Album Description:

My second CD is very much a quantum leap from my first one, "Crossing Crystal Lake". "A Tale to Tell" represents all the musical influences that have affected me since childhood, and like a 'reduction' in cooking, the flavors are condensed, robust and, I think, very satisfying. Unlike 'CCL', which was totally instrumental, this one contains instrumentals, 4 vocals tracks and lots of bottleneck in solo and overdub form. There's even drums and upright bass on a couple. The compositions (all original except for a cover of 'Maybellene') are as diverse in their rhythmic and tonal structures, as they are in their musical style derivation. There are a couple of waltzes, some 'straight 4' blues, heavy 2 & 4 rhythm pieces, etc.Whether or not there are drums on a track, there is never a doubt as to 'where and what' the groove is. My lifelong fixation with drums and bass helps with that. I've also sprinkled in some 'orphan licks', as I call them. I knew, many years ago, that some of these tunes would never get any longer, but they have always felt 'right', so I used them as 'bumpers' to lead away or lead into another longer track. I think they add a lot to the flow of the cd. I almost always end up recording songs on the instruments on which they were written. The use of 6 very different kinds of guitars on this recording only adds to the diverse palette of aural textures contained herein.