John Fahey & Cul De Sac - The Epiphany of Glenn Jones (1997)

John Fahey - acoustic & electric lap steel guitars, tapes
Glenn Jones - guitar
Chris Fujiwara - bass
Jon Proudman - drums
Robin Amos - electronics
Jon Williams - tapes

Cul de Sac is a Boston-based group of critically acclaimed practitioners of unusual instrumental music who draw inspiration from the incantatory rhythms of Indian ragas, the complexities of avant-garde folk finger-picking, the cerebral excesses of '70s prog, the bouncy reverb of surf rock, and the energy of experimental music. Their exercises are far from academic, however; unlike a hell of a lot of rock-based instrumental music, Cul de Sac is fun and interesting to listen to, as the talented quartet is able to put a different twist on the now-distinctive Cul de Sac sound with each and every new composition (and indeed, often with new renditions of the same composition).

The Epiphany of Glenn Jones is a perfect collaboration. John Fahey had just been reemerging after a period of relative inactivity, during which time his influence on a wide range of artists, including Cul de Sac's own guitarist and composer, Glenn Jones, was being recognized. Both Fahey and the band allow elements of chance and spontaneity to shape the music that rides atop a foundation colored by Fahey's loose Delta blues-based grooves and Cul de Sac's unrelenting, though subtly undulating, rhythmic propulsion. This album is truly something that could only have resulted from these two artists working together, stepping somewhat outside of their usual patterns and approaches. Cul de Sac's regular engineer and producer, Jon Williams, also deserves special mention for bringing his studio acumen to the project.

With Fahey's newfound status as an avant-gardist, along with his improving health, you'd think these sessions would be a cakewalk for Cul de Sac. But the liner notes present a different take. Album title namesake Glenn Jones isn't some mythical Fahey persona (such as Blind Joe Death), but rather Cul de Sac's frontman. In a detailed essay, Jones describes his follies of trying to work with his musical hero, Fahey: mood swings, arguments, personal and artistic differences, and more. Nevertheless, Cul de Sac and Fahey somehow worked their problems out and this resulting album turned out exceptionally well. --Jason Verlinde

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