|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the Tradition showed a young Dave Van Ronk in transition. Traditional jazz songs that influenced his late teens (and indeed inspired his aspirations to perform professionally) alternated with solo guitar arrangements aimed at coffeehouse and cabaret audiences, a foretaste of what would become his main career, until his untimely death on February 10, 2002.
A couple of decades later, after the folk music scene had come and gone at least twice, Van Ronk had become something of an institution. He mentored younger artists like Christine Lavin, while peers such as Jackson Browne covered material like "Cocaine," learned from Dave's singing. Meanwhile, Van Ronk was expanding his horizons, and recorded Your Basic Dave Van Ronk while on tour in Britain, as a convenient showcase of songs that had become inextricably linked to his persona.
In his later years, Dave developed both strains of his work. He periodically revisited his jazz roots, as in the acclaimed Sweet & Lowdown for the Canadian label Justin Time; and he continued to refine the solo performances for which he was best known. The finest of these will soon be assembled in a live album.
Long a familiar presence in Greenwich Village, where he lived throughout his career, Dave Van Ronk wed folk and jazz sensibilities into a style that was wholly his own. His solo work featured scat vocals and ensemble-inspired guitar arrangements, while he sang jazz with a rough, earthy approach that revealed a folk-blues heart. He was honored by a Grammy nomination and ASCAP's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Both sides of Dave Van Ronk, and their synthesis, comprise this album.
—MITCH GREENHILL, February 2002
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here is an album which will please jazz and folk fans alike.
It combines on one record six examples of the superb jazz singing of Dave Van Ronk with the Red Onion Jazz Band and six fine examples of Dave's folk style. These songs show the unity between jazz and Negro folk songs; both swing and can be improvised on freely. It has been Van Ronk's ambition for a long time to cut some sides with a jazz group and, by the happy choice of Bob Thompson's band, he has fulfilled his desire. At one point early in the Red Onion recording session, Van Ronk said, "This music must be like the early days when jazz was fun." He had not to belabor the point: the music here speaks vividly the truth of his statement. These sides are infectiously good-humored. There is in evidence a rapport between artists that is reminiscent of earlier jazz classics.
Jazz history is replete with examples of jazz band recordings made with female singers (notably the Smiths and "N\o" Rainey), but there are comparatively few male vocalists of traditional jazz songs. Louis Armstrong, naturally, stands out; "Jelly Roll" Morton and contemporaries "Turk" Murphy, Jack Teagarden, Clancy Hayes, and Jimmy Witherspoon are outstanding examples of male singers. Of course six songs are not keys to immortality, but Dave Van Ronk's singing promises a brilliant future as a jazz singer just as the included folk songs present an exciting and maturing folk stylist.
The Red Onion Jazz Band, begun circa 1951, will soon be the longest lived "revival" band ever. The Onions is the only traditional style band to survive in the East out of the many groups of the 1950s. The "revival" or traditional style is the reflection of early jazz recordings and music in the mirror of present-day technique without losing any affection for the sources ragtime, blues, spirituals, and some popular songs of the 1920s. Started by Robert L. Thompson, the band has had at various times such respected musicians as Bob Hodes on cornet; Joe Muranyi, clarinet; Charles Sonnastine, trombone; and Jim Heanue, cornet. Originally called the "Dixieland Footwarmers" by New York-born Thompson, they adopted the name "Red Onions" while playing an engagement at Jimmy Ryan's old Blue Note. "Red Onions" had also been the name of both an early New Orleans band and a Crescent City nitery. Also it is no doubt worthwhile to note that the current R.O.J.B. is one of the biggest bands in jazz history; that is, they average close to six feet in height.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The lead horns are played by John Bucher, cornet, whose playing is a constant source of pleasure; Denis Brady, who plays both clarinet and soprano sax; and trombonist Dick Dreiwitz, the newest member of the band but who has absorbed fully the spirit of the Onions.
In the rhythm section on banjo is Eric Hassell, who played in his native England with "Kenny Ball's Jazz Band." Eric just showed up one night where the Onions band was playing about two years ago, sat in, and was so good he was invited into the band. Much of the unique sound of the band is attributable to tuba player Steve McKnight, who has been with the Onions six or seven years, also having played with them trombone, piano, guitar, and banjo. At the piano is the highly regarded Hank Ross, a veteran with the group on and off since its inception. Hank recorded with Bob Helm of the Murphy Band in 1954 and with the 1955 version of the Onions. His playing is consistently tasteful and imaginative as you will hear.
