A Rebirth in Brooklyn: Pat Conte and the Jalopy Theatre
April 27th, 2011
By:
Pat Conte is amazing. In fact this entire vinyl LP project from Jalopy Records is amazing.
Entitled “The Amazing Pat Conte plays American Songs with Fiddle and Banjo,” it is the first in a series from Jalopy Records to be called “Folk Music of the United States.”
Jalopy Records is a relatively new division of the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York, and this album is their first production. Pat was chosen for it “because of… deep respect for Pat as a musician, scholar and man.”
Collectors will appreciate the LP format. The red, see-through disk and 12 page booklet with Pat’s liner notes on the songs and instruments make a fun package, and the combination tells you a lot about the music and its history.
The tunes chosen for this LP hearken back to a time when America was young; when the instruments and tunes from numerous cultures were interacting and combining to produce a new, unique music. Pat takes us on a tour of that early music, and points out its timeless beauty.
He is a remarkable musician, playing remarkable tunes on remarkable instruments. Joe Hickerson, former Director of the Archive of Folk Song/Culture at the Library of Congress, recognizes Pat as “one of the premier interpreters of traditional songs, tunes and styles.”
There aren’t many musicians who can sing and play the old songs and of those who can, fewer yet can accomplish it using vintage instruments. Pat can do all that and play harmony and counter-melody as he sings. The effect is stunning. His instruments talk and sing along with him, and wherever that is found in music, it is a rare and wonderful thing.
Best wishes from Nashville to Pat and all the folks at Jalopy Theatre, and thanks for this great musical treat.
