American Primitive Guitar and John Fahey

I try not to be a completist, but lately I've noticed CD prices dropping to ridiculous levels, and I've mentioned before that the window of how long a CD stays in print seems smaller all the time, so if I can fill in some gaps in my collection, now's the time.

I also now have a working CD player in my car, so I'm freed from the tyranny of radio for now, but as much as I've complained about it, I have heard some great things, some of which lead to even better things. Case in point: KSER played a track from one of the "Imaginational Anthem" guitar anthology CD series, and I was curious about others in the series. They're mostly compilations of semi-known and fairly unknown acoustic guitarists that could be generally placed in the John Fahey school of what he sometimes referred to as "American Primitive Guitar", a rural pre-war blues/ragtime/folk/gospel amalgam of styles, of which Fahey stands Colossus-like above the crowd.

I listened to snippets of the series, but Volume 6 really grabbed me; it's the Rosetta Stone of the Fahey style. I knew that Fahey's interest in old 78s informed his musical direction, but his was more than just a copy -- he added classical touches, Dixieland and subtle dissonance to forge his own very individual style.  But Volume 6 collects, as the liner notes say, the "primordial universe that spawned and nurtured Fahey". Drawn from 78s by Riley Puckett, Sam McGee, Sylvester Weaver and more (with some politically-incorrect titles like "Darkey's Wail" and "Tramp's Waltz"), this is the stuff that set Fahey on his journey. They sound like rough drafts of later Fahey works, and of course, in a sense they are, and some ("Knoxville Blues") Fahey even covered.

I took a jazz appreciation class years ago, and I couldn't understand why we had to spend so much time listening to Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong when I wanted to get to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Duh. It helps to know the foundation first. This "Origins of American Primitive Guitar" helps me get some insights into John Fahey's music, and I'll listen with more informed ears.

The label that issues the "Imaginational Anthem" series is Tompkins Square, and they do a great job. The tracks are mastered from 78s, so there is some surface noise and you'd never call it 'high fidelity', but after a few minutes of listening, you get used to it. Sure, I would have liked more than 14 tracks, but really, this is more about quality than quantity.

More on John Fahey soon!