Peter Walker

Overshadowed by artists like John Fahey, Sandy Bull, and Robbie Basho, Peter Walker is one of the lesser-known instrumental folk guitarists of the 60's, though he may well have been one of the most significant. By the time he debuted, he had already studied flamenco in Spain, Indian raga with Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan on the West Coast, and had played regularly with Sandy Bull in Cambridge.

Title: Rainy Day Raga

Label: Vanguard

Release date: April 1967

Recording date: 1966

Tracklist: 1. Morning Joy 3:46 2. Norwegian Wood 4:16 3. White Wind 7:40 4. Bianca 3:07 5. Spring 2:59 6. Sunshine 3:26 7. Rainy Day Raga 6:25 8. Road to Marscota 5:47 9. April in Cambridge 3:12 10. River 5:12

Therefore, it is no wonder that Rainy Day Raga is an impeccable fusion of American primitivism, Indian raga, and flamenco. By this time, the East-West fusion was not new any more, as Sandy Bull had already composed a 20-minute folk raga back in 1963, but Walker's infusion of flamenco-style guitar picking was all his own. Aided by Monte Dunn on second acoustic guitar, Bruce Langhorne (Dylan's guitar sideman on Bringing It All Back Home) on percussion, and Jeremy Steig on flute, Walker eloquently combined gentle finger picking and passionate strumming, creating some of the most evocative instrumental guitar music on record. His style at the guitar is quite his own, effortlessly moving from tender melancholia to passionate exultation. His dynamic range is impressive: Walker's gentle carress of the strings is as subtle as you will ever hear, but he is equally proficient at playing very forcefully. "Morning Joy" is very aptly titled, with Langhorne's tambourines, Steig's flute, and Walker's gleeful strumming evoking the dawn of a beautiful day in spring. "Norwegian Wood", the sitar-infused "Bianca" and "Spring", with Steig in great form, are mesmerizingly emotive guitar ballads full of tender melancholia. And so is the 8-minute "White Wind" (video available below), that halfway through speeds up in a wonderful crescendo, gently subsiding in the final minute. Other standouts are the delightful 6-minute title track (on which one can clearly hear Langhorne's Turkish frame drum with jingling bells that inspired the lyrics for Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man") and "River", the gorgeous album closer. This is unique music, sophisticated and transcendental, capable of truly transfixing and hypnotizing the listener.

8.7/10

Peter Walker - "White Wind"

Title: Second Poem to Karmela; or, Gypsies Are Important

Label: Vanguard

Release date: 1968

Recording date: 1968

Tracklist: 1. Second Song 5:22 2. I & Thou 3:24 3. Southwind 6:34 4. Tear 3:00 5. Barefoot 5:22 6. Gypsy Song 3:47 7. Circus Day 5:24 8. Blake Street 1:20 9. Socco Chico 6:01 10. Mixture 7:42

On the follow-up, Second Poem to Karmela; or, Gypsies Are Important, Walker chose a more elaborate orchestration, employing flute, violin, sarod, coral sitar, organ, tablas, ondioline, and tamboura to accompany his acoustic guitar. The texture of the album is therefore much thicker, at times even chaotic, like in the opener "Second Song". The frivolous and colourful playing of the violin and the flute give the album a much livelier atmosphere. Unfortunately though, the album is also quite unfocused, moving haphazardly from solo flamenco workouts like "Tear" and "Blake Street", through Indian-tinged tracks like "Barefoot" and "Socco Chico", all the way to the lengthy closing avant-garde piece for organ, ondioline and violin, "Mixture". Still, this is a very decent album, but it simply lacks the emotional profundity and mysticism that exuded from his debut.

6.7/10

Walker completely disappeared from the music scene in 1970 and did not reappear until the tribute album A Raga For Peter Walker (Tompkins Square, 2006) was released, featuring contributions by contemporary guitar heroes such as Steffen Basho-Junghans, James Blackshaw and Jack Rose. Surprised by the renewed interest for his work, Walker started playing for audiences again and even released several new albums, though mostly comprised of old recordings. Here is a link to a 33-minute session he played for Dutch radio on March 30th 2009.

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