Jack Rose (1971–2009)
An American guitarist based in Philadelphia, a leading figure of the American primitive guitar revival in the 2000s, between ragtime, country blues, ragas and drones.
Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1971, Jack Rose joined the noise and drone band Pelt in 1993 while also pursuing a solo career. He made his name as a soloist in the early 2000s with Red Horse, White Mule (2002), Opium Musick (2003) and Raag Manifestos (2004), which The Wire listed among its records of the year.
Kensington Blues (2005), named after a Philadelphia neighbourhood, brings together ragtime, ragas, blues and Weissenborn-style lap steel guitar. As “Dr. Ragtime” he also played old-time repertoire with friends (Dr. Ragtime & His Pals, 2008) and in 2009 recorded with the old-time band The Black Twig Pickers. He named Charley Patton, Blind Blake, John Fahey, Robbie Basho and the rudra veena master Zia Mohiuddin Dagar among his influences.
He died of a heart attack in Philadelphia in December 2009, aged 38. His last album, Luck in the Valley, came out in 2010.
His own compositions (“Kensington Blues”, “Linden Avenue Stomp”, “Cross the North Fork”…) are protected by copyright and are not reproduced here. The site offers the traditional tune Sail Away Ladies, which he recorded with The Black Twig Pickers (2009), and original studies in the spirit of his playing: Thumb blues in open G, Little rag in C, Pastorale in open C, Valley walk (Piedmont fingerpicking), Appalachian hoedown in open D (in the manner of The Black Twig Pickers), Dr. Ragtime rag in open G and Alap and gat in DADGAD (in the spirit of Raag Manifestos).