Back
in 2010, Ohio based guitarist Neil Jacobs released his 5th
solo album Twelve String Guitar and in 2014 he follows up with
The Peasant Sabbatical. The 13 track CD features
a fresh album filled with Neils imaginative instrumental 12
string guitar-based sounds. Among the original tracks are traditional
songs from places like Serbia and Bulgaria and theres even a
tribute to a 2006 massacre of Amish school children in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania that Neil has sagaciously turned into music on his 12
string guitar sound. Commenting on the title of his latest CD, Neil
explains, The Peasant Sabbatical is a tongue in cheek
description of my journey. I like to refer to the Peasant Sabbatical
as one that you embark on willingly, and without the assurance of
a guaranteed reward. At one point we toyed with using the tarot Fool
Card to represent the CD, meaning that the peasant sabbatical
was undertaken with naiveté and perhaps misplaced confidence.
Many of my travels were serendipitous, and certainly off the beaten
path. In his track by track liner notes, Neil takes you
through the discography information for each track while also mentioning
the various musicians that accompany his instrumental arrangements.
The Peasant Sabbatical is a fantastic, global journey of instrumental
music created by a master of the 12 string acoustic guitar. www.NeilJacobs.com
mwe3.com presents an interview with
NEIL JACOBS
mwe3:
Where are you from originally and where do you live now and what do
you like best about it?
Neil Jacobs: I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in
the little town of Hinckley, which is most famous for the buzzards
returning every March, which is somewhat analogous to the Swallows
of Capistrano - but not exactly. Now I reside on the shores
of Lake Michigan in Western Michigan, where I am appreciating the
calmness and natural beauty of the area. In the past, I have resided
in numerous countries, as well as numerous cities throughout the USA.
mwe3: Your 2014 CD The Peasant Sabbatical, the song
of which is also the lead off title track, features you recording
with several musicians. Who plays with you on that track and the album
overall, and how do you feel the title track sets the tone for the
album and how did you arrive with the title?
Neil Jacobs: Elizabeth Blickenstaff does a very nice job on
the violin, as well Sid Omasta on upright bass. They complete the
central trio of instruments in The Peasant Sabbatical.
This is the first time that I have worked with them on one of my CD
projects, and was quite pleased with the result. Due to financial
and travel restrictions, I was not present for much of the recording.
Fortunately, this is the first project where I completely scored the
music prior to recording, and Craig Markley did a great job as engineer.
Often we had to communicate by telephone during sessions while I was
on the road.
The Peasant Sabbatical is a tongue in cheek description
of my journey. I like to refer to the Peasant Sabbatical
as one that you embark on willingly, and without the assurance of
a guaranteed reward. At one point we toyed with using the tarot Fool
Card to represent the CD, meaning that the peasant sabbatical
was undertaken with naiveté and perhaps misplaced confidence.
Many of my travels were serendipitous, and certainly off the beaten
path.
mwe3: Tell us about working with producer Craig Markley and
recording at Lone Raven Studios. Who else was did you work with during
the creation of The Peasant Sabbatical?
Neil Jacobs: Craig played a major role in keeping the project
on track, and was flexible working around my travel schedule. We are
both perfectionists, and brought varied perspectives to the project.
Craig demonstrated amazing patience and steadfastness, as well as
making the most of a modest studio setting. He also added some touches
of other instruments such as accordion, bawu, percussion and low whistle.
In the past, my prior CD projects were less produced, and were more
intended to reflect an actual performance,. It was interesting for
me to have the songs reflect some additional production. His daughter,
Kara Markley, also added some nice violin on the harmony parts.
mwe3:
You were mentioning that youre recording truly global on this
CD, while so many artists all over the world are espousing the Americana
sound these days but I can see The Peasant Sabbatical having
wide ranging appeal. Track 2 on The Peasant Sabbatical, Moj
Dilbere (My Darling) has influences from the Balkans. How and
when did you become so influenced by music from that part of the world
as most people probably couldnt find it on the map!
Neil Jacobs: Americana seems to be an area of major focus in
acoustic music today, and there are a lot of great artists recording
some wonderful music in that expanding genre. Unfortunately, (or fortunately)
that is not what interests me musically. I have always been comfortable
taking a different approach musically, and I suppose adopting the
12-string guitar as my primary instrument was the starting point.
