le tablature )Tracks
1. Snap A Little Owl 2. Bermuda Triangle Exit 3. Theme from Charles Mingus' The Shoes Of The Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers 4. Luckett Sunday 5. Why A Duck 6. The Drifter 7. Looper's Corner 8. Luke's Little Summer 9. Spirit Levels 10. The Way She Walks 11. Woman From Donori
“To label John Renbourn an English-folk guitarist, or Stefan Grossman an American-blues guitarist, amounts to the same: nothing. Renbourn, who's best known for his Pentangle association and fine solo albums, has played medieval, early classical, traditional, blues, regional English folk and contemporary jazz compositions. Stefan Grossman, who's also cut a pile of solo albums, has played classic and contemporary ragtime, delta blues, boogie, and regional American folk compositions, among others. Yet the performers and last Tuesday night's capacity crowd at the Other End shared a single mindedness that makes one music of all this eclecticism: a passion for the acoustic guitar and its infinite expressive possibilities. The evening was not only one of the most musically exhilarating in my experience, but one of the most educational as well – a relaxed class on styles and technique and a distillation of British and American sensibilities...
...They included a few numbers from their elegant new hybrid album, Stefan Grossman & John Renbourn. The album is all instrumental, all – except for a Mingus composition – original. Though it's much more bluesy, lilting, and sly, it reminds me of John McLaughlin’s acoustic album, My Goal's Beyond, with its gentle-jazz whispers and dramatic pauses. If one has ever picked or, plucked, the album is an invitation to figure out new ways to contort the fingers. If one hasn't, the liner notes skillfully decode who is playing which guitar line and when, As the concert did, the album pulls together the improbable and comes up with a surprising complement, rather like ordering a measure of ordering mead to quaff with your hot dog. And why not?”
– Jan Hoffman – The Village Voice
- Ton Van Bergeyk, John James, Dale Miller & Sam Mitchell – I Got Rhithm (Jazz compositions and rags da questi guitar-virtuosi)
The music that was popular from the turn of the century to the 1940's offers the guitar player some fascinating sounds to arrange. This album is a collection of pop standards, novelty instrumentals, serious jazz compositions and rags. There are many ways to approach this wide spectrum of music. This album features four of the finest acoustic guitar players. From the United States we have Dale Miller, from Holland the Dutch Wizard, Ton Van Bergeyk, from Wales John James and from England Sam Mitchell.
Each guitarist has his own individual sound and ideas for arranging. It is interesting to hear the differences in texture and feel that these four guitarists bring to their music. As well, this album shows the strength of the guitar as an instrument for capturing the sounds of a bygone era. From Sam Mitchell's slide guitar to John James' well thought out duets to Dale Miller's delicate combo like approach to Ton Van Bergeyk's complete sounding six string orchestra we get a glimpse into how one can try arranging and performing this music on the guitar. This album also has a certain humor. You can hear this clearly in Anno 1926 or (Who's That) Knocking At My Door or even the surf like Sophisticated Slide.
Tracks
1. I Got Rhythm*
Ton Van Bergeyk
2. Under The Moon
John James
3. Sophisticated Slide
Sam Mitchell 2
4. Medley For the Duke:
Jubilee Stomp & Take It Easy*
Ton Van Bergeyk
5. Anno 1926*
Ton Van Bergeyk
6. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Dale Miller
7. Sugar*
Ton Van Bergeyk
8. The Cat And The Dog*
Ton Van Bergeyk
9. (Who's That) Knocking At My Door
John James
10. Frog-I-More Rag*
Ton Van Bergeyk
11. Dirty Dozens
Sam Mitchell
12. Ain't Misbehaving
Dale Miller
13. Stumblin'*
Ton Van Bergeyk
14. Ballin' The Jack
John James
15. These Foolish Things
Dale Miller
- John Renbourn & Stefan Grossman – In Concert To label John Renbourn an English folk guitarist, or Stefan Grossman an American blues guitarist, amounts to the same: nothing. Renbourn, who's best known for his Pentangle association and fine solo albums, has played medieval, early classical, traditional, blues, regional English folk and contemporary jazz compositions. The obstreperous Grossman, who's also cut a pile of solo albums, has played classic and contemporary ragtime, delta blues, boogie, and regional American folk compositions, among others. Yet the performers and last Tuesday night's capacity crowd at the Other End shared a single-mindedness that makes one music of all this eclecticism: a passion for the acoustic guitar and its infinite expressive possibilities. The evening was not only one of the most musically exhilarating in my experience, but one of the most educational as well – a relaxed class on styles and technique and a distillation of British and American sensibilities.
