iTUNING IN . . .

For years, I had an iPod that held around 4000 tunes. When I first got it, that capacity seemed far more than enough, but I eventually exceeded that limit and had to resort to cycling certain CDs and artists and songs in and out of the mix, depending on my listening interests or moods at any given time. (Not that I could ever have listened to 4000 tunes non-stop . . . but the potential to do so was certainly “empowering”!) Inevitably, that overworked iPod gave up the ghost and I graduated to a model that will hold upwards of 20,000 tunes . . . which means no more cycling . . . which also means that as I’ve built my library up to more than 7000 tunes I’m rediscovering (or at least revisiting) certain recordings that were part of the “cycling” program. I have to say that I’ve taken particular pleasure in re-tuning in to a couple of recordings featuring friends of mine.

One of those is a CD titled Must I Holler by a band with a highly unlikely—and thus highly memorable—name: Whoa! Man! Jesus! If I recall correctly, the name derives from the responses the band heard from their first awestruck audience: a literal case of first impressions becoming lasting impressions. I regret that I never got to see W!M!J! perform live; for a while they had regular gigs at local venues (always late on weekend nights when I would be on chauffeur duty for my teenage daughters), and they also did a bit of touring. Rumor has it that the band has now disbanded. But they live on by way of Must I Holler, which captures them in all their “roots music” glory. Comprising two guitars and drums (one of the guitarists being my friend Wayne Rhodes), the trio performs a heady hybrid of blues-folk-delta boogie distinguished by a catchy rhythmic pulse, earthy vocals, and sinuous slide-guitar work. They are a tight unit, and I have to say that there’s something contagious about their songs (including a couple that attempt to detach Jesus from the clutches of the American religious right wing). Beyond their CD, W!M!J! lives on via YouTube—some live performances and also a very engaging MTV-style video of “O Rosalyn,” the opening tune on their CD.

Another CD that I re-loaded onto my iPod is Winter Gifts by Peter Janson, who teaches guitar and directs the student jazz ensemble at UMass Boston. As its title suggest—and as the specific tunes reinforce—this CD has a “seasonal” flavor to it; perhaps that it is why, when I first listened to it a year or so ago, I immediately thought of mulled wine! Listening to it recently, though, I’ve modified my tasting metaphor: Peter’s delicately inflected arrangements for finger-style solo acoustic guitar actually bring to my mind the language used by reviewers of fine wines—“a hint of toasted hazelnut with floral notes and black cherry accents,” for example. In others words, his playing is highly nuanced, whether cued up as background music or as music to be listened to attentively. To my ears, this CD fully justifies the accolades Peter has received over the years from acoustic guitar aficionados. Winter Gifts was in our Holiday Season mix last December; I'm happy to have it permanently on my iPod now.