Mix-47-journal-1

I made this mix in memory of Jack Rose – Dr. Ragtime. Jack passed away in December 2009 at the age of 38, apparently from a heart attack. I start this mix with a track from the ‘I Do Play Rock and Roll’ EP, originally released by Three Lobed Recordings in 2008 and re-issued in 2016 with a bunch of others. Make sure to check this release and this other as well. Between some of his contemporaries and a couple of odd numbers from outside the scope of the “genre”, this is a mix reaffirming the sheer talent, extraordinary skill and technical ability of all the performers here.

‘After gaining recognition in the early ‘90s as part of the Virginia-based drone/roots band Pelt, his solo career accelerated so quickly that his potential to advance instrumental acoustic guitar music seemed limitless. What Rose achieved as a solo guitarist is daunting: nine excellent albums in eight years (including the posthumous Luck in the Valley) as well as a handful of intriguing collaborations (especially with the Black Twig Pickers, the old-timey Appalachian offshoot of Pelt). Now six new Rose reissues (half on VHF and half on Three Lobed) offer a chance to hear the wide range of music he created.’ – Bandcamp

‘Jack Rose was a larger than life man with a hearty spirit – a no-bullshit gentleman -and his death continues to reverberate among the community of musicians and music people he called friends. This spirit, as evidenced within his recorded output, has proven to be indomitable and continually vital.’ – Scott McDowell, May 2016.

As I prepare a tribute to the great John Fahey, it is only fitting that I end this collection of fine acoustic songs with a few amazing tracks from Fahey’s immensely inspirational ‘The Dance of Death and other Plantation Favourites’, released back in 1965, for sure a major influence on Jack – and others in this mix.