John Renbourn performed solo opening with several traditional tunes from the British Isles. Renbourn looks the part – like Robin Hood's Littlejohn perhaps: a big-boned frame; broad ruddy cheeks; short, curling fair hair and beard; small, amused blue eyes. When he sings about Glasgow town and fair maids, we followers of traditional music believe him largely because of the songs’ simple beauty, but we also, I think, harbor a bad case of merrie olde anglophilia. Renbourn doesn't sigh wistfully for a lost world simultaneously bawdy and innocent – he recreates that world. He also played some instrumentals. Whether he's doing an alehouse blues or a 16th-century Italian dance, Renbourn's guitar style is characteristically delicate and controlled. He took a swig on his beer bottle and bent over Booker T. Jones's Sweet Potato, which opens with a taut bluesy little riff and then builds almost in spite of itself. Renbourn couldn't hold it in check, and the piece burst open at the seams as he leaned into it, the chords and fingerings hurtling faster and faster. Finally the tune receded into the neat, unassuming opening tiff, and ended. "You're amazing, John," somebody blurted out. The audience laughed and applauded, agreeing.
Enter Grossman, sporting a bright colored ukulele shirt and an uncompromising New Yawk accent ... Grossman is a wild, funny carny man. He banged and pulled at his bass strings, occasionally flatpicked, and sang-talked old blues and rags. Both guitarists commanded immediate respect. But while the audience was awed by the modest Renbourn's music-sculpting, they stamped and rebel-yelled for Grossman, who seemed antsy just to spit the songs out, playing strident delta blues and Reverend Davis ragtime like nobody's Aunt Sally. Grossman's brand of Americanism is as mythic as the world of traditional British balladry: red hot dogs and red hot mamas, a restless, cheerful braggadocio.
They played together for a final set that included the loopiest rendition of Candy Man I've ever heard, and a few numbers from their elegant new hybrid, Stefan Grossman & John Renbourn CD (SGGW119). The album is all instrumental, all – except for a Mingus composition – original, and a good deal more studied and dreamy than anything I'd have thought Grossman would put his hand to. Though it's much more bluesy, lilting, and sly, it reminds me of John McLaughlin's acoustic album, My Goal's Beyond, with its gentle-jazz whispers and dramatic pauses. If one has ever picked or plucked, the album is an invitation to figure out new ways to contort the fingers. If one hasn't, the liner notes by Karl Dallas of Melody Maker skillfully decode who is playing which guitar line and when. As the concert did, the album pulls together the improbable and comes up with a surprising complement, rather like ordering a measure of mead to quaff with your hot dog. And why not?
CD One:
1. Looper’s Corner 2. The Shoes Of The Fisherman’s Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers 3. Twelve Sticks 4. Cocaine Blues 5. Pretty Girl Milking A Cow 6. Tightrope 7. Make Believe Stunt 8. Medley: Sheebeg An Sheemore/Drunken Wagoner 9. The Assassination of John Fahey 10. Medley:Cincinnati Flow Rag/New York City Rag/Hot Dogs
CD Two:
1. Medley: Judy/Angie 2. Lindsay 3. Medley: Lament For Owen Roe O’Neill/Mist Covered Mountains of Home/ The Orphan 4. So Early In The Spring 5. The English Dance 6. Great Dreams From Heaven 7. Sweet Potato 8. Medley: Bonaparte’s Retreat/Billy In The Lowgrounds 9. Goodbye Porkpie Hat 10. Candyman 11. Midnight On The Water 12. Spirit Levels 13. Mississippi Blues
DVD:
1. Looper’s Corner 2. The Shoes Of The Fisherman’s Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers 3. Struttin’ Rag 4. The Assassination of John Fahey 5. Tightrope 6. Medley: Judy/Angie 7. Whitehouse Blues 8. Medley: Trotto/The English Dance 9. Goodbye Porkpie Hat 10. Candyman 11. Spirit Levels 12. Take A Whiff On Me
- Stefan Grossman – Shining Shadows (Album di blues anni ’20 e ’30 datato 1984)Stefan Grossman's life story unfolds like the plot of a fantastically farfetched novel studded with mythical and mystical characters and music at every turn. You can look at it like this: At age 15 Stefan began his tri-weekly pilgrimages from Brooklyn to a shack on Park Avenue in the heart of New York City's Bronx to take lessons from a legendary bluesman, the late Rev. Gary Davis. He then became a dedicated member of the "Blues Mafia" - a group of researchers intent on rediscovering the great bluesmen who had performed on the race records of the '20s and '30s - where he became close friends with Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and other great black American bluesmen and songsters. Never one to rest on the oars, Stefan has authored many music books that present these styles to pickers worldwide.
