John Fahey Epiphany Of Glenn Jones CD

Although this album's liner notes tell the harrowing story of how it almost never came to be, THE EPIPHANY OF GLENN JONES is a perfect collaboration. John Fahey had just been reemerging after a period of relative inactivity, during which time his influence on a wide range of artists, including Cul de Sac's own guitarist and composer, Glenn Jones, was being recognized.

Both Fahey and the band allow elements of chance and spontaneity to shape the music that rides atop a foundation colored by Fahey's loose Delta blues-based grooves and Cul de Sac's unrelenting, though subtly undulating, rhythmic propulsion. This album is truly something that could only have resulted from these two artists working together, stepping somewhat outside of their usual patterns and approaches. Cul de Sac's regular engineer and producer, Jon Williams, also deserves special mention for bringing his studio acumen to the project.

Recorded at Normandy Studios, Warren, Rhode Island in November 1996. Includes liner notes by Glenn Jones.

Personnel: John Fahey (guitar).

Personnel: John Fahey (acoustic & electric lap steel guitars, tapes); Glenn Jones (guitar); Chris Fujiwara (bass); Jon Proudman (drums); Robin Amos (electronics); Jon Williams (tapes).

Rolling Stone (12/25/97, p.166) - "...the lost-city ambience of Jim O'Rourke's production...adds menace and gravity to Fahey's bottleneck reveries..."
Magnet (1-2/98, p.69) - "...alternates bright, bluesy pieces with wilder, denser collages that incorporate more gamelans, a Miles Davis sample and guitars played by pouring lentils on their amplified strings..."
Down Beat (3/98, p.67) - 3 1/2 stars (out of 5) - "...a preservationist of blues and folk styles, he also ventures into tape collages, explorations of world music and spoken-word experiments..."
Option (3-4/98, p.87) - "...a haunting evocation of the blues that calls back to the previous century as much as it embraces the coming one."
Musician (1/98, p.95) - "...[Cul de Sac's] abstractions highlight the guitarist's vision, like lightning jabbing through thick, ominous clouds....EPIPHANY defines the essence of Fahey..."