Contemporary folk music lost one of its brightest stars with the passing of Jack Rose last December. Along with Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance), Sir Richard Bishop, and DC fav James Blackshaw, Rose was counted among the best acoustic guitar players of the post-John Fahey era and was just 38 when his life was tragically cut short by a heart attack. Like Fahey, Rose was fascinated by the music of pre-WWII America, and was highly regarded not only as a musician but as a connoisseur and collector of early recordings. Self-taught on the 6-, 12-string and lap steel guitar, Rose's material owes obvious debts to his influences - blues, bluegrass, Fahey's "American Primitive" improvisations, Indian ragas, contemporary minimalism - but possesses an undeniable spark of true originality. "Finally," observes Ben Chasny, "somebody has something to say on the acoustic guitar that hasn't been said before."

Rose took nine months off from his normally hectic touring schedule to write and record Luck In The Valley, due 2/23 on Thrill Jockey, and though it's technically a "studio" album, each track, whether solo or with friends, represents a live take with no edits or overdubs. Several are first takes. "I wanted the songs to have an immediacy and spontaneity as they were being recorded," said Rose. Prodigious and playful, Luck In The Valley will be treasured as a classic by fans of the guitarist and hopefully serve new listeners as a gateway drug to his mind-expanding back catalog. Rose, as he so often did in his performances, went out on a high note.

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Jack Rose - Woodpiles On The Side Of The Road (From Luck In The Valley)

Video: Jack Rose - Kensington Blues live