dfbm #97
Morning Raga Pt. 16

All strings considered. A new mix with most recent and almost forgotten solo acoustic and electric guitar work.

tl;dr

Tim Pilcher & Monica Lord released their debut on the label Dismal Niche a label from Missouri who also released a new Scott Tuma album, recently. Delicate fingerpicking and deep resonant cello tones making a good mix and I heard that combination quite often lately.

Next comes a piece by Ryley Walker, from a single that came out a bit before he really got attention. I would say, it's the missing link between his phase of trying Takoma School solo guitar and the more British Renbourn/Jansch style he got known for.

From the mid 70s there's another forgotten record by a guy called Marc Emory. He released two albums to be accurate. Both with 12-string fingerstyle instrumentals and some Eastern European influences and some nice singer-songwriter pieces and folk songs. The only real information I found was him responding in German on a post in a guitar forum. So he is American, around 66 years, and he played in the Universtity of Pennsylvania Balalaika Orchestra - the only one of its kind. That's where he got his Eastern Europe influences from. Emory is a collector of coins¹ and a language nut². His wife is German and so he lives in Düsseldorf and in different places in the States. He toured Europe a lot and his 1977 album "Where All Roads Lead" was released on the German Autogram Label. So that's for his Germany connection.

Both records are quite enjoyable and copies are not too expensive. Check him out, there is a bit more on youtube.³

Arvid Smith is from Florida and in 1976 he released a solo guitar album called "Contemporary Fingerstyle Guitar"⁴. It was more an educational release I believe. He also contributed to the one and only John Fahey tribute compilation that got released in Fahey's lifetime⁵. Smith found out about the final product a few years later, when a German fan wrote him and told him how much he liked the tracks. And I would say, they are the best Fahey cover versions on that compilation.

Smith still lives in Florida, burns incense stick and plays sitar as well as almost every other piece of wood that has strings stretched over it. The album The Journal Of Sir Tarry Boy where I took off Cirrus, is his latest solo effort and is a masterful melange of sitar, chamber music and his Fahey roots.

George Cromarty's music never got reissued, I wonder why. Grassroots Guitar is probably his best known album from 1973. He appeared on the Numero Group compilation Wayfaring Strangers Guitar Soli and even in the Coen brothers movie Inside Llewyn Davis. If you look him up, you'll find quite a lot of stories that people who knew him, left in the comment section of blogs.

And while I'm at it: Tompkins Square will reissue the album Jackdaw by Larry Conklin & Jochen Blum that came to most peoples attention as part of the Imaginational Anthem Vol. 8 - The Private Press compilation. And again a transatlantic connection. Conklin plays guitar and the German Jochen Blum plays violin. Don't be fooled by the guitar duet I've choosen for this mix. The album will be a bit different, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Singer-songwriter Leiv Reed from Norway released 4 eps or one lp (depending on where you look up his music, spotify or bandcamp) with Fahey and blues inspired solo acoustic guitar instrumentals. He composed those songs while caring for his father who later died of cancer⁶.

In June this year I got an envelope with the new cd by Nick Dellar from the UK. He was a contributor to folkradio.co.uk and a self-taught guitarist. I followed him on facebook and he was really excited to finalize his new album and release it into the world. Also, through facebook, I found out that he had a stroke and as a result he was put in a hospice where he died on July, 28th. RIP Nick.

That's it for now. I highly recommend to check out the music of each artist here on this mix. The most contemporary ones are on bandcamp and it's always a good choice to spend your money there instead on spotify! If you have recommendations or questions, let me know.

Download Stream @ Mixcloud

Tracklist

1. Tyler Ramsey Raven Shadow The Valley Wind 2011 discogs
2. Tim Pilcher and Monica Lord The Hermit Tim Pilcher and Monica Lord 2017 web
3. Ryley Walker Joni's Tune Clear The Sky b/w Joni's Tune 2013 web
4. Kevin Henry Colorado Last Thoughts 2017 web
5. Marc Emory Long Lost Salamander Listening Music / Anfang 1975 discogs
6. James Blackshaw Soul Sucked Dry Apologia 2003 web
7. Arvid Smith Cirrus The Journal Of Sir Tarry Boy 2016 web
8. Roy Montgomery The Soul Quietens Temple IV 1996 discogs
9. Simone Romei The Guilty Atheist Demo 2017 web
10. Yadayn Adem Adem 2017 web
11. George Cromarty Poppyfield Grassroots Guitar 1973 web
12. Erik Kramer For Bruce Langhorne A House, Floating In The Middle Of A Lake 2017 web
13. M.S. Dagley When I Lay My Burden Down Mystery Of The Guitar 2011 discogs
14. Larry Conklin & Jochen Blum The Shepherd's Hour Jackdaw 1981 web
15. Leiv Reed Lindbøen 2 Winds and Waves 2016 web
16. Will Csorba Song For Daniel Anderson The Last Chance 2016 web
17. Eli Winter Woodlawn Waltz Take No Notice / Woodlawn Waltz 2017 web
18. Max Ochs Boogie For Barry Master The Music Of Harry Taussig & Max Ochs 2017 web
19. Nick Dellar Monkey Bounce Flying Fish 2017 web
20. Harry Taussig Children's Dance Contemporary Guitar - Spring '67 1967 discogs
21. East of the Valley Blues Part III Riverto de Konscio 2017 web
22. Alexander Vii The Pale Light over the Dark Hills 2017 web

Don Bikoff

Vintage Musicians