Ragtime is not everyone's forte. Similarly, Americana is a fairly niche area. Usually wide appeal isn’t really associated with either, yet guitarist Jack Rose manages to expand these areas so that almost everyone can find something to appreciate about them.
Unfortunately, talking in present tense about the acoustic guitarist is misleading. After spending his career reinventing his favourite music (as he described in an interview in 2007, "anything that’s pre-1942") into something relevant even 60+ years later, the Philadelphia-based artist suffered a heart attack and died at age 38 last year.
While Rose’s first posthumous and tenth release
Luck In The Valley was released some weeks ago, this music should really should be heard by as many people as possible. Hence the purpose of this post. But that’s not to say he wasn’t appreciated when he was alive; peers including Devendra Banhart knew that Rose was, well, just as his name described.
Jack Rose 'Woodpiles On The Side Of The Road':
More about
Luck In The Valley at
thrilljockey.com.