He Ain’t No Wallflower-David Bromberg Returns

 

From The Pen Of Sam Lowell:

Several years ago, maybe about eight years now that I think about it, I did a series of sketches on guys, folk-singers, folk-rockers, rock-folkers or whatever you want to call those who weened us away from the stale pablum rock in the early 1960s (Bobby Vee, Rydell, Darin, et al, Sandra Dee, Brenda Lee, et al) after the gold rush dried up in what is now called the classic age of rock and roll in the mid to late 1950s when Elvis, Jerry Lee, Buddy, Chuck, Bo and their kindred made us jump. (There were gals too like Wanda Jackson but mainly it was guys in those days.) I am referring of course to the savior folk minute of the early 1960 when a lot of guys with acoustic guitars, some self-made lyrics, or stuff from old Harry Smith Anthology times gave us a reprieve. The series titled Not Bob Dylan centered on why those budding folkies like Tom Rush, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, Jesse Winchester and the man under review David Bromberg to name a few did not make the leap to be the “king of folk” that had been ceded by the media to Bob Dylan and whatever happened to them once the folk minute went south after the combined assault of the British invasion and the rise of acid rock put folk in the shade. (I also did a series on Not Joan Baez, the “queen of the folk minute” asking that same question on the female side but here dealing with one David Bromberg the male side of the question is what is of interest).

I did a couple of sketches on David Bromberg back then,   one reviewing an early album of his and the other a sketch based on his version of the classic blues number, Try Me One More Time. The former is what interests me here. See David Bromberg after the flame flickered (and after a long stint as outlaw cowboy country singer Jerry Jeff Walker’s side and vocals man) packed it in, said he had no more spirit or some such and gave up the road, the music and the struggle to made that music, as least professionally. As it turned out though he then, along with a number of other performers from that period, took a long time, many years off and pursued other things, mostly not involving the life blood music. Then he, they had an epiphany or something, got the juices flowing again and came back on the road.  That fact is to the good for old time folk aficionados like me.

What that fact of returning to the road also means is that my friend and I, (okay, okay my sweetie who prefers that I call her my soulmate but that is just between us so friend) now have many opportunities to see acts like Bromberg’s to see if we think they still “have it” (along with acts like Dylan’s who apparently is on an endless tour whether we want him to do so or not). That idea got started about a decade ago when we saw another come-back kid, Geoff Muldaur of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, solo. He had it. So we started looking for acts to check out that question- with the proviso before they die (unfortunately the actuarial tables took their tool before we could see some of them like Dave Von Ronk).

That brings us to David Bromberg’s return. We had actually seen him back in 2002 when he replaced the recently departed Von Ronk on the bill at Rosalie Sorrels’ Last Go-Round Concert at Harvard’s Saunders Theater. He was pretty good there but he was part of an ensemble as such tribute performances wind up being and so we didn’t get a chance to see him for a full program (or with a back-up band). Recently we did get a chance to see him in a cabaret setting at the Wilbur Theater in Boston with a big five piece back-up band. Yeah Brother Bromberg still has it (along with his mandolin player, fiddler, clarinet/sax player and drummer). While every tune didn’t resonant most did and we walked out of the theater with thumbs up. Bob Dylan move over, finally.  

Which brings us to that review I did based on Brother Bromberg’s CD. When I got home I began to revise that piece included below. Now on to the next act in the great quest- a reunion of the three remaining active members of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Jim Maria Mulduar, and of course Geoff at the Club Passim (which traces its genesis back to the folk minute’s iconic Club 47 over on Mount Auburn Street in Harvard Square. We’ll see if that is thumbs up too.     

David Bromberg, The Player: A Retrospective, David Bromberg, Sony Music, 1998

The last time that I had mentioned the name of the artist under review, the well-regarded highly-skilled guitarist David Bromberg, was in a review of Rosalie Sorrels "The Last Go Round" album. That work was a recording of her last concert at Harvard in 2002. Originally the late Dave Van Ronk was to be on the program but he passed away a few weeks before the concert. David Bromberg was brought in as a replacement on short notice and wowed the house. I am sorry that I do not remember his play list and his work was not produced on the Sorrels CD. Not to worry though you can be sure that it included some of the tracks on this CD that represent some of his best work over a long career going back to the 1960's.

Virtually everyone I know has commented on Bromberg's extraordinary command of the guitar, his knowledge of what is called the American songbook and his, let's face it, at times thin and reedy voice. Forget that last part of the comment though because what you get in return are very innovative Bromberg presentations of well-known material. Obviously, Bromberg, having played with legendary cowboy Jerry Jeff Walker, needs to give us his version of "Mr. Bojangles". But how about a talking "Statesboro Blues", the Blind Willie McTell classic that most cover artists try to go up tempo on. The he goes 1950's on us with "Mr. Blue". And then gets down and dirty honky-tonk with "Wallflower". See what I mean, the guy knows his stuff. Get this thing and find out for yourself.

Song Lyrics: Statesboro Blues
Written by Blind Willie McTell
Recorded in (1928)

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Wake up mama, turn your lamp down low

Wake up mama, turn your lamp down low

Have you got the nerve to drive papa McTell from your door

My mother died and left me reckless, my daddy died and left me wild, wild, wild

Mother died and left me reckless, daddy died and left me wild, wild, wild

No, I'm not good lookin', I'm some sweet woman's angel child

You're a mighty mean woman, to do me this a-way

You're a mighty mean woman, to do me this a-way

Going to leave this town, pretty mama, going away to stay

I once loved a woman, better than I ever seen

I once loved a woman, better than I ever seen

Treat me like I was a king and she was a doggone queen

Sister, tell your Brother, Brother tell your Auntie, Auntie, tell your Uncle,

Uncle tell my Cousin, Cousin tell my friend

Goin' up the country, Mama, don't you want to go?

May take me a fair brown, may take me one or two more

Big Eighty left Savannah, Lord, and did not stop

You ought to saw that colored fireman when he got that boiler hot

Reach over in the corner, hand me my travelin' shoes

You know by that, I got them Statesboro blues

Sister got 'em, daddy got 'em

Brother got 'em, mama got 'em

Woke up this morning, we had them Statesboro blues

I looked over in the corner,

Grandpa and grandma had 'em too.