CEDAR HILL REFUGEES "PALE IMPERFECT DIAMOND" COUNTRY LEGENDS ~ UZBEK BAND
"Everything that rises must converge." ~ Flannery O'Conner
This "Pale Imperfect Diamond" album is so good on its own I have to kick back the try to get the facts right. This music doesn't need my help to be beautiful. Hang onto your hearts, this album takes Appalachian honesty deeper with master musicians from the Far East who know all they need to know about Country to break your heart. Music is the universal language, and when Uzbek keyboard player Nodir Umarov hears Dr. Ralph Stanley singing it moves him to play along. When a treasure of an Appalachian group like The Peasalls hear Otanazar Khudaynazarov on accordion, they know. The human heart beats pretty much the same and music gets in wherever you happen to call your home. I could salt this review with hyperbole and it wouldn't be fake, but the facts on this one are as good as it gets.
So, John Carter Cash and Jack Clift are friends. They hung out and played some music they loved from the archives of the Carter/Cash family and producer/songwriter/singer Jack's goldmine of master players from Uzbekistan. There might have been some excessive coffee drinking because they had a nutty idea to put the two together since they loved it so much. Jack and John knew they were onto something, but what? I just talked to Jack on the telephone and he describes the conversation went something like: "Let's do something with this. What are we gonna do?" That's two guys who love music out to break some rules and make something beautiful. And I'm here to tell you that it worked. I didn't know a thing about this album, just that it was in the envelope with some other stuff and it sounded like Country deep as a coalmine from someplace far away.
There is a collection of songs on this album from "Whitehouse Blues" to "Pretty Polly" you might have heard before, but not like this. The first song on the album starts out sounding like anything but Country with several drummers and stringed instruments unlike anything in America. I thought I put on the wrong album, but then this voice comes on singing, "Mr. McKinley he didn't do no wrong. Rode on down to Buffalo. He didn't stay too long. Hard times. Hard times. Hard times." This version of Whitehouse Blues would work fine on Sunday night during a break with The Comet Bluegrass Allstars. The song moves me and the music fits. The music works for this story song. And it moves me. I'm new the Midwest and can't say what fits and what doesn't.
After the album was completed, Jack and John took the CD to the Carter/Cash family home for a listening party. Johnny Cash and June Carter's extended family were there in the shadow of Clinch Mountain in the heart of Appalachia. This would be the acid test. That opening Uzbek drumming starts to play and already there are some smiles around the room. Jack Clift sings this one, so you get no automatic cred points for that, though Sarah Peasall singing backing vocals helps plenty. Everybody is listening. "Whitehouse Blues" plays through without too much interruption, until one of the aunts chimes in: "Ooooh, that's niiice. Really great." The songs continue. "Oh, now that's really something!" Now the listening party loosens up a bit. As Cash/Carter relatives bustle about the tension leaves the room. So it plays on Clinch Mountain right there in Appalachia right there in Maybelle Carter's house. At the end of it, one of John's aunts looks over at Jack and John and gives her blessing. "Boys, I'm really proud of you." The aunts had spoken, but then they gave it the blessing that matters most. They brought John and Jack into the dining room and they went off to fry up some chicken to celebrate with a meal.
These are roots country songs, and new songs written in that style. Jack took them to Uzbekistan and played the original recordings from the archive for Toir Kuziev the Uzbek multi-string master fresh off a tour with Peter Gabriel, and all of the Uzbek musicians at Jadoo. They liked some and loved others. There was far more than enough to fill an album of the Country songs that inspired respect in Uzbekistan. When the instrumental versions of the songs came back to America, and the likes of Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Peasall sisters heard the music they were about to sing to, a voice with that dead bang honest Appalachian accent was heard to say, "Sounds like good Country to me."
Jack sent me a description of this album to help me along. Here's Jack Clift's song-by-song description for the album Pale Imperfect Diamond:
THE SONGS
1. Whitehouse Blues (traditional)
Anglo-American murder and assassination songs span a vast and varied series of subgenres that have appealed to audiences and performers darker sensibilities for untold generations. I first heard the venerable Flatt and Scruggs version of this as a child but was later exposed to John Renbourn's rendering upon which ours is loosely based.
I'm singing lead here joined by Sarah Peasall on harmony vocals. Enver Izmaylov on tapped guitar Randy Scruggs on acoustic guitar. Ron McCoury mandolin Greg Leisz on lapsteel Ron Wall on autoharp Dennis Crouch upright bass and all of the members of Jadoo.