Before moving to Europe in 1967 Stefan gigged with the Even Dozen Jug Band, an early counterculture rock band known as the Fugs, and Mike Bloomfield in the band Chicago Loop. While living in Italy several years later, Stefan decided that there was a shortage of good guitar records, so he co-founded Kicking Mule Records in 1973. With a lineup of artists that included guitarists Dave Evans, Ton Van Bergeyk, Happy Traum, Duck Baker, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Davey Graham. Stefan was instrumental in promoting and preserving the best in blues, ragtime and contemporary picking. And in addition to his record producing, personal recordings, instructional writings and other projects, Stefan has kept up his live appearances.
Tracks (ogni brano contiene la tablatura )
1. Blues For The Mann 2. Requiem For Patrick Kilroy 3. Logan’s Water 4. Lemon’s Jump 5. Ms. Josephine Ayres 6. Beyond The Pleasure Principle 7. Sparkling On The Wind 8. Shining Shadows 9. Capricorn Five 10. Just a Closer Walk With Thee 11. Lament For A Goodman
- Duck Baker – King Of Bongo Bongo (Ancora Fingerstyle guitar playing su noti blues anni ’20 e ’30.)Duck Baker plays all types of music. His playing combines genres as varied as rags, blues, country, gospel, cajun, bluegrass, Celtic music, ballads and jazz, swing, New Orleans jazz and free jazz.
In this album he joins with Mike Piggott on fiddle and Stefan Grossman on guitar to offer an
exciting excursion in to the music of the 1920s and 1930s. Fingerstyle guitar playing with the Duck touch!
Tracks
1. New Righteous Blues 2. Crazy Rhythm 3. I Found A New Baby 4. No Love 5. There'll Be Some Changes Made 6. See You In My Dreams 7. I Ain't Got Nobody 8. Mama's Getting Younger, Papa's Getting Older Each Day 9. Immaculate Conception Rag 10. River Blues 11. Chicken Ain't Nothing But A Bird 12. King of Bong Bong 13. Business As Usual
- Rev. Gary Davis – At Home And Church (Box 3 cd di Religious songs, folk tunes, blues, rags)In 1962 I started to take guitar lessons from Rev. Gary Davis. Each weekend and school holiday I would take two trains from my home in Brooklyn up to Park Avenue in the Bronx. Rev. Davis’s home was hidden behind a worn out tenement building, down a flight of stairs where the garbage cans were kept and then up another small flight of stairs to a single dwelling that was surrounded on all four sides by apartment buildings.
To say it was “different” would be to understate the effect it had on me. But once the screen door was opened and the scent of White Owl cigars hit my nose I knew I was at home. The warmth, generosity and education that I found in this “country shack” in the midst of the great New York City has lasted me a lifetime.
This set of three CDs captures Rev. Davis at home and church - teaching, talking and philosophizing. The first two CDs are material recorded at his Bronx home. Religious songs, folk tunes, blues, rags and memories are included. The music ranges from the heavenly to the bawdy. The third CD features a service I recorded where Rev. Davis plays and delivers sermons.
