Willie King Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 I've been listening to the new CD by Norman Blake. The guitars he uses on are sonic wonders, rich sonority flows out enveloping the old, quavering voice as it plods through story songs. There is some rag time picking and a slower march of flat picking. He lets you know what is on his mind and he would be quick to tell you that this is probably his last recording. Interestingly, it has a timeless quality and when he sings about old timers one may be inclined to believe that he is thinking of his own life. At the very least he is drawing from his vast experience in this world. It has been a a long while since he came at us with long, cascading showers of fast and furious notes. Like an old single malt, he brings us a sound that is a precious gift only good ingredients and time can create. It has been a long road from those heady days with Johnny Cash and the Steam Powered Areo days, but his picking is still facile and his wit as sharp as ever. He sings of old men playing banner guitars and such. The editing is interesting like they caught him in mid phrase speaking or picking but everything between the cut in and out is first class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Norman Blake is in a league of his own, one of the true modern legends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfish Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Nice review Willie, now I remember he had a new album coming out. Thanks for the heads up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Saw Norman & Nancy perform a number of times back in the late '70s & early '80s, in very small venues. Intimate performances & beautiful music - leaving wonderful memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 I guess I have some inside information about Norman I can share. Two Mondays ago we where in Flintstone GA at the home of Cindy Pinion to attend a house concert by a folk group from Canada (Naming the Twins) on her back porch. Norman and Nancy live just down the road, and for the past several years Norman has played at Cindy's bluegrass festival nearby in May -- The Boxcar Pinion Memorial Festival. Nancy had planned to attend the concert according to Cindy, but changed her mind at the last moment. The news is that Norman now reports he is totally retired and will perform no more in public. He called off his show at Cindy's festival, which is very close to his home. So if he sticks to his decision, we have seen the last of him in public. He is now 78. I would not be surprised if there were more recordings though. Here is a picture from last years Boxcar Pinion Festival. I think I need to unsnap my flat hat. Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 I guess I have some inside information about Norman I can share. Two Mondays ago we where in Flintstone GA at the home of Cindy Pinion to attend a house concert by a folk group from Canada (Naming the Twins) on her back porch. Norman and Nancy live just down the road, and for the past several years Norman has played at Cindy's bluegrass festival nearby in May -- The Boxcar Pinion Memorial Festival. Nancy had planned to attend the concert according to Cindy, but changed her mind at the last moment. The news is that Norman now reports he is totally retired and will perform no more in public. He called off his show at Cindy's festival, which is very close to his home. So if he sticks to his decision, we have sen the last of him in public. He is now 78. I would not be surprised if there were more recordings though. Here is a picture from last years Boxcar Pinion Festival. I think I need to unsnap my flat hat. Best, -Tom Gorgeous Nick Lucas he is playing there. It's sad to see someone who has performed for so long, and who is so greatly admired, retire from public performance. But he's earned the right to do whatever he wants with the rest of his life. I wish him well. Tom, didn't you either buy a guitar from him, or sell one to him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Tom, didn't you either buy a guitar from him, or sell one to him? More like "traded guitars" I would say. He lives a couple of hours from me, and a mutual friend who sometimes plays with -- and does guitar work for -- Norman let it be know that Norman was looking to trade. It was 2005 -- I told Norman what I might want to trade and he invited us up. Ultimately we made two trips and spent the better part of two afternoons there. I got to see and play all his guitars - what a treat. He is just as charming in person as he is on stage. These are the three we went home with: c. 1930 Larson Brothers, 1934 00-40H Martin; and c. 1895 Almcrantz The Martin is this one -- he played it a lot from the early 1990s to 2005. It was unforgettable for sure. Best, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 24, 2017 Share Posted February 24, 2017 Damn! No more Norman😧 Must acquire that CD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 More like "traded guitars" I would say. He lives a couple of hours from me, and a mutual friend who sometimes plays with -- and does guitar work for -- Norman let it be know that Norman was looking to trade. It was 2005 -- I told Norman what I might want to trade and he invited us up. Ultimately we made two trips and spent the better part of two afternoons there. I got to see and play all his guitars - what a treat. He is just as charming in person as he is on stage. These are the three we went home with: c. 1930 Larson Brothers, 1934 00-40H Martin; and c. 1895 Almcrantz The Martin is this one -- he played it a lot from the early 1990s to 2005. It was unforgettable for sure. Best, -Tom Nice looking guitars Tom. What did you give up (guitar wise) for them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Nice looking guitars Tom. What did you give up (guitar wise) for them?b There were two guitars on our side. A 1921 0-21 Martin and a 1935 D-28 -- we had two 1935 D-28s. The D-28 was a player grade -- a lot of non-original stuff -- but it played and sounded like heaven. Dollarwise, it was pretty much an even honest trade if you don't add any value because Norman used the 00-40H so much. So I was/am happy. The 00-40H is a force of nature -- you can see why he used it so much. -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Dollarwise, it was pretty much an even honest trade if you don't add any value because Norman used the 00-40H so much. So I was/am happy. The 00-40H is a force of nature -- you can see why he used it so much. -Tom Tom, I assume the 00-40H was converted from Hawaiian to Spanish it some point, maybe in modern times, maybe deep in the past. Could you talk about what was done, when, and by whom? For example, was the neck re-shaped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Tom, I assume the 00-40H was converted from Hawaiian to Spanish it some point, maybe in modern times, maybe deep in the past. Could you talk about what was done, when, and by whom? For example, was the neck re-shaped? Inquiring minds want to know! I've always been curious about the subject, especially given that he's mentioned having an affinity for conversions of that sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Tom, I assume the 00-40H was converted from Hawaiian to Spanish it some point, maybe in modern times, maybe deep in the past. Could you talk about what was done, when, and by whom? For example, was the neck re-shaped? John Arnold did the conversion. I don't know all the details -- I know John Arnold and I could ask I guess. The neck was not shaped for sure. One of my (questionable) skills is I can play equally (badly?) on most neck geometries -- when you are consumed by the sound of old guitars, you better be able to play on a lot of necks. Also a marker was added at the third fret because Norman wanted one there. Norman will change a guitar in a New York minute if he thinks it makes it better for him to play. His standard setup is really unique. He uses a very heavy low E string -- like a .60 -- and he uses a very light high E string -- lik a 10. He also carves notches in the saddle and cuts extra slots in the nut to change the string spacing, giving more space on the low string. Here are some pictures. Norman said he was willing to let it go because he had two other "similar" guitars -- a pair of 00-45s from the late 20s and mid 30s. That was true for us too -- we had two 1935 D-28s and a 1921 0-28, very like the 0-21. The 00-40H needed a neck set -- I expect that is why it may have been on the block. That is no big deal for us -- that is almost always true for old Martins. For me, the low E was too close to the edge -- we went back to a standard setup. I guess i am not Norman. He also said the tuners were not original -- he said the originals were no good so he put on the ones that from his D-18H -- another famous guitar. Works for me. Here is a picture of Norman with the 0-21 -- I see he recently sold it through Carter's in Nashville. Let's pick, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie King Posted February 26, 2017 Author Share Posted February 26, 2017 Funny how this ended up about guitars. Who da thunk it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Thank you Tom. I'd noticed (or wondered if I had actually seen what I thought I saw) a couple of the variations you mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Funny how this ended up about guitars. Who da thunk it? Ah, Willie, ya just can't go wrong w/Norman Blake☺ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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