The Never Ending Pool

Great recounting of the show. Thanks, TimeFades!

I saw him in Seattle in the 1980's at an old small funky venue called the Rainbow Tavern in the U District. I was just out driving around with a buddy with nothing to do and we saw the sign out front and decided to drop in for the show. It was the same sort of experience that you recount. The atmosphere was like sitting in a living room. He said that the main reason he was in the Seattle area was to visit the plant where they made Kenworth trucks. If I remember correctly he had either a broken leg or arm in a cast.

At one point he broke a string on his guitar and while he took his time restringing it (I think he got the string from an audience member) he just told stories. Mainly about traveling with Woody and some other funny stories and a couple jokes. It was a wonderful, unexpected experience and the first time I'd ever seen a live show that was so personal and clearly heartfelt.

I can't believe people complained about him sitting there telling stories. Well, sadly, I guess I can. That must have been quite a thrill to have him point you out and then sing Pastures of Plenty.

Some Spring and Summer Ramblin' Jack dates:


Sat 5/17/2008 8pm Groveland CA Historic Iron Door Saloon


Sat 5/24/2008 Fri: One Song @ Singer/Songwriter Hibbing MN Hibbing High School Auditorium


Fri 6/6/2008 8:00 PM Chester NY Bodles Opera House


Sun 6/8/2008 7:30pm Brattleboro VT The Church


Wed 6/11/2008 7:00 PM Annapolis MD Rams Head Tavern


Fri 6/13/2008 004> New York NY Town Hall Theatre


Fri 6/13/2008 8pm New York NY Town Hall Theatre


Sun 6/15/2008 8pm Albany NY The Linda


Fri 6/20/2008 8:00 PM Charlottesville VA The Paramount Theater


Sun 7/6/2008 TBD New Bedford MA Whaling National Historical Park


Sun 8/10/2008 TBD Regina, SK, Canada, Regina Folk Festival


Sat 8/30/2008 7:00 PM Approximately Nelson OH Nelson Ledges Quarry Park


Here's Jack Elliott (before he was known as Ramblin' Jack Elliott) giving a spoken imitation of Lead Belly, and then singing the song, "Blind Lemon Jefferson." This performance took place 43 years ago (AP 30th), at Town Hall, where Elliott will be this June. If you want to get a sense of how good Elliott was as an entertainer, then give this one a listen. (Btw, Vanguard is the label to check out if you want more of this vintage of JE).

http://www.sendspace.com/file/i9t2hd

http://www.keithcase.com/profiles/Ramb/index.htm

May 14, 2008

At the request of artist management, the Paramount Theater performance featuring Guy Clark, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Jesse Winchester, scheduled for Friday, June 20, has been postponed.

Musician Guy Clark is taking time off from his touring schedule to recuperate after suffering a broken leg. The performance will now be rescheduled.

The Paramount has contacted all ticket holders for the performance, who will be able to use their June 20 tickets for the new show date to be announced.


http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/news/headlines/18935429.html

This is one of Elliott's few self-penned songs. He once recorded this with Johnny Cash.

"Cup of Coffee," Marin Bluegrass Festival, CA, AP 28 74

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jau3lg


Technical assistance by 4th Time Around.

Update:

Also, [slide-guitarist and producer, Roy] Rogers mentioned he's been holing up at Prairie Sun recording studios with Ramblin' Jack Elliott, working on a spoken-word record of the itinerant folkie's life. Look for that to come out later this year or early next year.

http://pop.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2205785

that would be the first quadruple album

The Itch to Ramble (short, 12 min. documentary)

part 1




part 2

Great find, 4th! Thank you.

Correction in part 1:

The "late night banter and song fragments" were not on Young Brigham, the Warner Bros. album under discussion. The banter and fragments were on the follow-up Warner album, Bull Durham Sacks & Railroad Tracks. According to Stefan Wirz, both albums are from 1967. Possibly, they were recorded at the same sessions, but that's conjecture on my part.

Correction in part 2:

"After a 20 year hiatus from the recording industry, Ramblin' Jack Elliott returned, in 1995, with South Coast.

At the risk of sounding picky (who, me?), the above just isn't so. After the two Warner albums, in 1967, Jack stepped back into a studio and recorded what he described as his best album up to that point. The vinyl album was Kerouac's Last Dream, recorded in 1980, in Germany. This album had nine or ten songs, including his 2nd recorded version of "912 Greens." Elliott was in his 49th year.





Then, in 1990, Jack, along with the late, U. Utah Phillips and "Spider" John Koerner, recorded a live album, (Legends of Folk), on the Red House Records label, in which Jack sang five songs, including a third version of "912 Greens." He was in good form. Incidentally, of the officially recorded versions of the song, nothing tops the original, from 1967, imo.

The came South Coast in 1995, and to my mind, while the album is a good one, it's not as good as Kerouac's Last Dream, an album that very few had heard on this side of the Atlantic. In 1997, Appleseed Recordings got American distribution rights to the album, tossed in about 10 outtakes, slapped together an unbecoming drawing of Elliott, and there you have it. The nine or 10 song original album is a better overall listen.

As for South Coast winning a Grammy (Dave Van Ronk was also a nominee, that year), to my mind, it was more along the lines of Elliott deserving something. In a sense, I believe that the award was akin to a lifetime achievement award, not that South Coast was a bad album.

Thanks for the clarifications + added info, Warren.

April 17, 2008
San Diego

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright



Pastures of Plenty
(seems to be last song in set, his voice is rough)



(reminder: Jack was born almost 10 years before young Mr. Dylan!)

Coming up:

Fri 6/6/2008 8:00 PM Chester NY Bodles Opera House


Sun 6/8/2008 7:30pm Brattleboro VT The Church

Warren wrote:

QUOTE:
Great find, 4th! Thank you.

Correction in part 1:

The "late night banter and song fragments" were not on Young Brigham, the Warner Bros. album under discussion. The banter and fragments were on the follow-up Warner album, Bull Durham Sacks & Railroad Tracks. According to Stefan Wirz, both albums are from 1967. Possibly, they were recorded at the same sessions, but that's conjecture on my part.

I'm very surprised Stefan Wirz says that on his site. Bull Durham Tracks was was recorded way later, in a different city, different studio, with different players. Young Brigham was recorded in Los Angeles, Bull Durham Sacks, in Nashville. But it was either recorded in late 69 or even the year of its release, 1970. The key to this of course is "Lay Lady Lady" which of course was written and recorded in 1969. The second key is the opening track, "Me and Bobby McGhee." The first recording of that song was a single by Roger Miller which was also in 1969.

Before I posted the above, Peter, I checked album labels and jackets for dates. Only the date of the liner notes by Johnny Cash, on "Brigham," were cited, that being DE 13, 1967. My gut instinct was that "Bull Durham" didn't appear until sometime later, and Stefan Wirz' claim puzzled me.

I'd forgotten about LLL, but had I taken a moment to scan the song titles, then the proverbial coin would have dropped, and I may have then pointed out Wirz' (obvious) error. I may also have spotted the details about the different recording locales, indicated on the jackets.

Thanks for setting the matter straight.


Coming up:

Wed 6/11/2008 7:00 PM Annapolis MD Rams Head Tavern


Fri 6/13/2008 004> New York NY Town Hall Theatre


Fri 6/13/2008 8pm New York NY Town Hall Theatre


Sun 6/15/2008 8pm Albany NY The Linda


Source: http://www.keithcase.com/profiles/Ramb/index.htm