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From: Dave
Email:
Remote Name: 216.118.42.38
Date: 15-Aug-2002
Time: 07:25 AM
I got this from FolkZine today. I can forward the e-mail version for those who are interested. Nice article on Jack.
I was turned on to Jack by a couple of email friends, one of whom is a Parisian who knows more about the Folk side of Americana than anyone else I know. He's hosted Jack and told me I really should check him out. But, for no good reason, I'd initially played Jack's CD Across The Winterline while I was busy doing other things, failing to pay adequate attention to it. When I finally got around to actually listening to it, I was upset with myself that I'd wasted an unknown and unrecoverable amount of time not listening to it. It's a great album, filled with songs that would make the best writers - not just songwriters - proud, especially southern writers, of which Jack is a shining example. Musically, it's lightly produced, with songs ranging from solo acoustic and vocal to tastefully understated accompaniment of violin/fiddle, mandolin, bass and accompanying vocals. The style is an amalgam of Folk, Blues and Jazz and Jack has made his living playing those styles, and pretty much every other (including Classical) for well over 40 years. Jack has been writing since 1970, and has four CDs of original music. The most recent, Eternity & Main andAcross the Winterline, are on the Wind River (Folk Era) label. His second, Dreams of the Song Dog, is an independent release. His first, Highway From Back Home, has been reissued. He has appeared at Kerrville, Philadelphia and other music festivals and venues, and at the 1995, '97, '98, '99 and '00 Folk Alliance Conferences. He was invited to participate in the 2000 World Folk Music Association concert, along with Odetta, Tom Paxton, Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen, the Limelighters, and many, many others. As a guitarist, he has been invited to accompany Tom Paxton, Peter Yarrow, (at the opening concert of the '99 N.A Folk Alliance) and many others. Peter Yarrow (of Peter Paul & Mary) called Jack, "The best guitar-player I've ever heard."Jack has also worked extensively with Mickey Newbury who said, "Jack and his music are an American treasure." This Week in our Sister Publication, BluesWax:T-Bone Talks With Bernard Allison When Jack was planning his first serious west coast swing, I'd provided a number of leads and suggestions, some of which resulted in bookings. These included two San Diego gigs, the first of which was on a Wednesday night at a local coffeehouse, followed the next night by a house concert. Unfortunately, the coffeehouse gig was very lightly attended, started 40 minutes late and included an opening act. Fortunately, as I quickly came to discover, Jack Williams is a professional performer who plays to 10 or 20 people as though he was playing to hundreds. I had the opportunity to talk with him before his set and was immediately struck by how incredible nice he is. Then I had the great pleasure of watching, from a few feet away, a truly excellent performer. He's a great writer, a fine singer and an exciting guitarist, playing and singing with a true passion. I later told him that he played with controlled recklessness. With only a handful of people left at the 11:00 p.m. closing time, Jack had no interest in calling it a night. He continued playing and they ended up politely throwing him out at 11:30. I swear he'd have played all night if they had let him! This was clearly a man who loves what he does. The next night, the house concert was attended by a near-capacity crowd of around 40-45 people and was a fair amount more enjoyable than the night before. The setting was more conducive to someone with Jack's warmth and personality, the audience loved his every move, and he shone. But that seems to be the norm. He did seem particularly into it when he told, at apparently greater length than usual, the touching story of his recent search for the black woman who had served as his "mammy," helping to raise him and clearly becoming one of the most important influences in his life. The love Jack has for her was evident even before I spotted the mist in his eyes, and everyone else in the room. Virtually every song Jack Williams sings has a story, and unlike many performers, Jack shares those stories with his audience. I guess that's because he seems not to actually have an "audience," just a bunch of old and new friends. Not once did I think "OK, the story's fine, but get on with the song." Williams is as personable and engaging a performer as I've seen in almost 40 years of attending concerts. This Week in our Sister Publication, NuWax:Why was Elvis the King? Is he Still? Jack's tour de force comes near the end when he