The leader and drummer is Robert L. Thompson, who is also an accomplished washboard player (listen to the abovementioned Helm set); a respected record reviewer and essayist (for years he wrote in the Record Changer under his own name and the pseudonym "Aaron Harris"); and an Experimental Psychologist at Columbia University Medical School. Bob is responsible for most of the arranging of the band's expanding repertoire of over two hundred tunes. Fortunate to have heard many jazz greats, he says he has been most influenced as a drummer by "Baby" Dodds, Ben Pollack, and Bill Dart while his band reflects sympathetic listening to "Jelly Roll" Morton, "King" Oliver, Louis's Hot Five and Seven, the San Francisco "Revival" Bands, "Bunk" Johnson, and various early white New Orleans recordings. Bob has taken their ideas, amalgamated them with his own conceptions, and created a style all his own. We may even say he comes close to topping them all.
Now with great personal pleasure I write about Dave Van Ronk who is featured on this, his second Prestige album. I have known Dave since the days when he bugged us with seemingly interminable verses of "Frankie and Johnny," "Stagolee," "Sam Hall" and other hoary folk standards. He and we, his friends, were also captivated by jazz and at one time, by pooling our records, had over 8,000 recorded examples of jazz and
Tl
|
folk music. With a
background like
this, as good as
any city dweller's, it
was inevitable for a
talented person like
Dave to seek further
influences and to
evolve his own style.
Dave's playing has
been influenced by
the recordings of such
men as "Leadbelly," Sonny Terry, Furry Lewis, Woody Guthrie,
and "Blind Lemon," among others. Dave studied drums for a while but his natural bent
lay towards the guitar, which he played in a jazz group he helped form called the "Brute
Force Jazz Band." Although his singing retained jazz shadings, his guitar work took on
more and more a folk-blues style. He moved from Queens into the Village area and
met and learned from such as Brownie McGhee and Reverend Gary Davis. He worked
hard at playing guitar and was helped and encouraged by the understanding criticism of
his wife, Terri. Van Ronk has played all over the country and is friendly with many
other folk artists, all of whom recognize in him the continuation of the spirit of the
blues. Dave's reputation has also been enhanced by his effective and moving guitar
technique and his many popular arrangements of standard folk tunes.
At the time of this writing he is working with his own Jug Band as well as performing alone. Van Ronk was a great success at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival and is gaining a deservedly large public.
The songs contained in this album reflect the various influences on Dave Van Ronk and Bob Thompson. The Jazz Band tunes are drawn from traditional sources like the blues and stomps as well as an original by Dave's friend, the talented Bob Dylan. The folk background is further enriched by work songs and ragtime.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I
Cake Walkin' Babies from Home is known best to jazz fans through the Louis Armstrong-
Sidney Bechet recording of 1924. Its composition is partly credited to Clarence Williams. This was the first number recorded at the jazz session. It is highly suitable to Dave Van Ronk's singing and also features the soprano sax breaks of Denis Brady.
Ace in the Hole is played in a good-natured music hall style and has been a favorite of West Coast revival bands. Van Ronk's singing is exhilarating and the band arrangement delightful. Steve McKnight's tuba is heard to particularly good advantage on this number (thus backing up Bob Thompson's idea of a stylistic jazz band sound).
St. Louis Tickle is credited to two persons named Barney and Seymour and was originally a roustabout tune. Dave plays it here in his own arrangement as a sensitive ragtime | number. This is one of the most requested tunes in Van Ronk's repertoire and, consider-
ing the difficulty in transcribing from piano recording to guitar, deservedly so.
Dave Van Ronk has established himself as one of the foremost compilers of "Jury Texts" regarding traditional tunes. (Jury texts are when many verses are sung to one tune, usually with some new words appearing with each subsequent recording.) Here, in Death Letter Blues, Van Ronk has arranged some of the most moving verses of this song into a dramatic slow blues.
All Over You is the second song by Bob Dylan that Dave has recorded, the other being opposite in mood titled "He Was a Friend of Mine," a standout on Dave's first Prestige I album. This is the first and only take of this song, being one of those rare times when
band and vocalist inspire each other to great heights. The delight that everyone felt on hearing the playback carried over for the rest of the session. Bob Thompson plays tasteful variations on the drums and Dick Dreiwitz and Hank Ross back up Van Ronk effectively.
Everywhere in New York City the many young guitarists influenced by Dave Van Ronk strive to play his arrangement of Whoa Back Buck. This Huddie Ledbetter song is currently the most popular song rendered by Van Ronk. It is known all over the South as a Negro ploughman's song and is based on an early white fiddler's tune.