Tracks
Disc One (At Home):
1. Twelve Sticks 3 2. Sally, Where’d You Get Your Liquor From 3. Babylon Is Falling 4. What Could I Do 5. Children of Zion 6. Hesitation Blues 7. Candyman (on 5 String Banjo) 8. Steal Away And Pray 9. Goin’ To Chattanooga 10. Packing Up, Get Ready To Go 11. Untitled 12. You Cry Because I’m Leaving 13. Don’t Let My Baby Catch You Here 14. Lord Let Me Live Longer 15. I Want To be Saved 16. Waltz Time Candyman 17. Little Boy Who Made Your Britches 18. Talks about Verses Not Sung 19. C Rag 20. Two Step Candyman
Disc Two (At Home):
1. Piece Without Words 2. Lord Search My Heart 3. Slippin’ To My Gal Comes In Partner 4. Sun is Going Down 5. Raise A Ruckus Tonight 6. Save Up Your Money, John D. Rockefeller, Put the Panic On 7. Soon My Work Will All Be Done 8. You’re Gonna Need King Jesus
9. I’m Going Back To Jesus 10. Blues in C 11. Saddle It Around 12. People Who Use To See 13. Italian Rag 14. Candyman 15. Nobody Don’t Care For Me 16. Fox Chase 17. Talk on Blind Boy Fuller
Disc Three (In Church):
1. Amazing Grace 2. Sermon 3. I’m a Soldier In The Army Of The Lord 4. Sermon 2:40 5. Lord, I Feel Just Like Goin’ On 6. Steal Away 7. Can’t Make This journey By Myself 8. Sermon 9. I Will Overcome Someday 10. God Be With You
From the Mariposa Folk Festival:
11. I Got Religion I’m So Glad 12. I’m a Soldier In The Army Of The Lord
- School Of Ragtime - 10 Classic Rags
by Scott Joplin. Feat. Duck Baker, Lasse Johansson, Ton Engels, John James and Tim Nicolai arrangiamenti per chitarra di ragtime di scott Joplin)
This album presents ten Scott Joplin classic ragtime arrangements. They illustrate the fascinating approach that a guitar can take when playing ragtime. Plus they are great challenges for guitarists to master. In the world of fingerpicking these type of instrumentals are left for the "advanced pickers."
Tracks ( ciascun brano contiene la propria tablatura )
1. Maple Leaf Rag
Duck Baker
2. Solace - A Mexican Serenade
Lasse Johansson & Claes Palmqvist
3. Nonpareil (None To Equal)
Ton Engels
4. The Favourite
Lasse Johansson
5. The Strenous Life
Ton Engels
6. The Rosebud March
John James
7. Eugenia
Lasse Johansson & Claes Palmqvist
8. Weeping Willow
Ton Engels
9. Scott Joplin’s New Rag
Tim Nicolai
10. Elite Snycopations
Ton Engels
- The Entertainer – The classics of Scott Joplin rags arranged for six string guitar Featuring Ton Van Bergeyk, Leo Wijnkamp Jr., Jim McLennan, Bob Evans, Tim Nicolai, David Laibman & Dick Fegy.The 1960s ragtime revival was the coming of age of a generation of fingerpicking guitarists. In ragtime, they found a music that was vastly challenging, great fun to play, and one that adapted well to the instrument. These were, for the most part, players who had taken up the guitar during the '60s folk revival and learned how to fingerpick Elizabeth Cotten or John Hurt tunes and were looking for more demanding material. Ragtime more than filled the bill - even 'easy' guitar ragtime is a workout.
The first guitar ragtime recording, by Dave Laibman and Eric Schoenberg, was released in the late 60s and shows how high a level of skill young fingerpickers had reached in their attempts to master the idiom. This present collection features arrangements by a slightly younger Europeans inspired by Laibman, Schoenberg and Stefan Grossman. The Swedish team of Johansson and Palmqvist are possibly the most accomplished guitar duo to play ragtime. As with tennis, playing duos requires a particular skill.