2. Keys To The Kingdom (traditional)
As with most American Folk tunes there are countless versions of this floating about. I was quite partial to Ginny Hawker's haunting take featured on Dirk Powell's Hand Me Down album. Dr. Ralph Stanley knew this one from childhood and had his own interpretation. I could write a novel about the making of this song which -- like all the songs here -- spanned 12 time zones and twice as many months.
Dr. Ralph did his vocal performance in Rosine Kentucky, birthplace of Bill Monroe. I sing harmony and play electric guitar. We are supported by Ron Miles on coronet Greg Leisz on lap steel Mark Clark on percussion Dennis Crouch upright bass and Jadoo
3. The Wife Of Usher's Well (traditional)
This originally British ballad (Child Ballad 79) reassembled itself in myriad spooky forms in America. Our arrangement is constructed around the vocal performance by The Peasall Sisters. The lovely ghostly qualities seem to transcend linguistic barriers as demonstrated in this brief side story:
Last summer in Uzbekistan we had master Nay (Uzbek flute) player Abdulakhad Abdrashidov do tracks on a number of songs. I was hanging out a lot with him and one night he prepared a great meal for the Jadoo crew. Well, he has a daughter who is about 8 years old and is quite a bright and precocious kid. This particular evening I had the stereo randomly shuffling and Wife Of Usher's Well came up. Suddenly this we Uzbek lass, who had been running around playing like crazy, stopped in her tracks and glued herself in front of the speakers grabbing the music controller. She was absolutely transfixed! After several repeats she began asking (through a translator) what the words were. It was incredibly moving watching her eyes well up as she explained that she had known that it was a "religious song" and something very sad had happened to some kids! She listened to it about fifty times before her Dad stepped in and said "enough." I'll never forget that.
I accompany the Peasalls here on acoustic guitar Ron Wall is on autoharp Dennis Crouch bass and Jadoo.
4. Oh, Bury Me Not (traditional)
This famous cowboy tune is based on an older sea song and is quite well suited to the steppe flavors provided by Jadoo. I have a theory that geology plays a significant role in the development of folk music. Flatlands and the rhythm of horses.
John Cowan is lead vocalist. Harry Stinson sings harmony. Greg Leisz plays Weissenborn slide guitar Ron McCoury mandolin Dennis Crouch bass Jeff Hett and I provide the Oklahomastan style percussion with Jadoo doing all things Uzbek.
5. Pale Imperfect Diamond (Jack Clift, John Carter Cash, Jack Propps)
This is the first thing JCC and I wrote together. We had just met and were already beginning to figure out what kind of cd we could create combining our awesome teams. He's a very easy fellow to write with and the song just flowed out of our mutual excitement at the prospect of the journey upon which we were about to embark. It's really about a quest. A journey too far regions that somehow brings one closer to home.
Sound familiar? Didn't think so...
Cash and I are trading vocals Enver Izmaylov is tapping guitar Randy Scruggs plays acoustic guitar I'm doing electric guitar swells Ron Wall autoharp Ron McCoury mandolin Dennis Crouch bass Vitaliy Papelov is doing supplemental acoustic guitar and Jadoo does the rest.
6. Colors Of The Sky (Jack Clift, Frank Kinsel)
Frank Kinsel is one my most frequent co-writers. He has co-written with Johnny Rivers, had his material covered by Al Jarreau and done harmony vocals with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band among other seditious activities. Here again we have the musings of the rambler from a more dreamlike, reflective perspective.
I'm singing lead here backed by my favorite harmonists: The Peasall Sisters. Enver Izmaylov provides tapping, ebow and other guitar atmospherics. Greg Leisz plays acoustic guitar and Weissenborn Ron McCoury mandolin Dennis Crouch bass Ron Miles coronet and the ever present Jadoo
7. Stormalong (traditional)
Legendary New England hero Stormalong John rivals Thor in his mighty adventures and is a great favorite of song and story. I learned this eulogeic version from a recording by Ewan McColl. Utkur Kadirov and Toir Kuziev came up with the Uzbek chorus and we dragged in perhaps twenty singers for the choruses on the night we did the initial tracking.
I'm lead singer on this and Ravshon Namazov does the Uzbek freestyle vocals. Ron Miles provides multiple coronet tracks to create the horn bed. Greg Leisz plays lap steel Dennis Crouch on upright bass
8. Polly's Last Ride (Jack Clift, John Carter Cash)
This is our take of the classic murder ballad Pretty Polly. An updated version that hopefully maintains the charming sociopathic/homicidal tone of its esteemed ancestors. Upon hearing the final mix Jadoo's Toir Kuziev -- who speaks no English -- wanted a translation of the lyrics. It was another priceless moment seeing his face as he heard this darkling tale in his native tongue. He looked deeply concerned, rather disturbed and had absolutely no comment. Guess they don't have too many songs like this in the Uzbek repertoire...