Most jazz fans will probably say "What, again?" to another recording of Armand J. Piron's Sister Kate, but I feel that this version is merited. Starting with a vocal intro backed by Hank Ross's piano and showcasing a "Jelly Roll" Morton arranging specialty which the
'ti
|
band calls the "Jelly Turn Around," this tune swings. It also features a Van Ronk scat vocal break and John Bucher's cornet. John amazed us on every take of this song by constantly varying his break, each one being more exciting than the last (a break being when all band members but one are silent for a moment in time).
Again Van Ronk's taste and arranging ability have brought new listeners to an early classic song, this one being Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues, one of the most popular race recordings of the Twenties and still a favorite of many today. Van Ronk has selected some of the best verses for his recording from the four parts recorded by Jim Jackson.
Green, Green Rocky Road is a composition by Bob Kaufman and Len Chandler from whom Van Ronk learned it in 1960 at the Commons in Boston. Its background is that it was written from fragments of a New Orleans children's song by poet Kaufman. Dave plays it here in a "D" tuning.
See See Rider is one of the best blues songs and was written by the "queen of blues singers" Ma Rainey. This arrangement begins with a haunting plaintive verse played by cornet and banjo which then eases into an ensemble chorus and Dave's vocal. Particularly appealing is Denis Brady's clarinet, which sometimes reminds one of the playing of George Lewis or Wally Fawkes; yet he exhibits a unique style in his solo chorus.
The work song Rocks and Gravel is one of the many songs recorded and saved from obscurity by Alan Lomax. It was issued with other selections on a record made by prisoners at Parchman Farm in Mississippi. Van Ronk learned it from this record and by playing and re-playing has given this song his own distinctive treatment.
The final number on this record is a jazz version of Reverend Gary Davis's Hesitation Blues. This song opens with Van Ronk singing a scat intro and closes with a tag ending by Bob Thompson that is designed to show critics exactly where the performers stand in jazz. This is a perfect example of a song which can be played equally well in either a folk or jazz style. Hank Ross's piano solo and Van Ronk's strong vocal are the highlights of this last selection.
The growth of public awareness of the beauty and value of their folk culture is an encouraging sign to artists like Dave Van Ronk. He is helping to make this heritage once again a vital meaningful factor in American life. —DANIEL FRUEH
These notes appeared on the original album liner of Prestige/Folklore 14001.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
wS/C ^Af©r© sitting listening to Rocket 88 in Islington, Jack Bruce (my man on bass), Don Weller, Bob Hall, Danny Adler, and the rest were blowing up a storm—Charlie Watts was off somewhere with some rock band or other. I was listening, and when I'm listening, I don't have room for much expression on my face.
"Whassamatter?" demanded Dave. "Dontcha like the band?"
"The band is fine," I said. "But I'm working."
Dave paused.
"Didja ever think of takin' up some other kind of work?" he asked. And his big face creased up in a laugh that almost drowned the band's front line.
Dave Van Ronk, who goes back almost as long as me on this here folk-blues-rags-and-hollers revival scene, was playing in London when it consisted basically of Alexis Korner, Ewan MacColl, Humphrey Lyttleton, and a few acolytes like me, who later turned a hobby into some kind of a nice racket, becoming music critics.
And when I heard that record company red tape was preventing him from recording during his rare visit to London, I talked the best engineer in town into giving up his midnight hours that very day and we recorded this great album, finishing the last take as the whiskey, his bleeding fingers, and the night gave out.
I've recorded rock 'n' rollers in Soho, East Anglian traditional singers in Suffolk, and Cajuns in Louisiana, but none of it has pleased me as much as this album, which I think is really an instant overview of the salty, irrepressible, incorrigible, unique human being who is Your Basic Dave Van Ronk.
—KARL DALLAS
The Dave Van Ronk London Session
Dave Van Ronk had not been in London for 15 years when, at a drop of his brown corduroy hat, he accepted an invitation to be flown across the Atlantic and appear as a surprise guest on This Is Your Life on TV. The 16 bars of "Don't You Leave Me Here" that he got to sing on the program might have been all we heard from Dave this time round had it not been for the quick intervention of Karl Dallas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dave had let it be known that he was interested in making a recording for European release while he was here, but the problem was obviously one of time as Dave was in town for only a week. Although certain record companies were interested, the cautious climate that currently prevails in the industry prevented any from making an instant decision. Not wishing to let such an opportunity slip away, Karl contacted Livingstone Studios to find that the only free period available was after 9 p.m. on the night before Dave was due to fly back to America.