Many of my previous CDs, such as Cold Fish, American Gypsy,
and 12-String Guitar certainly are good examples of not following
the crowd. I believe there is a rich tradition of music from the Balkans
and Eastern Europe, with a remarkable confluence of musical styles
and cultures with instrumentation that has been underrepresented in
American music. Many of the songs I chose have interesting histories
going back centuries, and have timeless subjects.
mwe3: Track 3, Amish Autumn harks back to America
but in a kind of strange way as its based on a massacre of Amish
children in 2006. How did you come across that story and was it a
haunting topic to work around? The song also features you on both
12 string and mando-cello. How well does that sound work as a team
and how do you balance the two instruments in one track?
Neil
Jacobs: Something about that story touched me. I dont know
why, with so many other terrible tragedies in the world. Perhaps it
had to do with innocence, and helplessness, and unbelievable forgiveness
displayed by the Amish community.
I am drawn to the deep dark richness of the mando-cello. I was looking
to add a sinister edge in the background, and the mando-cello fit
perfectly. It is an instrument that you feel more than
actually hear. Amish Autumn was one of those songs that
was written in a few minutes in its entirety, which is quite rare
for me.
mwe3: What instruments did you feature on the CD and were there
different guitars or stringed instruments featured? Have there been
any new developments in the guitar world for you? Theres a great
picture of your guitars on the back cover of the CD booklet. Can you
mention a few of those instruments?
Neil Jacobs: My main guitar was the James Goodall 12-string.
I also used my iconic 1975 Alvarez Yairi on Niska Banja.
This was my original 12-string guitar which is pictured on all my
promotional materials and discs. I also played a 1917 Gibson mando-cello,
an authentic macedonian folk tambura, and a collection of tamburitza
instruments including a G brac, G prim, and D prim.
mwe3: The Klezmer influence appears on Itchikil.
How big an influence is Klezmer on you and does that music have roots
in the Eastern Europe sound? Klezmer seems to be quite a long lasting
genre.
Neil Jacobs: Admittedly, I have little knowledge of Klezmer
music, perhaps because it doesnt translate to the 12-string
guitar readily. I became fascinated as of recently, after performing
with the Klezmatics at the Carnegie Hall (the one in Pittsburgh).
The version of the frailach, Itchikil, from the Peasant
Sabbatical CD is perhaps just the beginning of me delving into
this rich music tradition. However, reviews of the past CD, American
Gypsy have surprisingly cited Klezmer influences in
the music.
mwe3: Night Of The Nestinari was inspired by Bulgarian
fire dancing. What is that, did you witness it, and how
did it influence that song? You mentioned that track is related to
another track on your 2010 CD 12 String Guitar? Do you sometimes
revisit earlier tracks or revise them / rerecord them?
Neil
Jacobs: I participated in UNESCOs Balkan Youth Reclamation
Program in Bulgaria soon after the war, which allowed me the opportunity
to experience some of the music and culture of Bulgaria. One of the
stops along the journey was where I witnessed the remarkable barefoot
fire-dancing ritual in Southern Bulgaria. I originally
introduced this tune as The Llama and the Dragon on the
solo 12-String Guitar CD, but it truly had its roots in
Bulgaria with the nestinarvo. The Peasant Sabbatical allowed
me to orchestrate it a bit, letting the melody be carried primarily
by the violin.
mwe3: Last Cocek In Sarajevo is kind of exotic
sounding. Whats the story behind that track? When was it written
and what was it like performing in Sarajevo after the Balkan war?
When was that, and was there a real danger of you getting killed at
that point?
Neil Jacobs: An accordionist on the Zivili tour
introduced me a similar piece of unknown origin. I have rearranged
it extensively. We performed a version of this Cocek
on the final stop on our Refugee Camp Tour at a major
concert event in Central Sarajevo soon after the war. The concert
was performed on a massive stage with a corresponding grand sound
system constructed only hours prior to the concert amidst the rubble
of the inner city. At that time, Sarajevo was still in shambles, with
the danger of land mines remaining off the walkways. At the concerts
conclusion, and even before we could exit the stage, the city square
was cast into complete darkness for the remainder of the night, leaving
us helplessly wandering in the darkness.
