Mastering the Art of Fingerpicking

“John Fahey left such a big stamp that just trying to sound like him was intimidating,” guitarist Jack Rose said, speaking by telephone from his home in Philadelphia.”It’s a huge thing to overcome.” Fahey died in 2001, but his legendary “American Primitive” mix of early folk, blues, and modern classical still looms large over anyone who fingerpicks an acoustic guitar.Lately, the list of those doing so is growing: Guitarists such as Boston’s Glenn Jones, Montreal’s Harris Newman, and Detroit’s Nick Schillace have all built upon Fahey’s innovations. But Rose, who will play two New York concerts this month, has perhaps gone furthest, and his path has been the most interesting of all.On records such as 2003’s “Opium Musick”and 2004’s “Raag Manifestos,” he added the hypnotic repetitions of minimalism and Eastern raga to his rustic folk and blues. Only on his most recent album, last year’s “Kensington Blues,” has Rose fully embraced Fahey’s influence. Filled with structured, catchy tunes, the album contains a cover of Fahey’s “Sunflower River Blues.” “That’s the first Fahey tune I learned,” Rose said. “It took me awhile, but I think I’ve fully internalized his music, and finally feel comfortable playing into his style.”Rose began playing long before he heard Fahey. He took jazz lessons as a teen in Southern Virginia, but after hearing a neighbor playing a fingerpicking style, Rose immersed himself in early-century country blues. “I bought records and tablature books and taught myself,” he said. “Most country blues has singing, and I hadn’t heard Fahey yet, so I had no idea anyone had taken country blues and made instrumental music with it. My mom suggested I show my guitar teacher what I was doing, and he said, ‘If you can’t sing, I don’t really see the point,’ so I gave it up.”While at college in Richmond, Va., in the early 1990s, Rose joined Pelt, a group whose noisy rock evolved to include minimalist drone and Appalachian folk. Eventually, he returned to his interest in country blues. “Mike Gangloff [of Pelt] was getting into the banjo, and he knew I could fingerpick, so he incorporated that into our music,” Rose said.”And then I heard Fahey and thought,‘Oh, there it is.That’s the blueprint for what I want to do.'”Because Fahey’s legend proved so imposing, Rose turned to a Fahey contemporary, Robbie Basho. “His music showed me how to be expressive and open in a different way,” Rose said. After moving to Philadelphia in 1998, Rose made fingerpicking a full-time pursuit.”I spent a whole year just playing that stuff, about six to eight hours a day,” Rose said. “I realized it couldn’t really be a part-time thing.”In 2001, Rose left his woodshed and began performing solo. At first, being alone onstage required a preshow sixpack, but years of playing have allayed his nervousness. This past spring, Rose faced his biggest audiences yet when touring with the Scottish rock band Mogwai. “The crowd was ready for a large rock show, and here I was with an acoustic guitar,” Rose said. “But there was always at least one person who’d never heard me before that would buy my CDs.”Since departing Pelt in March after 12 years with the band, Rose is now focused entirely on his solo guitar work. “I may play with them [Pelt] again, but right now I’ve got to concentrate on this,” Rose explained. “We’re still good friends; Mike Gangloff is going to play banjo on my next record.” That as-yetuntitled album will be recorded in October. “There will be a lot of duets. Glenn Jones will play on one tune, as will my friend Micah Blue Smaldone,” Rose said. “It’ll be very traditional; there won’t be any ragas. I haven’t really done a record like that, and I’m excited to try.”Jack Rose performs July 22 at Brooklyn Fire Proof (101 Richardson Street, Brooklyn, 718-302-4702) and August 1 at Tonic (107 Norfolk Street, 212-358-7501).

Mastering the Art of Fingerpicking

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