Amazingly, Dave agreed to take the one shot at getting an album down in a single session, a task that would have daunted a man of lesser talents, and so a small congregation gathered on the evening of March 10 at a local public house in preparation for the night to come.
Karl had the foresight to bring a half-bottle of Glenmorangie single malt (a full bottle might well have slowed proceedings) and, as a sensible chaser, a supply of Ruddle's County Bitter—excellent choices for a man who doesn't drink alcohol. Nic Kinsey engineered above and way beyond the call of duty and was ably assisted by "Nicko," who kept the tape rolling and the coffee coming. The Cincinnati Kid, guitarist Danny Adler, and myself lent moral support while Karl kept a sharp ear attuned to the sounds coming from the studio and generally oversaw the event.
Dave Van Ronk just got his head down and played and sang his heart out.
Working from a list (not necessarily adhered to) in his old black notebook, Dave reshaped, remodeled, and redefined a classic collection of his personal favorite songs. Some Dave had learned from old records, some from the original singers, and some are his own. All now bear the indelible stamp of the Van Ronk personality.
God Bless the Child. The simplicity of the guitar arrangement serves to frame and set off the magnificently expressive vocals. A connection between Billie Holiday and Dave is the way both use the voice as an instrument. The scat chorus could be a Roy Eldridge or a Charlie Shavers taking a solo, and when Dave returns to the words the nature of his voice has changed so it sounds as though a band is right there, riffing away in unison.
Sunday Street. My favorite of Dave's recent compositions. A logical free-flowing exploration of word and fingerpicking progressions. The song was the title track of the
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
excellent Philo album of the same name. Included here because this really is the basic Van Ronk.
Sportin' Life Blues. Brownie McGhee has never heeded the advice of his own song, so why should Dave? There is a sincerity in this performance that tells you the singer has lived every word.
Cocaine. Pure joy. Philosophical advice spiked with wry humor. Take this song at your own peril.
St. James Infirmary (aka Gambler's Blues). Down to old Joe's barroom once more, where Dave is familiar with every speck of sawdust on the floor and has looked into the bottom of every one of the chipped glasses. The request for a jazz band on the hearse wagon has the word "jazz" slurred into a whole phase—remarkable. Blind Willie McTell continually reworked "St. James Infirmary" into various versions of "Dying Crapshooter's Blues." Van Ronk carries on the worthy tradition (which began, Karl tells me, in Ireland in 1790).
You've Been a Good Ole Wagon. If a Billie Holiday is included in a basic Van Ronk collection, then a Bessie Smith must also find a way in. The power and rasp of Bessie's voice is easier to identify in a full-flight Van Ronk vociferation. It's anybody's guess as to which side of the song Dave sympathizes with.
Gaslight Rag. A personal historical view of a certain Greenwich Village haunt.
Candy Man. Forget all other interpretations of Davis's Rabelaisian hymn: Dave has just redefined it as he has done (and Reverend did before him) through many years of performance. Rev. Davis said that this song came out in 1905, so it has stood the test of time exceedingly well. Dave manages to inflect two separate personalities into his vocalizing without being overemphatic, and the scat has Buddy Bolden heading the street parade. The last note reverberates like nothing you've ever heard.
—DAVE PEABODY
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dave Van Ronk—guitar and vocals
with the Red Onion Jazz Band (on #1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12):
Robert L. Thompson—drums, washboard, leader
John Bucher—cornet
Denis Brady—soprano saxophone, clarinet
Dick Dreiwitz—trombone
Eric Hassell—banjo
Steve McKnight—tuba
Hank Ross—piano
Original sessions produced by Paul A. Rothchild (#1-12), Karl Dallas (#13-21).
#1-12 recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio; July 11, 1963. #13-21 recorded by Nic Kinsey at Livingstone Studios, London; March 10, 1981
#1-12 originally released as In the Tradition (Prestige/Folklore 14001); #13-21 on Your Basic Dave Van Ronk.
Remastering, 2002—Joe Tarantino (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley) Since maximum playing time of a single CD could not accommodate the entire fength of the original two albums, it was necessary to omit "In the Midnight Hour" and "Stagolee" from Your Basic Dave Van Ronk.
