if you know and like the rock group "The Band" (you probably know their famous song "The Weight"), you know it's a clear hommage and respect to them, who in 1978 released this final concert's live recordings and a film documentary by Martin Scorsese, both titled "The Last Waltz"
using the Mandolin extensively, which was autographed by Rick Danko (The Band bass player) in 1996 at Bottom Line, New York City, and using much wider variety of instrumentation and arrangements than the last one (= bit of post-recording nightmare) and all different genre of compositions. from 12 string guitars and violins, keyboards, melodica and banjo, this album will be my answer to discovery and exploration of romanticism-Americana roots music -folk, blues, jazz, country, reggae... just as The Band so beautifully expressed in their 16 year career.
Played "The Last Waltz" from iPod yesterday, what a beautiful masterpiece! but i realized, if you toggle your iPod and find "The Band" under 'artist' and play the Last Waltz albums, they skip all of the Bob Dylan part from the 2nd disc (highlight of the concert. 5 songs including 'Baby, Let Me Follow You Down', 'Forever Young' and 'I Shall Be Released') because under iPot's intelligent, those songs are under artist name "Bob Dylan and the Band" stupid machines... (sigh)
The Bottom Line was a small bar/live venue on positively West 4th street, now long out of business and turned into one of many ugly purple student lounges for NYU. On October 19th, 1996 I had just been in the US since that fall semester, have not so many friends and not so much to go out and party about (yes, you can apply a stereotypical image of nerdy Japanese foreign student...) I had been a big fan of all the American classic rock music, and I brought my mandolin (bought some years back in Kanda, Tokyo for 10,000 yen or 100 USD) and a couple of The Band CD's to this intimate small show by Rick Danko's quartet.
After wonderful music, Mr. Danko came out to the bar and i met him, chatting up some light talk with him over beers, and being that nerd who asked him for the autographs. (and this photographer Jim happened to be there and weeks later I got this 8'x10' print mailed to my dorm room) Beautiful soul.
Three years later, on December 10, 1999, just days after the end of a brief tour in the midwest, Rick Danko's heart gave out, and he died in his sleep at his home near Woodstock, New York.
"It makes no diff'rence where I turn
I can't get over you and the flame still burns
It makes no diff'rence, night or day
The shadow never seems to fade away
And the sun don't shine anymore
And the rains fall down on my door
"It makes no diff'rence how far I go
Like a scar the hurt will always show
It makes no diff'rence who I meet
They're just a face in the crowd
On a dead-end street
And the sun don't shine anymore
And the rains fall down on my door
R.I.P. thank you for the very sweetest, Rick.
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