Phelps also brings out his banjo for a couple songs, most notably “Handful Of Arrows”, a fiery, Native American-driven tribute to the late Chris Whitley that’s a high point of the set. “Big Shaky” toggles wonderfully between country blues and improvisatory jazz, while “MacDougal” (one of three instrumentals on the album) is a sprightly ragtime homage to the late Dave Van Ronk. Occasionally Phelps reaches back to the adventurous spirit that shaped his early career. Similar moments include “Spanish Hands”, which (despite its title) bears heavy Celtic traces “Plumb Line”, which straddles the border between Kottke and jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and “Red Light Nickel”, a straight-up folk song in the Gordon Lightfoot vein. “Crow’s Nest”, the opening track, sets the tone centered on Phelps’ rapid-fire but unobtrusive fingerpicking, splashes of fiddle, and craggily intimate vocals, it brings to mind the recent work of Richard Thompson. Tunesmith Retrofit is leaner and more spartan than 2003’s Slingshot Professionals, putting the light squarely on his songwriting. Zwischenruf Aktionen Zeitreise News Tourtermine Gstebuch Forum. An exemplary fingerpicker in the Leo Kottke mold, Phelps also tempers his guitar prowess to serve the song. Eschewing the cloying introspection that tends to prevail among the coffeehouse crowd, Phelps writes snapshot vignettes borne from short-story traditions and delivers them in sturdy acoustic settings drawn from folk, free jazz, and country blues. Over a career that spanned four decades, Kelly Joe Phelps expanded the parameters of modern blues through his strong commitment to literary songs and his.Few songwriters wear the mantle of troubadour as unassumingly as Kelly Joe Phelps. It’s as thin as the edge of a razor, the road separating Heaven from Hell, sin from salvation, redemption from despair. The melodic voice of artists like which are sung by artists like Kelly Joe Phelps that makes Tunesmith Retrofit album a go-to-medicine for your different. It’s a lonely road to go down and like the old gospel says, you’ve got to walk it for yourself. Kelly Joe Phelps: Tunesmith Retrofit (Album) 4 versiones : Rounder Records: 11661-3249-2: USA & Canada: 2006: Vender esta versión: 4. Compra la música de Kelly Joe Phelps en vinilo, CD u otros formatos en el mercado online de Discogs. Kelly Joe Phelps has been doing lot of soul searching since his last record, ‘Western Bell’ came out in 2009. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Kelly Joe Phelps - Tunesmith Retrofit CD BRAND NEW AND SEALED at the best online prices at. Explora las ediciones de Kelly Joe Phelps en Discogs. Three years later, his journey has wound its way to a recording studio in Vancouver, and Kelly Joe has once again beaten a path to Steve Dawson’s door with a new batch of songs tucked into his satchel that reflect both the new insights gained along the journey as well as things that have been dropped by the wayside. ![]() Like the late Chris Whitley (to whom the banjo-driven 'Handful of Arrows' is dedicated), Kelly Joe Phelps initially built a following through the sharpness of his chops, but would rather be known for the strength of his songs. Together Phelps and the veteran producer embarked on a three day recording odyssey that marked their fourth collaboration since Dawson played slide on ‘Slingshot Professionals’, produced ‘Tunesmith Retrofit’ and released ‘Western Bell after it proved too daring for Rounder Records. Tunesmith Retrofit is probably a bit easier on the ear on first listen than usual, with some nice tunes. The result is ‘Brother Sinner and the Whale’, a record that may very well come to be recognized as the best of an already very impressive body of work. Since his debut album ‘Lead Me On’, came out in 1994, the Pacific Northwest based singer and songwriter has written and performed some of the most compelling slide guitar based music ever recorded. Though he spent his early years playing free jazz, he has never strayed too far from the roots music world that has become his passion. TUNESMITH RETROFIT (August 2006 / Rounder Records) Kelly Joe Phelps- vocals, guitar, banjo, melodica. ![]() “I’d spent all this time learning improvisational music, but I’d always had an attraction to folk based music forms. So, I was listening to a lot of Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and some of the newer people like Leo Kottke and John Fahey. My music is a reflection of all the music I loved and steeped myself in. There’s a space and openness in rural music that makes sense to me.” Playing a lap slide in a style that both evoked the sounds of the ancients and pointed towards new possibilities for the instrument, Kelly Joe’s music seemed to originate in another time as he sang with the voice of an old soul, weary with experience, yet excited with all of the prospects that life brings.
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