Jim Kweskin - Unjugged

The Guardian 60

(Hornbeam Records)

In the 60s, Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band were American celebrities, pioneering a style mixing ragtime and blues that, for a while, made them headliners above the Doors or Janis Joplin. They split up before the decade was through, but Kweskin kept working, and his new album, recorded in London, shows that he is still a masterful guitarist and storyteller. He shows off his effortless, gently driving finger-picking style on songs made famous by Blind Blake or Mississippi John Hurt, and on a charming, easygoing instrumental by Pete Seeger. Surprises include an exquisite treatment of The Way You Look Tonight, originally sung by Fred Astaire. It’s an entertaining set, with backing provided by Hornbeam artists including Bonnie Dobson and fiddler Ben Paley, but you’ll probably skip the comedy songs after you have heard them once. And I could have done without Donovan’s Colours.