Be there or be square:
A House Concert Featuring Blues & Ragtime Guitarist
Ari Eisinger
with special guests The Little Brothers
Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time: 7:00pm
Location: 4639 Hazel Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Donation: $20 (all proceeds go to the artists)
The Little Brothers will perform first, and then Ari will perform 2 sets.
To reserve a spot or for more information contact John Salmon at john “at” sugarinthegourd “dot” com (or by phone in the evenings or weekends: 215.900.6322)
Snacks and refreshments will be available.
About the performers:
Ari Eisinger
Guitar Blues and Ragtime from the 1920s and 1930s
“Contrary to the rumors, blues and ragtime guitarist Ari Eisinger has only 10 fingers. It just sounds as if he has more. His mission is to preserve the classic blues and ragtime tunes from the 1920s and 1930s.”
The Plain Dealer
“He’s a fingerpicking guitar player par excellence who specializes in country blues and ragtime from the 1920s and 1930s… His playing is astoundingly complex and precise, obviously reverential yet filled with personal touches… A brilliant musician… he sounds like four people playing at once.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer
“For the uninitiated, hearing Ari Eisinger the first time can be a shock. The authenticity with which he recreates some of the best and instrumentally complex country blues is downright spooky. It can be fun to watch professionals’ reaction as well. A little jaded by years of experience and road-weariness, they might smirk when this small, thin man who looks more like an accountant than a blues musician walks out on stage with his Gibson guitar. Those faces change quickly when he starts to play. It’s a look that says, “I’ve never heard anyone do that.” And it’s true. There is no one I’ve encountered who plays Blind Blake with such authority and who remains so faithful to the spirit and style of the original music. Hearing the Philadelphia-based guitarist is a rare event though — he performs infrequently and records even less often…”
Andrew Mullins, review at weeniecampbell.com
Here’s a clip of Ari playing Blind Blake’s “Southern Rag.”
Learn more about Ari at his website: secondmind.com.
The Little Brothers
Featuring Kim and Frankie Basile and a program of music from a time when giant bluesmen roamed the earth.
Kim specializes in classic blues fiddle, and some unusual traditional styles that are unique in the music revival. Frankie is a master of country blues stylings on the 6 and 12 string guitar. Mike Hoffmann completes the trio with an array of stolen mandolins and stolen tunes. Frankie also hosts a fine blues and old time resource website at donegone.net, where you can learn more.
Comments?
On February 28th, Kim and I shared the stage with Pat Conte and Joe Bellulovich at the fabulous Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn, NY. As you can probably imagine, each of these men is a very deep well when it comes to their artistry. Pat is unarguably the deepest listener I have ever met - an extremely sensitive musician whose empathy for the music he loves is tangible. Calling his playing “nuanced” would be an understatement. He’s capable of producing music from almost any instrument he touches, as if finding music within the object. I could go on about Pat, and probably will in another note, but I’d like to draw attention to Joe.
Joe is an extremely unassuming guy - you could drink coffee with him, have dinner, talk about the weather… he’d help you out of a jam… all the while, you’d never know that the guy you were hanging out with is, hands down, one of the greatest harmonica players on the planet, and THE greatest living exponent of pre-war blues harmonica styles. He’s also a fine singer and a solid guitar player - listening to Joe accompany his singing with guitar and harp in a rack is a near miraculous experience. He doesn’t actually need any other accompanists… but then when you hear him as an accompanist, or playing harp unaccompanied, his hands start bringing out tonal shadings that you didn’t miss before, but are now making your hair stand on end, electrifying your experience through your ears.
Luckily, on the 28th, John Heneghan of the East River String Band was generous enough to both come out to Jalopy on a cold Sunday night, and to bring his video equipment as well. As a result, much of Joe’s rare solo set at Jalopy is captured on video, so instead of having me fail to adequately describe the experience, you can check out these youtube videos and get something of the experience yourself. Thanks, John!
Here’s Joe Bellulovich:
Muscle Shoals Blues:
Friday Moan:
The Unknown Blues:
and finally - Joe’s fantastic Locomotive Blues: