Thursday, November 26, 2009

Glenn Jones' third recorded effort


I just purchased - as I did with the two previous disks - Glenn's third recording: "Barbeque Bob in Fishtown".

Glenn has a special space in my guitar world, among all my heroes, from John Fahey to Robbie Basho, Janet Smith, Peter Lang, Alex de Grassi, Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Michael Gulezian, etc. etc. - he's the "trait d'union" among the (Takoma) old-school, the mid (Windham Hill) and the new generation... well, he's a "young" in his fifties or so (like yours truly), BUT... the respect and fondness he always pays to the above masters and to the truest blues roots... with James Blackshaw, Tony Rose, Glenn himself represents a rooster of a brand new generation of the noblest heritage looking at the steel string guitar as a complete instrument.

The above improvisers and players are giving - as the late Robbie Basho pointed out eons ago "... a following and a dignity to steel strings guitar as a concert instrument...", sooo different from its nylon strings older sister.

Glenn's playing is improving at every disk... after his Cul de Sac's weirdness, his fresh picking, mostly devoted to the mighty, beloved twelve strings acoustic guitar is pure oxygene to my ears.

His surreal, dadaist titling songs and tunes, his great, nice touch are a simple joy for the ears and for the mind.

The disk cover is - as always - a labour of love in itself... - taken from old kid books and postcards from turn of the century.... last century, of course...

An hommage to the already quoted, always missed Robbie Basho - I recognized his address back in the early '80s - Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California... I went there a couple of times in the years, unfortunately after Robbie's untimely death in Feb. 1986.

His playing is so full of "compassion", it's zillions miles afar from techno-finger-busting-gym playing... he's a tone freak... his guitar can sing... and his "voice" is so clear, shiny and friendly... and someone says a guitar is only a bunch of wooden parts.

A better day, today, after listening to Glenn's third disk...

Thanks, Glenn.

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