Two Dutch soloists are presented here - Ton Van Bergeyk and Leo Wijnkamp Jr. - two of the finest fingerpicking virtuosi of the day. The United Kingdom is represented by Welshman John James, who has gone on to a very active career on the British folk scene and Englishman Ton Engels, who has, like most of the performers here, gone off into other pursuits. This is also true of the fine Canadian guitarist, Jim McLennan. Dick Fegy has remained very much on the scene as David Bromberg's most dependable bandmember over the years, playing mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and acoustic and electric guitars. He is also a first-rate solo fingerpicker, as you will hear. He must toss off Paganini encores in his spare time!
Tracks
1. The Entertainer*
Jim McLennan
2. Magnetic Rag*
Ton Van Bergeyk
3. Paragon Rag*
Tim Nicolai
4. Heliotrope Bouquet*
Jim McLennan
5. Scott Joplin Medley: Fig Leaf Rag/Bethena - A Concert Waltz/ Maple Leaf Rag*
Bob Evans
6. Sycamore - A Concert Rag*
Leo Wijnkamp Jr.
7. Kismet Rag*
Dick Fegy
8. Wall Street Rag
- Ton Van Bergeyk – Lulu’s Back In Town (Ragtime music)Ton Van Bergeyk is a guitarist's guitarist. That is not to say that his playing is at all over-technical or hard for non-guitarists to appreciate. To the contrary, his music is quite direct and engaging. Ton has absorbed elements of a great many widely varied guitar stylists and is himself already a major influence among younger players.
Ton's first record, FAMOUS RAGTIME GUITAR SOLOS (SGGW104) remains a classic in the field. With FAMOUS FINGERPICKING GUITAR SOLOS FROM THE GOLDEN ERA OF AMERICAN POP MUSIC (SGGW124) and his tracks on I GOT RHYTHM (SGGW133) Ton expanded his interests to include swing tunes of the 20's and 30's. The present release evinces his still widening tastes and abilities, including modern jazz, blues, contemporary pop, more swing tunes and even Mexican serenadas. The range of guitar styles and sounds (Ton uses a nylon-strung as well as a steel here) is extraordinary and makes for great listening.
Tracks ( ciascun brano contiene la propria tablatura )
1. Georgia On My Mind 2. Black and Tan Fantasy 3. Nobody's Sweetheart 4. Mexico Bonito 5. The Boogie Dance 6. Rocking Chair 7. Between The Lines 8. We're All Alone 9. The Fabulous Rosina 10. Blue Monk 11. Cry Me A River 12. Hombre Mio 13. Lulu's Back In Town 14. Rosa De Castilla 15. Lady Madonna 16. March Of The Hoodlums
- Bert Jansch Conundrum – Thirteen Down (Album del 1979 per l’ex Pentangle. Feat. Martin Jenkins, Nigel Portman-Smith, Luce Langridge e Jacquie McShee)Bert Jansch formed the Bert Jansch Conundrum in the late 1970s as a touring unit for his solo performances following the breakup of the original Pentangle. Thirteen Down, recorded in 1979, was the only studio album by this aggregation. Joining Jansch here are multi-instrumentalists Martin Jenkins and Nigel Portman-Smith along with drummer Luce Langridge. In addition, Jansch's Pentangle vocal mate, Jacquie McShee, guests on "If I Had a Lover."
The selection of tunes offered on Thirteen Down is uniformly strong. Several tracks could best be described as "funky folk music," especially the instrumental, "Una Linea di Dolcezza." Other standout tracks include "Down River," "Time and Love," "In My Mind" and "Sweet Mother Earth." The blend of British Isles folk, jazz and pop will be familiar to fans of Pentangle, and Jansch's vocals and guitar work are as unique as ever. Jenkins' violin and flute provide the textural colors that keep the arrangements varied from song to song. Ranking with the best work of Bert Jansch's lengthy career, Thirteen Down is a must-have for folk and acoustic music enthusiasts.
Tracks
1. In My Mind 2. Sovay 3. Where Did My Life Go? 4. Bridge 5. Time and Love 6. If I Had a Lover 7. Una Line di Dolcezza 8. Let Me Sing 9. Down River 10. Nightfall 11. Ask Your Daddy 12. Sweet Mother Earth 13. Single Rose
(Gennaio 2011)
