"Rags and Bones" shows off 14 blues and ragtime tunes that go back half a century and more. The REVEREND GARY DAVIS, BLIND WILLIE MCTELL, JIMMIE ROGERS, MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT and LOUIS ARMSTRONG feature in the credits. And there's a final gentle tune from the repertoire of Congolese acoustic guitar player JEAN-BOSCO MWENDA.
From a guitar player's point of hearing, the clarity of ERNIE HAWKIN'S playing is a delight. So many of the oldest and best tunes of the blues and ragtime players are maddeningly blurred when it comes to learning what they're doing. HAWKINS is a widely respected teacher and advocate of a vibrant and wonderful music. The things he plays on this and his many other recordings are worth listening to and worth learning to play. CDs like this are a great way in to some of the secrets.
The very best tracks on this CD are the ones that draw on the simpler blues and ragtime tunes done, as by their originators, on a guitar. The twelve string sound on opening track "Make Believe Stunt" (a REVEREND GARY DAVIS tune) is glorious. To my ears the least successful are the ones that track back from the more complex compositions of LOUIS ARMSTRONG. A guitar can do quite a lot on its own, but it can’t really hold up all the cross cutting stuff that a jazz band can kick up.
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On balance ERNIE HAWKIN'S precise enunciation and rather deliberate phrasing can be a step away from the wonderful spiritual mystery of players like MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT and BLIND WILLIE MCTELL. Old recordings like "Statesboro Blues" by McTell are such a thrilling noise, with McTell's choirboy voice and tempo-stretching guitar playing. Done by Hawkins, you can hear all the notes and marvel at the crisp delivery. But with the tragic, fluent and ghostly original in mind, Hawkins does sound a bit ruthless. In live performance, instructional CD or guitar workshop setting, this couldn’t be bettered. As a CD purchase, I would have to nudge you round to the blues original section of the store.
www.erniehawkins.com
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