Posted on: Friday, November 17, 2006
Dark/light, acoustic/rock, his is a versatile talent
By Christopher W. Strawn
Special to The Advertiser
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Richard Thompson will perform in Hawai'i with Michael Jerome and Danny Thompson (no relation). Makana will open the O'ahu show.
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RICHARD THOMPSON ACOUSTIC TRIO
with special guest Makana 8 p.m. Saturday Waimea Valley Audubon Center $30 general, $25 advance 638-9199 Also: The trio performs at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's McCoy Studio Theater. Tickets are $30 advance, $35 the day of the show. (808) 242-7469, www.mauiarts.org Just added: 8 p.m. Nov. 24 at the rRed Elephant. $40. 545-2468, www.rredelephant.com
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He's probably the greatest guitarist/composer you've never heard of.
But Richard Thompson, whom Elvis Costello has said should be the poet laureate of England, bears such labels with irony and wit; his affability belies the mordant character some fans may have ascribed to him through careful and repeated listening to his admittedly sometimes dark material — an early compilation of his material was titled "Gloom and Doom from the Tomb," for example.
No one for whom, like Shakespeare's Duke Orsino, music is "the food of love" has ever had to speculate about Thompson's identity. Many have followed his nearly 40-year career with appreciation and wonder — and likely will be at Saturday's concert at the Waimea Valley Audubon Center or Sunday's at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.
They value Thompson's virtuosity enough to pull on people's shirttails and say, "You've got to hear this guy!" Thompson can switch from the traditional ballad form of a song such as " '52 Vincent Black Lightning" to the rollicking rock 'n' roll of something like "Tear-Stained Letter" with relative ease.
The last year or so has been something of a watershed for Thompson in that his work has been in the public eye more than usual:
He released a DVD titled "Live from Austin," essentially a performance from the "Austin City Limits" show, featuring 16 classic Thompson compositions and performances. He is ably supported by Danny Thompson (no relation) on bass and Michael Jerome on drums, both of whom will be with him Saturday night. Richard Thompson has said of the duo, "with Michael Jerome and Danny Thompson, I don't need much else."
Last summer saw the DVD/two-CD release of "1000 Years of Popular Music." Although the story of the genesis of this project is by now well known, it bears repeating. Just before 2000, Playboy magazine polled musicians asking for their favorite songs of the millennium. Thompson took Playboy at its word, beginning his list with the 13th-century "Sumer is Icumen In," the oldest known round in the English language, and ending with Britney Spears' "Oops! I Did It Again." In between were songs by Henry Purcell, Gilbert & Sullivan, Louis Armstrong, Nat "King" Cole, The Who and ABBA. Playboy, by the way, failed to print his list.
Early in 2006, Werner Herzog's film "Grizzly Man," about the life of Timothy Treadwell, an environmental activist who had some misguided ideas about bears and paid dearly for them, was released on DVD. Thompson composed the haunting score for Herzog's film and the DVD contains a 50-minute documentary titled "In the Edges" about the making of the soundtrack, a fascinating examination of both Herzog's and Thompson's working styles.
Also early in 2006, the Free Reed label in the U.K. released "RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson." Known for exhaustive compilations, Free Reed outdid itself with this CD box set. Featuring Thompson performances of material from throughout his career, "RT" is an anthology of obscurities, outtakes, live performances and previously unreleased material.
Finally, within the last month or so, Hal Willner's "Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, & Chanteys" was released. The two-CD set features 40-plus songs performed by a wide variety of artists. Thompson recorded two, "General Taylor," which may be released on a proposed volume two; and "Mingulay Boat Song," which appears on "Gallery."
Thompson's music, in its uniform brilliance, manages to encompass, and at the same time transcend, style and genre. His guitar "voice" is like his composing voice, always erudite and as often dark and mordant as it is witty and comedic, and it is uniquely his own. Thompson is a "10-finger" guitar player of astonishing depth and sensitivity and one who possesses a formidable attack.
Thompson's appearance at the Waimea Valley Audubon Center is not to be missed. Opening act Makana, a Richard Thompson devotee, is extra incentive to make the long trek to the North Shore.
Christopher W. Strawn teaches Latin at 'Iolani School. He has been interested in music since Louis Armstrong held him in his arms at the old Civic Auditorium on King Street in 1952.