I never really felt like I was in grave danger, but then again, I
had become somewhat numb to the chaos and danger, after weeks of traveling
by bus through numerous destroyed towns and villages in Croatia and
Bosnia.
The Cocek as a music and dance form has a fascinating
history, and is especially challenging on the 12-string guitar.
mwe3: Jiffy Jig is very short and has Celtic and
Balkan influences. How would you compare the Celtic and Balkan influences
on your music and that track?
Neil Jacobs: This is another formerly solo guitar piece that
I added an ensemble to fill it out a bit. I am told by Celtic aficionados
that it is not really a jig, which I concede is probably true, so
therefore I was free to to add tamburitza, violin, and swing bass.
I think the tamburitza sound compliments this quasi-pseudo-Irish jig.
mwe3:
Can you tell us about your finger technique in both left and right
hand techniques you use? How hard was it to master the acoustic 12
string and do you have a 12 string electric? Do you still practice
guitar? Who are your favorite 12 string guitarists, both acoustic
and electric?
Neil Jacobs: From my youth on, I really never copied other
guitarists, or for that matter listened to other guitarists very often.
This is probably due to fact that I was quite shy, lacked confidence,
and therefore was easily intimidated. Secondly, I had no innate ability
or interest for imitating others playing styles. Needless to
say, there are so many great guitarists, that one could spend a lifetime
emulating them. I just went my own way.
Following one year of basic lessons, from then on, I essentially was
self taught. I studied troubadour harp later which lead to me inventing
my signature circular strumming technique on the 12-string
guitar, which as far as I know has not been copied, although I wouldnt
be surprised. I can date it to a recording in 1978. My finger-picking
style utilizes all five fingers. At the time I was ignorant of the
fact that using the pinky was not an orthodox style. When I am not
finger-picking, which is most of the time, I use a a paper thin nylon
pick, and try to play bass percussion, lead, and harmony simultaneously...
as effectively as possible. I am for the most part, what most guitarists
have commented on, a right-handed guitarist.
mwe3: U Stambolu na Bodforu (Istanbul On The Bosporus)
has some interesting liner notes! Is the lore and mystique behind
these stories fascinating to you? It is amazing the folklore associated
with some of these tracks. How do you balance the 12 string and tamboura
on these tracks? How and when did you start playing tamboura and Craig
Markley adds some great accordion. Your guitar work sounds like a
bouzouki on this track!
Neil
Jacobs: It was great fun researching the song lyrics and themes
of much of the music. The Sevdah music tradition involves a rich confluence
of musical traditions including Sephardic, Turkish, Balkan, Gypsy,
etc.
The lyrics are often dark emotional love songs, with non PC subject
matter. I tried to print out some examples within the liner notes
of the CD to give the listener a flavor of the themes to the music.
The tambura (or sargija) is one of my favorite instruments from the
region. It is basically a wooden two course bouzouki-like instrument,
perhaps just slightly less harsh than a Greek bouzouki with only two
double courses of strings. One set is a drone, so you are left with
one set to play the melody. Needless to say you have to learn to move
quickly in a linear fashion playing it.
I learned the tambura while touring with the Zivili music
and dance ensemble. I attribute my exposure to a lot of the music
from this region to my years performing with Zivili. The
guitar style is another minor rhythm guitar invention where I tremolo
the bass note on the beat one, and strum the chord on beat two. Its
nothing fancy, but it compliments other tremolo-ed instruments such
as the mando-cello and the tambura. Craig adds some nice touches on
the accordion to give the song some nice color.
mwe3: The intro and main track of Kolo Macabre Waltz
features a kind of Gypsy music influence. Its unusual in that
you adapt it to both Balkan music and a Gypsy music flavored waltz
tempo, which you add is almost never done. How does Gypsy music fit
into the mix of music on The Peasant Sabbatical?
