Special Guests

Special Guests
Saturday, December 2, 2000

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

Folkmusic legend has it that RAMBLIN’ JACK ELLIOTT showed up at Woody Guthrie’s house 48 years ago and stayed for two years. Other stories about him abound, like the time he played for James Dean in a Hollywood parking lot, or the time Jack Kerouac read him the entire then-unpublished manuscript for On The Road, or the time he serenaded a group of young British schoolchildren on a railway platform and years later ran into one of the kids who told him the encounter had prompted him to buy his first guitar (the kid was Mick Jagger). A master storyteller, Elliott first “rambled” around the country with Guthrie in the early ’50s, then was an influence to Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village in the ’60s. After moving to California in 1965, Elliott reconnected with Dylan in the early ’70s and became a member of the Rolling Thunder Revue. Throughout his career, he has traveled the world, gathering inspiration for his stories and songs. In 1996, Elliott won a Grammy for his South Coast album (Red House Records), and was also chosen as the recipient of the Bill Graham Lifetime Achievement Award at San Francisco’s Bay Area Music Awards. For 1998’s Friends of Mine (Hightone), he was joined by a number of artists with whom he had toured over the years, including Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits, and Jerry Jeff Walker. His most recent recording, The Long Ride (Hightone), features covers of songs by the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, as well as several original tunes. Elliott’s daughter Aiyana recently directed a documentary film about his life, which won the Special Jury Prize for Artistic Achievement at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.

ERNEST STEIN was born in Munich, Germany, in November 1900. He began studying piano with his mother at about age five and played the cello in the high school orchestra. He emigrated to New York in 1921, where he was found a career in the import business. He was able to hear Richard Strauss conduct the New York Philharmonic at the old Madison Square Garden. He found work as an accompanist for the Brahms Singing Club, a women's singing group, with whom he performed at Carnegie Hall, as well as at Town Hall. Stein also performed publicly with renowned violist Lillian Fuchs, the wife of his identical twin brother, Ludwig, as well as with her brother, violinist Joseph Fuchs. Also a composer, one of his favorites works is the piece, Florival, which he and Lillian Fuchs played together on the radio. In 1936, he married Doris Blumenthal, and together they raised three sons, the youngest of whom is The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band's own Andy Stein. In addition to composing and performing, Stein is also a published poet.

CHURCH OF BETTY, CHRIS RAEL AND DEEP SINGH draws heavily from Indian folk, popular, and classical styles. Although they perform in a variety of venues, Sitar player Chris Rael and tabla player Deep Singh recorded a CD called Tunnel Ragas specifically to sell in the subway when they play there.

CURTIS JARDINE is a native of a Trinidad and has been playing the steel pans most of his life.

Folk singer/guitar player JORGE LUZURIAGA is originally from Ecuador.

In addition to the musical saw, NATALIA PARUZ plays the a number of other novelty instruments. Among many other performances, she has appeared on Regis & Kathie Lee, at the Rainbow Room, and with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Zubin Mehta.

SPANK is an a cappella doo-wop trio made up of Reggie Rowson, Herman Seay, and Harvey “Raisin” Cain.