2019-07-01_Uncut_UK

54 • UNCUT • JULY 2019

overthePAatCocoaCinnamon.Hemightactually

comehereasmuchforthemusic– a playlistof

salsa,meringue,Mexicanpop,norteño,huasteca,

andmanyotherstyles– asforthecoffeeitself.In

fact,it maybeoneofthefewplacesintownwhere

hecanhearmusichedoesn’timmediatelyknow.

Avoraciouslistener,hewearshisintelligence

modestlyandcomfortably.Ashisfriendandrecent

DurhamtransplantJoeMcConnell– whorecordsas

elephantMicah– confirms:“Alotoffolksong

interpretersgravitatetowardtheoldestandrarest

material– it’saboutwhattheycanunearth.With

JakeI geta totallydifferentimpression.Heseems

prettyagnosticabouttheoriginsofthesongshe

plays.He’llgiveanythingtheJakeFusselltreatment

aslongasthere’ssomethinginthelyricorthe

melodythattickleshisfancy...It’s been fun to see

howhiscuriosityoperates.”

Fussell,inotherwords,remainsfirstandforemost

a studentofallkindsofmusic,anartistconstantly

learningnewtricksandpullingupnewYouTube

clips.“Swingandturn,jubilee!” hesingson

“Jubilee”,a statelystandoutonhisnewalbum,

Out Of Sight.“Live and learn, jubilee!”

F

USSeLLhasbeendoingthiskindofthingall

hislife.HehailsfromColumbus,Georgia,a

townofabout200,000peoplerightonthe

Alabamaborder.Hisfamilywasdeeplyimmersed

intheworldoffolklore:hisfather,FredC Fussell,

wasa museumcurator,historian,writer

andpainterwhotookhischildrenalongon

researchtrips.“Iwasdoinga lotoffield

researcharoundtheSouthandevenoutinto

Oklahoma,”saystheelderFussell.“Singing

inthecarasa familywasa bigpartofthose

trips.It wasfun,andtheyalllearneda lot

ofsongsthatway– mostlytraditional stuff,

someWoodyGuthrie.”

Onroadtripswithhisfatherandfolklorist

GeorgeMitchell– “oneofthemostimportant

peopledocumentingbluesintheSouth,”

saysFred– Jakemetnumeroustraditional

musicians,watchedthemperformand

listenedastheyexplainedtheircraft.As

a teenagerhelearnedtoplaytheguitar,

initiallyplayingalongwitholdrecords.

“I waslisteningtooldpre-warbluesrecords

• BlindBoyFuller,theReverendGaryDavis,
  anda lotofMississippiJohnHurt,”hesays.“Iwas
  tryingtoplaythingsmorefaithfullythen,because
  whenyou’restartingfromsquareone,youneedmore
  direction.Soyoutrytoplaya fiddletunenotefornote.
  It’smoreaboutgoingoffinmyowndirectionnow.”
  ThatupbringingnaturallyinformsFussell’smusic,
  andwhilenoneofhisfamilypursuedmusicashe
  did,thereis stilla sensethathehastakenoverthe
  familybusiness.Oneofhisfather’spaintingseven
  appearsonthecoverofOutOfSight. Composedofa
  largedarkcircleoverwhatappearstobea rhomboid
  landscape,themonochromaticimageonlyappears
  abstract;it actuallyrepresentsa NativeAmerican
  burialmound.“WhenI wasa kid,hestarteddoingthis
  seriesofpaintingsanddrawingsofAmericanIndian
  moundsites,”saysJake.“Theywouldburytheirdead
  thereoften,andthesemoundsarealloverthe
  southeast.It becameanobsessionofhis.Hepainted
  them,drewthem,didwatercolours.Mychildhood
  housewasstrewnwiththousandsoftheseimages.”
  ThecharcoaldrawingJakechoseis nota specific
  mound, but one that Fred Fussell dreamed up. “I’ve

donemanyofthosepaintingsasa departure,”Fred
ays.“IjokeandsaythatwhenI can’tthinkofanything
elsetopaint– if I havepainter’sblock– I’lldooneof
hose.Thesemoundsareimportantbecausethey’rethe
majorphysicalevidencethatthosepeopleoccupied
hislandweliveonnow.I wasvery flattered that Jake
wantedtouseit onthealbum.”
Tofindhisownmusicaldirection,Jakemoved
beyondplayingalongwithold 78 recordsand
apprenticedhimselftotraditionalmusicians
aroundtheregion.Oneofthemwasa woman
namedPreciousBryant,fromnearbyTalbotCounty.
Bornin1942,shehadneverrecordedprofessionally
orplayedoutsidehercommunityuntiltheearly
2000s,althoughGeorgeMitchelldidmakesome
fieldrecordingsinthelate1960s.Shereleasedher
debutalbumin2002,about 10 yearsbeforeshedied,
andmanyknowherasa connectiontoruralblues
traditionsofthepast.FortheFussells,however,she
wassimplya familyfriend.Jake’smotherCathy
woulddrivehertogigsaroundthearea,andhis
fatherbookedherattheChattahoocheeFolkFest in
1982,oneofherfirstpublicperformances.
“WhenI becameinterestedinplayingguitar,shewas
somebodyI knewI couldlearnsomestufffrom,”says
Fussell.“Shealwaysencouragedmetoplay,whichwas
importantbecauseI wasa shykid.WhenI wasold
enoughtodrive,I wouldheaduptoherplaceandlearn
stufffromher.Shewasn’tanykindofformalteacher.
I wouldsitthereandwatchherplayandtrytogetthe
hangofit,becauseshewasn’tgoingtostopandtellme
brad bunyea how to do anything. I carried along a little Sony cassette

JAKE XERXES FUSSELL

“it’sBeen

Funtosee

How His

curiosity

oper ates”

eLePhaNT miCah

Fussellaroundthe

timeofhissecond

LP,2017’sWhatIn

The Natural World

Withthelate

country-

bluesartist

Precious

Bryant, 2002