Neil Jacobs: The word kolo is a Balkan word
for dance. Macabre refers to Dance Macabre
from the Gypsy influenced music of Camille Saint-Saens of the
19th century. The waltz is a romantic form of dance music, so I guess
it all fits together somehow. This was originally written as a dark
waltz on solo 12-string guitar. The addition of violin brightens and
romanticized it a bit, but it was inspired by a long refugee camp
bus excursion through the Balkans immediately following the war. It
is an interesting piece that perhaps has strayed from its original
intention.
mwe3: Track 11 Cross At The Mostar Bridge an original
track and is a showcase of the album. Discussing that track, you related
how you toured performing at refugee camps in the Balkans. What year
was that and what was that like and how do you feel that experience
impacted your musical vision and composing? What do you feel was the
real cause of that war and how has the area recovered since then?
Neil
Jacobs: This song attempts to convey some of the experience of
witnessing the aftermath of the war in the Balkans utilizing the historic
Mostar Bridge as an example. I deliberately drew on the tamburitzas
to form the background orchestra, and let the 12-string guitar and
the dark mando-cello carry the melody.
In the aftermath of the tragic Balkan War of the early 1990s, I embarked
on a tour performing at refugee camps and orphanages throughout the
Balkans with the Zivili music and dance ensemble. After
the final concert in Sarajevo, I decided to leave safety of the tour
group, and travel through Bosnia to the sacred visionary town of Medjugorje,
and then on to the formerly besieged coastal city of Dubrovnik. Along
the way, I encountered the bombed out fractured city of Mostar, where
the bus line terminated on the Bosnian Muslim territory, separated
by the remains of the destroyed iconic Mostar Bridge that once proudly
spanned the Neretva River.
In order to connect with the bus terminal on Croatian side, one needed
to weave a trail between the gaping craters of once majestic mosques
and cathedrals, around menacing tanks, and over a precarious temporary
cable bridge, in order to continue on the journey. The reasons for
the war is a complicated subject, with varying opinions depending
on which group you are consulting. The conflicts are centuries old,
and involve language, culture, religion, and ethnicity. I taught a
course at a University in New York touching on this subject, and suffice
to say, it is a historically rich topic, but not easily summed up
in a short interview.
mwe3: Niska Banja is another Serbian dance tune.
How did you find that track and how did you structure the arrangement
for the six players on that track? It seems to be the most freewheeling
of all these songs.
Neil Jacobs: This is a classic Serbian dance tune in 9/8 often
accompanied by some bawdy lyrics, see the CD liner notes. The title
translated means the bathhouse in Niska, Serbia. This
is clearly not the classic arrangement of Niska Banja, but I had a
lot of fun with the instrumentation.
mwe3: Home Again closes The Peasant Sabbatical.
It almost sounds like a glad to back home track after all the
world music on this amazing CD. Tell us about the halcyon duende
guitar style you mention in the liner notes. It seems very relaxing
and clearly the most Americana of all the tracks here.
Neil
Jacobs: This song was practically an afterthought composed while
in the studio. We recorded a take, and then Craig thought we should
try a second take just in case... To our surprise they were exactly
in time, so it became unison 12-string guitar duet with a natural
crystalline shimmer.
The term halcyon duende originally comes from a review
of an earlier CD, either Secret Places or World
Blue, where these two words were combined to describe my music.
I had to look them both up in the dictionary.
Halcyon is a special word for calm, peaceful, tranquil.
Duende is originally a Spanish word for charm or enchantment.
I like the feeling I get when I imagine those words used together.
I have been traveling 30 years or more in some fascinating and anxiety
provoking situations, and it is nice to come home and rest. This song
might also provide a hint at my next CDs focus.
mwe3: The beauty of The Peasant Sabbatical is that,
being all instrumental, it will sound fascinating to everyone in every
country. How can you reach out to people and get them to hear your
unique perspective on what is truly world music and quite timeless
music? Do you receive airplay in many countries around the globe?
Where would you like to take your music next and I can only hope,
at some point, youll be playing this music live for guitar fans
far and wide.
Neil
Jacobs: As an independent artist, it is a daunting task to take
on too heavily the promotional aspects of the music business. There
are only so many hours in the day, and I like to spend as much time
with the creative process of music production as possible. That being
said, I am planning to concentrate more energy promoting this CD than
I have in the past, as well as getting this CD into the hands of people
who have a passion for non-typical music that often falls through
the cracks. In the past I have received airplay in numerous countries,
and my aim is to honor the music of the cultures that I have drawn
inspiration.
Thanks to Neil Jacobs @ www.NeilJacobs.com