Good acoustics The best jazz, blues, and folk of ’04 BY BOB GULLA

Last week we discussed the best albums of the year in the high decibel category. This week we take it down a few notches to discuss acoustic music of various stripes — folk, roots, jazz, avant-garde — along with some satisfyingly electric blues. Herein, the best of the year (that I had the pleasure of hearing).

Atwater-Donnelly: The Blackest Crow (Rabbit Island Music)

Another heartwarming celebration of folk music from our own acoustic heroes/scholars Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly. It’s their eighth effort, and a beautifully recorded one at that. At this rate, they just might achieve the lofty goal they set for themselves: to help rescue folk music from the jaws of obscurity.

Black Forest/Black Sea: Radiant Symmetry (Last Visible Dog)

This live recording serves as a sort of memento from the group — which features Jeffrey Alexander and Miriam Goldberg, plus guests — and their international tour of early last year. It showcases the duet’s darkly courageous improvisations and their ability to create marvelous soundscapes from nothing more than the brave fingers of talented musicians.

John Fuzek: A Dog’s Age (ZoZoCo)

It’s been a long time since John Fuzek’s come up with a CD of his own, and it sure does sound good to hear the folksinger back into it, digging, digging, digging into a whole new batch of songs. There’s some nice insight here lyrically and some memorable melodies as well, both essentials for folksingers.

Paul Geremia: Love, Murder and Mosquitos (Red House)

Yep, I’m pretty sure Paul Geremia prefers not to be called a local treasure. The image conjures something you’d find in a South Main antique store. Still, Geremia’s album this year allows him to retain his exalted status among acoustic fingerpickers not only ’round here, but internationally.

Katahdin’s Edge: Step Away

Pianist Willie Myette proved he had a flair for melody and arranging on his recent solo outing, This Is Jazz. Now Step Away brings hefty doses of drama, depth, and movement to the table. The title cut begins with an acid-jazzy rhythm track running under everything like white water, while Myette lays fleet and beautiful hooks atop it. The piece, and the disc, demand the listener’s attention and keeps it for the entire session. Sublime stuff.

Al Basile: Red Breath (Sweetspot)

Al Basile/Jerry Portnoy/Duke Robillard: Blue Ink (Sweetspot)

Two nifty projects — sonic companions, in a sense — from cornetist Al Basile. The first is a jazzy excursion across a landscape of American Songbook standards and a bunch of his own that sound like standards, done with Duke Robillard, Marty Richards, Marty Ballou, and Paul Odeh. The second is a tasty blues-based treat, also with Robillard and harmonica dude Jerry Portnoy. Both explore very different turf, and inspire an entirely different spectrum of emotions, but both have Basile’s ample heart and soul at their core.

Ryan Fitzsimmons: Open All Night (WSB)

With a compelling aesthetic intact, the young Fitzsimmons seems to have a promising road laid out for him. Part storyteller, part poet, part melodicist, his best tunes recall the work of folk icons like John Gorka and Suzanne Vega.

Planet Groove: Rojo Vivo

There’s some cool Latin-style electricity going on with Planet Groove, an energy that translates well live and on record. Rumors have it that a new disc is in the works. It sure will be interesting to see/hear where the Latin/pop/rock band goes from here.

Duke Robillard, J. Geils, Gerry Beaudoin: New Guitar Summit (Stony Plain)

Very tasty playing from Robillard, of course, who is both a master of disguises and a jack-of-all-trades with his collection of hollow-body guitars, his library of licks, and an encyclopedic vocabulary of roots music vernacular.

Marcy Lang: Not That Complicated (Mackie Boy)

Good sound, good voice, good vision. Marcy Lang can groove, she can kick back, and she can just let the sound of her voice do the talking. Indeed, she’s got a lot going for her, and now a solid debut recording, one of the best local acoustic sets of the year, is here to show for it.

Greg Hodde and the Blue Miracles

Hodde’s first CD as a bandleader, provides a solid framework for the blues-rock guitarist’s mad skills. He’s obviously inspired by a variety of six-stringers, from iconic axemen like Jimi and Stevie Ray to slightly less well-known folks like Gary Moore and Luther Allison.

More Rock on TV. From January 8 to January 29, The Mike Messier Show, airing Friday nights/Saturday mornings from 3 to 5 a.m. on Cox Channel 13, features an in-depth interview with Southern Rap recording artist Prince EQ, who discusses how to be successful and profitable as an independent, unsigned artist through Internet distribution without high upfront costs — essential viewing for musicians looking to get ahead in the competitive business of entertainment. Other acts on this episode include B-Lite, a Providence-based old school hip-hop meets Andy Warhol multi-media artist/rapper, and the Suicide Girls’ popular "Rock ’n’ Roll Burlesque."

Wandering Eye. Greg Hodde and the Blue Miracles do their thing on Friday (the 7th) at Mulhearn’s Pub in East Providence, then next Friday (the 14th) at Rusty’s (formerly Overflo’s) in Middletown. Another busy bunch is Black & White, who seem to be in da club just about every Friday and Saturday night. This Friday, they’re at Tinker’s Nest in Warren and on Saturday (the 8th) they’re at Rusty’s.

Lucy Kaplansky has been a part of the national folk music scene for some time now, even though she briefly left it behind to earn her doctorate in psychology. Perhaps that is one reason many of her faithful look to her for insightful lyrics. She’ll return to Stone Soup on Saturday at 8 p.m. It’s located at the Arts Center of the Boy & Girls Club of Pawtucket (210 Main Street). Tickets are $16 and can be purchased in advance at the Slater Mill Gift Shop or by calling 725-8918.

E-mail me your music news, OK? It’s bigdaddy1@cox.net.