plays a free-form improvisation, in which he "quotes" passages from a couple of dozen songs of virtually every genre imaginable. With a base song from which to depart and to which he'd occasionally return for a verse, he inserted instrumental snippets of very recognizable songs from idioms such as Jazz, Blues, Folk, Rock, Big Band, Broadway, Classical (and whatever other style I'm forgetting - everything except, thankfully, Rap), moving from one to the next seamlessly, with the flawlessness derived from his 40 years of playing all of these styles. As a hired-gun guitarist in the 60's, Jack worked shows with John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Turner, Jerry Butler, Z.Z. Hill and Hank Ballard. His bands also backed up such artists as the Shirelles, the Del-Vikings, the Coasters, the Drifters, and the Platters. He has also played trumpet in a Jazz band, banjo and mandolin in a Folk band and even lute in a Renaissance ensemble. All of this shows though as he plays. This particular montage included such fare as "In The Mood," "Tequila," "Misty," a couple of Elvis numbers, "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie"...too many and too diverse to remember, and thoroughly enjoyable. All in all, it must have been 15 minutes, maybe more. I told him later that I could have listened to that for a couple of hours, to which he replied that he usually did a much longer version. I then had the good fortune of having to be north of Los Angeles (I guarantee you that's the first time I've EVER said those words!) on Saturday afternoon, and Jack was playing that night at a music store not two minutes off the route I'd be taking back home, so I saw him again. Once again, he was terrific. My impression of Jack is that he could easily be a college literature professor -- the kind with a pipe, and a tweed jacket with suede elbow patches, the kind whose classes you love, because he makes them so personal -- whose dual passions are writing and music. Musically, he's the Real Deal. Not an ounce of pretension, nor a wasted word or note. So, that was the long version. The short version is: Jack Williams - go see him (and/or buy his CDs!). You can find more information and Jack's touring schedule at http://www.JackWilliamsMusic.com. Carey Driscoll is a contributing editor for FolkWax. He can be reached at folkwax@visnat.com. FolkNewsHeard on the Road... - Bob Dylan, 61, has composed the tune ``Crossing Over the Green Mountain'' for "Gods and Generals,'' a Civil War drama. The film is scheduled for release in December. The song will also appear on a soundtrack album to be released by Dylan's Columbia Records label.- Look for David Piper's new release, All My Angels Past, from Trough Records. Out this week, it is the follow-up to Piper's acclaimed 2000 release Lucky Penny.- This week on Austin City Limits: Delbert McClinton followed by Asleep at the Wheel. Check the listings for your local PBS station for specific date and time.- Collectors' Choice Music has re-issued the catalog of the Incredible String Band. They have packaged two albums per 2-CD set. What a great way to hear these classic and important Folk albums. More info at www.collectorschoicemusic.com- This Sunday, August 18, check out labor activists/songwriters/performers George Mann and Julius Margolin with the New York City Labor Chorus at the Lincoln Center. This Week in FolkWax:- In our E-zine: Carey Driscoll wants to turn you onto Jack Williams.- On the Home Page: Shawn Henderson reviews a show with Shawn Colvin and Bruce Cockburn.- On the Pickin' 'n' Grinnin' page: Arthur Wood reviews Dave Alvin's Out in California; Roger Miller loves the latest from Doc Watson as he catches up with Frosty Morn on 'Round the Table Again; Days of Italy from Annie Burns; and some Pop/Folk from Chuck Prophet.- One Year Ago Today In FolkWax: Jason Wesley checked out Bob Dylan on tour in "The Circus is in Town." Click through to read.- Don't forget to play the FolkLore Trivia Game. Everyone who plays is in the drawing for a great prize this week! This week's prizes are Tom Paxton and Anne Hills' Under American Skies (FolkWax rating 7) courtesy of Appleseed Recordings and the debut album from David Peterson & 1946 (FolkWax rating 8), courtesy of Lance Cowen and the band.CONGRATULATIONS!!! " jeffb " is this week's winner of the FolkWax TWO CD prize pack, an autographed Susan Werner CD, New Non-fiction, and a Don Conoscenti CD, Paradox of Grace. Go to the Backstage to collect your prize. Remember to play the quiz each week for your chance to win great prizes! Other fine Visionation publications. My Page To unsubscribe Folkwax is an electronic publication from Visionation.Copyright © 2000-2002 Visionation, Ltd. All rights reserved.
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