Robbie Basho

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Robbie Basho
Birth nameDaniel R. Robinson Jr.
BornAugust 31, 1940
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedFebruary 28, 1986 (aged 45)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
GenresFolk, American primitive guitar, experimental
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Guitar/Piano
Years active1965–1986
LabelsTakoma, Blue Thumb, Vanguard, Windham Hill, Tompkins Square

Robbie Basho (born Daniel R. Robinson, Jr., August 31, 1940 – February 28, 1986) was an American acoustic guitarist, pianist and singer.

Biography

Basho was born in

Ed Denson, and Max Ochs. In 1959, Basho purchased his first guitar and immersed himself in Asian art and culture. It was around this time that he changed his name to Basho, in honor of the Japanese poet, Matsuo Bashō.[1]

Basho saw the steel string guitar as a concert instrument, and wanted to create a

Hindu, Iranian and Native American. Zarthus represented the culmination of his "Persian period". Basho asserted his wish, along with John Fahey and Leo Kottke, to raise the steel-string guitar to the level of a concert instrument. He acknowledged that the nylon-string guitar
was suitable for "love songs", but its steel counterpart could communicate "fire".

Basho credited his interest in Indian music to hearing Ravi Shankar, whom he first encountered in 1962.

Basho died unexpectedly at the age of 45 due to an accident during a visit to his chiropractor, where an "intentional whiplash" procedure caused blood vessels in his neck to rupture, leading to a fatal stroke.[2]

Guitar style

Robbie Basho's finger-picked guitar technique was influenced heavily by

12-string guitar to recreate the drone that is characteristic of Indian classical music. Basho often used Eastern modes and scales, but other influences include European classical music, blues (in his earlier period), and ballad styles of the U.S.

Renewal of interest

In the 1970s and 1980s, Basho's contribution to acoustic steel string guitar was eclipsed early by John Fahey, founder of Takoma Records, and the appearance of Windham Hill Records and its roster of musicians. There has been a renewal of interest in his work since 2000, spurred on by reissues by Takoma, Tompkins Square, and Grass-Tops Recording as well as the release of previously unpublished concerts. Grass-Tops inherited tapes that had been preserved for 30 years by guitarist Glenn Jones.

Buck Curran of psychedelic folk band Arborea has curated two Robbie Basho tribute albums, We Are All One in the Sun (2010) and Basket Full of Dragons (2016). Both albums feature contemporary artists reinterpreting Basho's material and original compositions inspired by his style.

British filmmaker Liam Barker premiered the documentary Voice of the Eagle: The Enigma of Robbie Basho in London in October 2015 at the Raindance Festival and the film premiered at San Francisco's Roxie Theater in April 2018.[3] It was nominated for the Jury Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The documentary traces the troubled life of Basho with previously uncovered archive material and interviews with Pete Townshend, William Ackerman, Alex de Grassi, Henry Kaiser, Glenn Jones, Country Joe McDonald, Steffen Basho-Junghans and Max Ochs.

Discography

Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums

References

  1. ^ Basho-Junghans, Steffen. "Robbie Basho-Archives/Biography". www.robbiebasho-archives.info.
  2. ^ "The Cosmos Club". Washington City Paper. July 7, 2006. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008.
  3. ^ Reif, Max (2018-04-25). "VOICE OF THE EAGLE—THE ENIGMA OF ROBBIE BASHO: A film about a legendary musician premieres in San Francisco". The Mindful Word. Retrieved 2018-08-31.

External links

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