In a couple of my articles I have mentioned Mick Martin, an excellent flatpicker who I took about a half a dozen guitar lessons from back in the 1970's in Pittsburgh. Mick straightened me out on some guitar playing habits that were holding me back and set me on the path toward better flatpicking. Now, about 30 years later, Mick and I have again been in touch, and Mick has graciously offered to share some flatpicking lessons on this site, which will begin in the near future.What I never knew about Mick is just how great a fingerpicker he is! He has just released a CD of country blues, Revelator, executed in the tradition of the old masters like Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, etc. Mick describes the album as "pure as Appalachian snow," in that it features just Mick and his guitar, without additional accompaniment. Included with the CD is an instructional DVD on which Mick teaches how to play the songs! What a bonus--and what a great concept! Now the instruction is not really designed for the beginning guitarist--but it will certainly inspire and motivate all guitarists to keep moving forward.
The song from which the title of the album is derived, John the Revelator, is the only song in which Mick is accompanied by other musicians: Bruce Foley playing the uilleann pipes and Les Getchell pounding out the beat on the bodhran. These seem like unusual instruments to accompany a traditional Gospel/blues call and response song, but it all works just fine. The driving, steady beat is exciting, yet the mood that it creates is just a bit haunting.
In my opinion, Mick kicks the foundation laid by the old masters up a notch, implementing a wonderful mix of bass runs, double stops and chords. My favorite cut on the CD is the blues standard, St. James Infirmary. Mick's arrangement of the song is quite unique, and I would liken the dynamics of his bass notes and complex (yet bold and punchy) chords in this song to the dynamics Louis Armstrong demonstrated with his horn: raw power under the control of a disciplined musician who knows how to use power. You can hear Mick's rendition of St. James Infirmary (though the audio quality is inferior to what you'll hear if you purchase his CD) as the second of two of Mick's songs posted at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2fYSLiFosc
You can purchase Mick's CD and DVD set for only $16.85--what a deal! Go to Mick's website at:
http://www.mick-martin.com