John Carter and I are trading verses again here backed by Greg Leisz on lap steel and Jadoo.
9. Green Grows The Laurel (traditional)
This folk classic of Irish origins was a thorough delight to arrange and record. One of the most gratifying aspects of music production for me is watching the true masters doing their performances in the studio. Marty Stuart's hands really caught my eye as he did his vocal. Like a great conductor or some combination of ballet/kung fu expert his hand motions described every flowing nuance.
There were more than a few moments in the two years of creating this album when I would be struck by the gravity -in my mind, at least- and the absurdity of what I was involved in. What odd series of coincidences, fate, luck, what have you, had placed me in the company of such luminaries, both here and abroad? The answer still eludes me.
Marty Stuart sings lead and plays mandolin. The Peasall Sisters are covering the harmonies Ron Wall plays autoharp Greg Leisz is on Dobro Dennis Crouch on bass Randy Scruggs acoustic guitar and the members of Jadoo
10. Wildwood Flower (A. P. Carter)
This is our Carter Family tribute and presents as a vignette -a journey in miniature from Appalachia to Andijan. Our Uzbeks really had a great time with this and the Americans responded in glorious kind.
I actually was more than a little concerned about how to approach this true Mountain Music standard covered by thousands usually with less than stellar results. The original is just so strong and I'm never quite sure how my Central Asian crew will react to these songs which, though so familiar to us here in the States, are quite simply unknown in Uzbekistan. I need not have feared.
Laura Cash, JCC's wife, champion fiddle player and former bandmate of June Carter Cash, sings the lead with the Peasalls on harmonies Randy Scruggs on acoustic guitar Ron Wall autoharp Dennis Crouch bass Enver Izmaylov tapped guitar I'm playing tremolo Stratocaster and we are -as you may have guessed- proudly backed up by Jadoo.
11. Final Kiss (Jack Clift, Tom Adler)
I've known claw hammer banjo player Tom Adler since high school and he is really fun and inspiring to write with. We have an odd unspoken method that we have used over the years in our composing sessions. We generally begin by talking about some emotionally charged topic until we have worked ourselves into an almost trance-like state. From there the lyrics flow easily. Though we frequently have no idea what they mean in the rational world they make perfect sense to other nut cases of our dubious ilk. Or at least that's what we'll say...
I sing the lead with Jeanne Anne Chapman singing harmony. Tom Adler is playing banjo Randy Scruggs acoustic guitar Dennis Crouch on upright bass Greg Leisz plays lap steel and dobro Ron Miles coronet Ed "Emcee MIA" plays harmonica and, if you listen carefully, Jadoo plays lots of curious and unpronounceable instruments.
12. Sail Away Ladies (traditional)
I believe my Uzbek brethren came away with quite a bit more respect for our American folk tunes after learning this one. With its strange lively melodic theme and odd tempo it seemed a natural for Uzbekification -and what a ball we had! Jadoo keyboard wizard, Nodir Umarov, still whistles this tune to me at random moments and everybody cracks up laughing like it's some inside joke beyond translation.
Prominently featured here are the famed Karnay, a sort of Central Asian long trumpet, played by Kobiljon Shapirov and Nodir Raimov.
Ron McCoury is on mandolin I'm singing the brief refrain Hannah Peasall is singing background vocals. And Jadoo does the rest.
13. Candle (Jack Clift, John Carter Cash)
We took a different writing approach on Candle. A long distance one. While I was recording the basic tracks for the project in Tashkent JCC and I were in pretty regular touch via email and he sent me a lyric sketch that I wrote a melody for and promptly recorded with the Jadoo gang. Later, back in Tennessee, we refined the final and added our bold Americans. We are reflecting on this uncanny journey, better known as life on earth. With a touch of melancholy -- even homesickness -- and the importance of having a home base in the heart.
John Carter Cash sings lead with back up chorus John Cowan Harry Stinson Jeanne Anne Chapman Etta Britt and the Peasall Sisters Greg Leisz plays acoustic guitar and dobro Ron McCoury mandolin Dennis Crouch bass and my Uzbek comrades, who I promise to properly introduce in my next installment, Jadoo.
This video below tells the story of this album:
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GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING. CLICK THE IMAGE. MEET THE CEDAR HILL REFUGEES.
FOR MORE MUSIC FROM JADOO, CHECK OUT THIS ONE AT BILLY'S BUNKER (www.billysbunker.com):
