Hi folks-

Well, before I gush on and on about one of the most satisfying performances I've seen in recent memory, let me first pass along three pieces of great news about Barbara Kessler that I heard from her at a concert this past weekend. For those of you who don't know her music, she has an excellent cut ("The Date") on the *Big Times in a Small Town* sampler that Christine Lavin lovingly produced and that we've discussed a lot on this list. If I had to compare Kessler with someone, it would be Shawn Colvin or Jonatha Brook, but her music is so distinctively her own that I hesitate to make comparisons (but I guess I did anyway....). She's won numerous awards (including a 1992 Boston Acoustic Underground award and a 1993 Boston Music Award) and accolade from critics. I've posted her schedule thru February here; if you missed it and want a copy, send me email directly.

Here's the news:

[What was "news" then is "olds" now, so the editor has here deleted a few paragraphs...]

Okay, enough news; now I'm going to gush about this concert, so those of you wise enough not to care about my opinions can skip to your next mail message....

Barbara performed Saturday evening to an audience of perhaps 40 or 50 attentive people at a small coffehouse called The Night Eagle Emporium in the small town of Oxford, NY (I guess big times can be had in a small town...). It was an intimate setting, very appropriate for the intimate lyrical content of most of her songs. She played two sets, each over an hour, containing pretty much everything from her tape (Barbara Kessler Live), and a bunch of new songs.

I'm a bit of a guitar fanatic, and I'm a little picky about guitar playing, but I have to say Kessler's playing is enthralling. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her hands. She's not a dazzling technician, but she is a justifiably confident player who has developed a finely honed, highly individual style that is all her own. She often uses unique chord voicings, is clever and deft with left hand hammer-ons, and has a unique right hand style that is very rhythmic and sometimes percusive, combining mutes and bangs on the top and the bridge with more standard strumming and picking. She knows the instrument in a way few singer/songwriters ever do, in my opinion.

This would be enough to entertain me fully for three hours; but above it all soars this clear, accurate, emotional voice that jumps wide intervals dead-on, and covers a broad dynamic range. Her voice can be sweet, or teasing, or plaintive, or sensuous; and sometimes several of these at once. And her vocal melodies communicate emotion so directly and eloquently that they almost make words superfluous. With many of her songs, I get so carried away by the sound that I could hardly tell you what the lyrics said, but I could tell you what the song was about.

Her material spans the range from quiet, haunted ballads to driving rhythmic tunes that are almost "acoustic dance music"---at least there were plenty of times that I wanted to get up and dance! Even the quietest of her tunes have this energy to them that is hard to describe with words. Although she is unaffected and a little quiet on stage between songs, this energy takes over when she's performing, and she can hardly keep from dancing herself. This energy gives her a compelling stage presence that draws the listener right into her songs; and her energy didn't dwindle in the least throughout nearly three hours of performance.

I like Barbara's live tape a great deal, but I was amazed at how much better she performs those songs now than she did two years ago. In the last two years her guitar playing has become more fluid while still remaining characteristically rhythmic; she has developed a more sensitive sense of balance across strings in her guitar playing; and her singing is smoother, more accurate, and even more expressive. These remarks are not intended as a criticism of her older performances, but rather as an expression of admiration (and amazement) at how an already excellent artist can continue to grow.

Further evidence of this growth are her new songs, which I enjoyed even more than her old songs. Many of the songs on her 1992 tape have introspective lyrics concerned with disappointment in relationships. But I was happy to discover that much of her newer material is happy---even celebratory---and has a bouyant sense of humor. I think it is a real achievement to write a good *happy* song, and Barbara now has several in her repertoire. If this is what being in love does to her music, I hope she stays in love for a long, long time!! (Well, I'd wish that for her anyway, of course!)

After the show, Barbara chatted with several of us in the audience for a while. Talking to her I instantly felt like I was talking with my sister or a good friend. I wonder if this is her most important gift. Her music speaks to you with the comfortable directness of a friend sharing something intimate; it's only when you think about the carefully crafted lyrics or the unique guitar parts that you realize it's art you've encountered.

For me, this was the kind of musical evening that is so completely satisfying that it takes a long time to fully appreciate it. I went home and stayed up until 2am listening to her tape again and trying to remember some of her guitar parts. I even woke for a few minutes several times in the night with these wonderful melodies going thru my head; and even today, two days later they are still there, weaving in and out of my thoughts. The magic is strong in her music. Very few artists have this kind of effect on me---Martin Simpson, Phil Keaggy and David Wilcox come to mind. These musicians produce very different kinds of music, but their music shares an elusive, evocative quality I can't quite describe. But I'm sure many of you know the experience of hearing this kind of music: you feel like you've been given something wonderful that subtly reaches the deepest parts of you, leaving you wondering what you can possibly do as a sign of gratitude.

All I could think of doing in thanks to Barbara was to pass along my impressions to you folks, and urge you to catch her performance if you can. I suspect it won't be long before we won't be able to see Barbara in such an intimate setting; don't pass up the chance to see and hear this wonderfully gifted woman.

Peace to you!