River Deep and Wide (1931 National Triolian Guitar, Harmonica) 2:00
Last Kind Word Blues/Mikitka (Geeshie Wiley/Aaron Lebedeff) 2:28
Fun Tashlich (Naftule Brandwein) 6:30
Now is the Needy Time, traditional gospel 11:00
Steam (Harmonica)
Old Country Harmonica Lament 13:30
Old Country Harmonica Stomp 15:00
Eyes Like Diamonds (1940s Gibson L-00 Guitar, Harmonica, Finger-Mounted Cymbal) 17:40
Ma Yofus, (Belf’s Romanian Orchestra) 18:25
Mississippi Bo Weavil Blues (Charley Patton) 23:00
Poor Boy Long Way From Home/Blue Yodel #3 (Booker White/ Jimmie Rodgers) 27:05
This is basically what I do when I play for my own amusement in the comfort of my own boudoir. On this recording there are tunes from various traditions, mostly pre-WWII, rendered on the guitar. After a few times through, I like to slowly ferment them, gently encouraging a little rot to point them in the direction of the compost underworld. When it works, I turn around just in time like Orpheus or kimchi. It’s a pleasant ramble and it’s good for your digestion too apparently.
The harmonica was overdubbed and mostly plays the role of the “response” to the guitar’s “call”, thus completing the necessary components for the lament that is so essential to many of these genres. I got into klezmer harmonica over COVID and I can do a few things alright but I’m always looking for a better harmonica player in case you know one.
You’ll notice some actual archival recordings overdubbed on two tracks: Mitkitka by Aaron Lebedeff over my own interpretation of Last Kind Word Blues (Geeshie Wiley) and Jimmie Rodgers’ Blue Yodel #3 over my own rendition of Poor Boy a Long Way From Home (Booker White). I did this mostly because the thoughts in my own head are more like a montage than anything but also because it shows how these genres can cross boundaries via the grammar of lament.
There’s a lot to more to say about that (https://blankp.substack.com/p/lament-the-book) but really you can just listen and figure it out.
If you wanna participate, and I hope you will, send me something. Anything. Just know I reserve the right to chop it up and play it in a robot voice or something.
I played all the instruments over the course of one day locked in by a snowstorm in Philly, Jan 26th 2026.