Back Porch Summer Breeze
May 27, 2008 at 12:29 am

Photo: Cover art from self titled Jack Rose LP.
Jack Rose, (lap steel) guitarist and master of blues and folk, is always likely to receive plenty of airplay at my place around this time of the year. His fingerpicking and slide instrumentals being the perfect accompaniment for these early summer days. On his latest album Dr Ragtime & Pals he finds himself accompanied by fellow musicians Glenn Jones, Micah Blue Smaldone (also featured on this playlist with a solo track), Mike Gangloff, Sean Bowles and Harmonica Dan. Their addition of harmonica, banjo and washboard add an extended old timey feel to the already jaunty compositions and traditionals that makes you want to shift down a couple of gears and lay back and enjoy the weather for a good while.
A something in a summer’s day,
As slow her flambeaux burn away,
Which solemnizes me.
A something in a summer’s noon,—
An azure depth, a wordless tune,
Transcending ecstasy.
~ Emily Dickinson / A something in a summer’s day ~
The rest of the playlist continues in the same vein, ranging from humid slow burners like Red Favorite’s Cistern to back porch sing-a-longs like Fire on Fire’s My Lady Coffin. These tunes should provide you with plenty of shade for the warm summer days ahead.
- Jack Rose - Fishtown Flower
Dr Ragtime & Pals (Beautiful Happiness / Tequila Sunrise, 2008) - Steve Gunn - Imi the King
Sundowner (Digitalis, 2008) - Micah Blue Smaldone - Untitled 2
Red River Rough Cut (self released, 2007) - Fern Knight - Summer of Throg
Music for Witches and Alchemists (VHF, 2006) - Big Blood - Adversaries & Enemies
Sew Your Wild Days Tour Vol. I (self released, 2007) - Fire on Fire - My Lady Coffin
Fire on Fire (Young God, 2007) - Red Favorite - Cistern
Red Favorite (Spirit of Orr, 2006) - Twinsistermoon - House of Carpenter’s Daughter
Rivers of Blood Ending in the Sun (Digitalis, 2008) - Cursillistas - Break My Bones
Thrush Chimes In the Field Haunt (Time-Lag, 2006)

A great little playlist….best so far imho.
Great idea to provide a link to stream the entire playlist. More please!
This are sweet Bubba. A friend who plays guitar was just asking me for some sort of ragtime playlist to listen and learn while on vacation on the mountains. He’ll be very happy with these :)
Thanks all!
Moka, nice to hear these tunes might be of actual use to someone. Sounds so great, spending time in the mountains, playing guitar. If he can learn these tracks (and these too) then he must be a genius. :D
I’ll add those to the playlist as well :D
His main obsession is flamenco guitar, so he has developed an amazing technique and feeling. The lucky bastard was born with perfect pitch so he can play you every song you give to him just by hearing it once or twice. His problem is he’s not interested in composing music, never understood why. He also has a collection of 34 different and weird guitars
My favorite one is a replica of a harpolyre that he has, nothing too special about its sound but it looks amazing. Can’t find an image of the exact harpolyre I’m referring to but it’s very similar to this one.
Oh wow, look at that three-eyed monster, that’s so awesome! Are you sure you can’t convince him of writing a tune specially for MdM (or at least curate a flamenco post)? ;)