Another guitar album

Let It Fall; Sean Watkins, guitar

When I listen to some of my instrumental jazz and pop CD’s, I tend to consider them as a whole. It usually happens when I don’t know any of the tunes that the artists choose to play. If I should chance to listen to an Oscar Peterson album where he features music by Master George Gershwin, then I will, typically, mentally compartmentalize each tune on the recording because I know so much of the music of Mr. Gershwin. I can compare his interpretation to one by other artists … not from a standpoint that one is any better than another … but from a perspective that the differences in style therein are absolutely valid and can be celebrated.

When I listen to Sean Watkins’ 2001 CD “Let It Fall”, I hear a complete work. I don’t sit in a chair and listen to the recording with the set list in front of me. Since they are instrumental and I’ve never heard them before, the titles don’t really mean that much to me. But the music does. And I like to listen to how each tune connects to the next. I suppose you could conjecture that I listen to the music in the same way that I would listen to a symphony.

Beethoven didn’t construct a symphony by pasting together a bunch of pretty tunes. In his head, each movement related to each other. In a similar fashion, I have to believe that Mr. Watkins had a iron-clad conception of how his tunes – all of the tunes, except one, on this album, by the way, came from the pen of Sean Watkins – would fit together on this album.

I’m not saying that this is the “right” way to listen to an album. It is, however, the way that I listen to instrumental jazz recordings.

There is one exception: the title song, “Let It Fall”. It has words and, in my mind, stands separate from the others. It’s a beautiful song. They say that Mr. Watkins wrote this song with a specific singer … a famous singer … in mind. And when it came time to record the song, he went to the famous singer and asked him if he would. I have to say that it takes a special kind of fiber, determination and pluck to ask a recognized musical artist to come and sing a song on your album. But that’s what happened.

Glen Phillips played guitar, sang vocals and wrote songs with and for the alternative rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket. When Sean approached Mr. Phillips with the song, he tried it and liked it. It takes the number two position on the album “Let It Fall”.

My kingdom’s walls have fallen down

But I know that

I don’t wear an undeserved crown

And though it seemed to fit me well

Underneath it

I would certainly fall down

__________

Last summer we left things unsaid

That should be now a long time dead

And now it seems that time has put it well

The words can chase away a friend

But to a lie they’ll bring an end

And Throw it down the darkest, deepest well

__________

Let it fall

Let go.

I found this album at Rock’n Rudy’s in Missoula, Montana, during the Christmas of 2001. I like the orange color on the front of the case. It reminds me of when I came back to my sister’s apartment after purchasing the CD. Mom and my sister K. had been feeding my nephew N. carrots one right after the other. His face was completely orange.

Credits: To Glen Phillips, for a wonderful singing voice and for choosing a great name for a band. Toad The Wet Sprocket. Wow!

This is the twenty-eighth of my final forty-five CD's.