two short reviews of older CDs

Readers of mister anchovy will not be surprised that I am a big Ramblin Jack fan. I came across a German recording of Jack's performances recently, from about 1980, called Kerouac's Last Dream. It features a selection of Woody Guthrie tunes like Talkin Fishin, Pretty Boy Floyd and 1913 Massacre, a couple Bob Dylan tunes, Don't Think Twice and I Threw it all away, two of his few originals, 912 Greens and Cup of Coffee, and even a Roy Acuff tune, blue Eyes Crying in the Rain. Good selection, beautifully performed. Ramblin Jack squeezes more out of a song that just about any performer I know of.

I've written before about the L.A. Vallenato quintet, Very Be Careful. Before we left for Nashville, I ordered on-line one of their older offerings, The Rose. This music is not for everybody, but I have to say that I love this stuff. I don't know how to describe what they do exactly. There is a three-row button box player, vocals and loads of percussion - simple music with afro-influenced cumbia rhythms. If you haven't heard this kind of music before, check it out!