Near Mint Rec.
V.A. : Imaginational Anthem (1965-2003) (US,iss.2005)****°
Now this is what I call an album made with a larger history of love for guitar music, and with some research taking in very important acoustic solo guitarists from the last 40 (!) years, especially from the edge and perspective of what comes forth from a blues influence and from early solo Fahey-esque & Takoma solo guitar excursions . From the 16 tracks compiled here 13 are previously unreleased and 9 of them were specifically recorded for this album. The booklet looks beautiful and the liner notes are essential resumes of the artists. A few good looking pictures (Max Ochs, Sandy Bull, Janet Smith, Kaki King, Suni McGrath, Bern Nix, Brad Barr, Harry Tausig, Steve Mann) are added too.
Not all guitarists made it from a historical perspective yet, but all compiled tracks show essential masters of the guitar, and essential tracks. Max Ochs recorded the title “Imaginational anthem” originally in the mid 60’s for a compilation as a tribute to John Fahey. The compilation starts with a new version and ends with another version recorded in 1969, which will also be available on a single on the same label later this year.
Still unknown is Brad Barr. He’s included with a home session, which is a brilliant melodic slightly bluesy fingerpicking track.
Next track predates a new release by Suni McGrath on the same label. Suni recorded three rare records between 1969 and 1972, and now will come his first album in a very long time. He used to be a student of Rev. Gary Davis and Missisipi John Hurt, but his fingerpicking has other influences too. This new track shows a fast melody evolution played with an inner calmness & peace.
From Harris Newman (see review on this page) is included a different version of his “Lake Shore Drive” track from his latest album. It’s a steel-string recording, with a slight drone first and then some theme variation.
Also still unknown to me is Harry Taussig who had beside a track on the same Takoma sampler, a private album in 1965. This is taken from an old LP recorded, very introspective and improvisational bluesy track, which predates the remastered album which will also be reissued on the same label later this year.
From Jack Rose is included a primitively recorded but brilliant guitar excursion, with some speeded up raga feel expansion.
Steve Mann after this is a different kind of guitarist. He used to play along with members of the San Fransisco rock scene (J.Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, ..) and had a few guitar albums. His recorded track is perhaps the most ordinary track on the compilation, a kind of acoustic podium blues.
Also Glenn Jones' track is a bluesier track than I’m used to from him, but he makes the ‘old sound’ sounding fresh.
I already mentioned before the guitar talent of Gyan Riley who is Terry Riley’s son. Here he’s included with a duet between father and son (acoustic guitar and jazzy piano). It’s a live recording which shows both family members’ improvisational ideas and conveys the pleasure of playing together, even when both characters are pretty different and do not fit so naturally together.
Bern Nix is also an unknown guitarist to me, but he played before with some jazz artists like Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Billy Higgins,.. and was a member of Prime Time. His track is slightly avant-garde-melodic jazz, with some slight bluesy evolution ; it is the least “normal” track on the album, bringing with him a part or some aspect of a different tradition.
The next short track is by Bob Hadley. He is known for three solo guitar LP’s on Kicking Mule and also appeared on the first Fahey tribute album.
Janet Smith was mostly known for her ‘Unicorn’ album on Takoma in 1968. The compiler found her when tracing Steve Mann. As a duo they recorded a slightly folk (Pentangle) inspired melodic fingerpicking track for this compilation. And one could imagine he wanted to add a John Fahey track too, taken from his OOP 1991 album.
Kaki King still is another unknown new guitarist to me. Her playing is very warm. This track is taken from her 2003 debut album.
Sandy Bull, another pioneer of acoustic blends, is famous for some albums like “Fantasias for guitar and banjo”. Included is a short melancholic homerecorded fingerpicking track from around that time.
A future classic album for solo guitar music lovers !
