Burnt Down House
Ken Waldman
Nomadic Press
2001
17 tracks
Ken Waldman's sometimes eccentric interweaving of poetry and fiddle music wavers between authentic American folk-art and something more literary. Waldman's poetry, both the writing and the reading, falls somewhere between Henry Gibson and Carl Sandburg. Waldman's fiddle creates a musical wallpaper of traditional hoedown music as backdrop for his words. Somewhere in the mix, the totality of Waldman's work transcends just the music and the words to create an extraordinary experience. This is both traditional folk-art and something original and unique that has come out of the world of Ken Waldman.
Waldman performs most often on his own or with Canadian musician Andrea Cooper supporting his fiddle on banjo, flute, and penny whistle. Sometimes, as on certain of the songs on Burnt Down House, he will bring in additional musicians to fill in the spaces between. Always Waldman's fiddle is the centre and the driving force of the music, with the other instruments providing ornament and sometimes grounding.
Most of the fiddle tunes on this release are traditional pieces, popular enough to be readily recognizable. That Waldman knows, loves, and understands this music is clear. The Waldman-written melodies have that same traditional style and blend in well with the rest. Forgetting the poetry for a moment, Burnt Down House is a lovely collection of old-timey music sure to bring out the nostalgia in some of us older folks but lively enough to interest younger listeners as well.
I mentioned Henry Gibson, and some of you may find this strange given his context as a regular drop-in on the old Laugh-In television program. As a young poet, I had watched Gibson with interest, trying to sort out whether his readings were simply parody or there was something more to his words than that. I came to the conclusion that many of his brief poetic homilies had a philosophic depth beyond the context in which they were set. Was Gibson a more serious poet than many had imagined? Here's a clue. Say his stage-name, Henry Gibson, several times real fast. Now, doesn't it start to sound a lot like the name of the philosophical Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen? While seeming homespun, Waldman's verses also suggest that there may be some deeper universal truths hidden between the lines.
A former college professor, Waldman remains a teacher, touring across the United States teaching writing skills to students at institutions ranging from public schools to colleges and universities. He may live in a cabin in Alaska, but Ken Waldman is no untrained rural prodigy writing folksy tales. At his best, Waldman rises to meet the best of American poetry. In the new century, his words have an old-fashioned folksy feel, but such writing was once at the centre of American literary poetry. Waldman tells his stories in the direct, plain but literate English style recognizable in the work of Carl Sandburg, among others. Waldman's settings are a northern analogue to the New England rural scenes painted by Robert Frost, although usually not so metaphorical as Frost's work.
In his performance, Waldman also seems to blend Sandburg and Gibson in a way that enhances the work being presented. Waldman tells his stories in a style that is dry, but not emotionless, letting the words themselves carry the story. It is this that reminds me of Sandburg's reading style, equally dry and tinged with a midwestern accent. Waldman's accent is not midwestern and only adds to the sense that there's a bit of Henry Gibson somewhere in his heart. There's a quiet southern feel to Waldman's accent, not a heavy drawl but just enough to soften the edges of his speech and lull the listener into comfortable acceptance of the words.
Ken Waldman, who calls himself the Alaskan fiddling poet, is one of those unique artists who transcend the worlds of folk-art and high art and reside in a special world of their own making. Often such an artist can just seem weird. Waldman has avoided that label and has discovered a way to bring literature to the front verandah and the kitchen table while at the same time making folk-art acceptable in literary circles. This is a remarkable talent.
Discover the wonderful world of Alaska's fiddling poet Ken Waldman at www.kenwaldman.com. You can find an mp3 clip of the title song of Burnt Down House here. Read my previous review of Ken Waldman's release A Week in Eek at Sound Bytes.
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