Art direction—Jamie Putnam
Design—Linda Kalin
Cover photo—Marc Norberg
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Booklet photos—Manny Greenhill (p. 2), ED D
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Your Basic Dave Van Ronk produced under license from Folklore Productions, Inc. 1671 Appian Way, Santa Monica, CA 90401.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
These notes appeared on the original album liner of Your Basic Dave Van Ronk.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cake WaI kin' Babies from Home
|
|
|
|
|
1 Cake Wa I kin' Babies from Home 2:56
2 Ace in the Hole 2:50
3 St* Louis Tickle 324
4 Death Letter Blues 4:45
5 All Over YOU 3:31
6 Whoa Back Buck 3:37
7 Sister Kate 302
8 Kansas City Blues 207
9 Green, Green Rocky Road 3:36
10 See See Rider 5:17
11 Rocks and Gravel 4:25
12 Hesitation Blues 3:29
13 God Bless the Child 420
14 Sunday Street 3:16
15 Sportin' Life 4:50
16 Cocaine 426
17 St. James Infirmary 4:56
18 you've Been a Good Ole Wagon 250
19 Spike Driver Blues 412
20 Gaslight Rag 2:09
21 Candy Man 3:02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dave Van Ronk—guitar and vocals with the Red Onion Jazz Band (on #1, 2, 5, 7,10,12)
Original sessions produced by Paul A. Rothchild (#1-12), Karl Dallas (#13-21).
#1-12 recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at
Van Gelder Studio; July 11, 1963. #13-21
recorded by Nic Kinsey at Livingstone Studios,
London; March 10, 1981.
#1-12 originally was released vas
In the Tradition (Prestige/Folklore 14001);
# 13-21 on Your Basic Dave Van Ronk.
Remastering, 2002—Joe Tarantino (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley)
|
|
|
|
|
|
TH-TROY-WILLIAMS) UNIVERSAL-MCA MUSIC PUBL./CHRISTIE-MAX MUSIC/GREAT STANDARDS MUSIC-ASCAP 2:56
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ace in the Hole St. Louis Tickle
|
|
|
|
|
|
(MITCHELL-DEMPSEY) RD. 2:50
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(BARNEY-SEYMORE) RD. 3:24
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Death Letter Blues (trad.,-arr. davevan ronk> folkloremusic-asc
All Over 3^0U (BOB DYLAN) SPECIAL RIDER MUSIC-SESAC 3:31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WhOa BaCk BUCk (LEDBETTER-LOMAX-LOMAX) F
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sister Kate (armand j. pironj rd. 3:02
Kansas City Blues (jimjacksonj peer in-tl-bmi 2:07
Greenf Green Rocky Road cchandler-kaufman) rd. 3=36
See See Rider (maraineyjrd. 5:17
Rocks and Gravel (trad^rd 425
Hesitation Blues (traded 329
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Since maximum playing tii could -
|
|
|
|
|
|
ie of a single CD e entire length of the
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
original two albums, it was necessary to omit "In the Midnight Hour" and "Stagolee" from Your Basic Dave Van Ronk.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GOd BleSS the Child (HOLIDAY-HERZOG) EDWARD B. MARKS MUSIC-BMI 4:20
Sunday Street (van ronk> folklore-ascap 3:i6
SpOrtIn' Life (BROWNIE McGHEE) CIRECO MUSIC-BMI 4:50 COCaine (REV. GARY DAVIS) CHANDOS MUSIC-ASCAP 4:26
St. James Infirmary (trad.,arr.van ronk) folklore-ascap 4=56 you've Been a Good Ole Wagon (john henry) publ. unknown 2:50
|
|
|
|
|
1671 Appian Way, Santa Mon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL TIME 78:11 STEREO/AAD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
r> ave Van Ronk brilliantly, though personably, embodied all the brashest and most mercurial qualities
____' of the folk revival movement. He played and sang the country blues of such giants as Brownie
McGhee and Jim Jackson with what seemed like easy aplomb. He brought his own unique voice to tunes that Ma Rainey and Billie Holiday had made famous, and recast them as Van Ronk tunes. He pioneered the playing of the classic rags of Scott Joplin on solo guitar, galvanizing younger players like Eric Schoenberg, Stefan Grossman, and Duck Baker. "Sister Kate," on In the Tradition, one of two albums reissued herein, finds Dave accompanied by a wailing Dixieland band. There is real variety here, but also a consistent quality, both of voice and vision. You'll find Dave Van Ronk refreshing, remarkable, and a gas to listen to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT) WYNWOOD MUSIC-BMI 4:12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GaSliUht Rag (VAN RONK) FOLKLORE-ASCAP 2:09 Candy AAail (DAVIS) CHANDOS-ASCAP 3:02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
>http://www.fantasyjazz.com Fantasy Records, Tenth and Parker, Berkeley, CA 94710 ® & <S All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parker, Berkeley, CA 94710. ® & © 2002, Fa
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
