The Never Ending Pool

Jack talks about his forthcoming album, and weighs in on the state of the economy:

Ramblin' Jack Elliott And Friends Sing The Blues

Fri Jan 30, 2009 7:17pm EST

By Michael D. Ayers

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Van Dyke Parks and Los Lobos' David Hidalgo lend a hand on storied songwriter Ramblin' Jack Elliott's second album this decade, "A Stranger Here."

Due April 7th via Anti-, the set finds Elliott, 77, working with producer Joe Henry to interpret Depression-era blues songs. Parks contributes piano and vibraphone, while Hidalgo offers acoustic guitar and accordion.

"The record company selected about 15 old blues songs that I might choose to learn, and I was listening to that CD about four or five times a day for three months," Elliott said of the origin of the project. "I got a good feel for some of the songs, but I didn't memorize them. So I was a bit nervous, because I hadn't memorized a single song. But I tried to give a good reading, despite all that half-assed preparation."

The album was recorded in just four days, a pace Elliott attributes to the backing band. "They followed me; they were good listeners, good followers and gave a really great back up," he said. "It was so thrilling; I just dug into it."

Grateful Dead fans will recognize "Death Don't Have No Mercy," a staple in the seminal band's early sets. Also included are the Son House classic "Grinnin' in Your Face" and a marching, dark version of Blind Willie Johnson's "Soul of a Man."

The material here reflects the current economic crisis, a fact that's not lost on Elliott. "I think they're trying to deter people from getting too scared," he said.

"The word 'recession' is just a polite way trying to make it sound nicer. When I was born, it was the worst year of the depression -- 1931. But I was too young to notice anything."

Reuters/Billboard

http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSTRE50U03V20090131