Liner Notes
Robin Bullock’s music speaks for itself. He himself is much quieter. But there is something elusive about Robin that informs his music. And as his much louder duo partner of the last twenty-some years, I think I have put my finger on it.
Robin Bullock is entertaining, but he is not merely an entertainer. Yes, as anyone who has seen him perform knows, he is capable of great flash. Listen to him trade lightning riffs with John Doyle on “The Savage Wee Beastie” (track 9). And speaking of lightning, check out the rapid, complex, irregular rhythms on his original composition, “The Lightning Field” (track 4).
This is the stuff of jaw drops. But it is not merely that, for that is never what motivates Robin. He is too complete a musician not to know that a performance that makes jaws drop, but not tears fall, is more carnival than music. And while carnivals have their place in our sad world, they have never been his place.
On some level, Robin’s fans know this about him. They don’t come to be wowed by the kind of flashy guitar playing that often looks better than it sounds. They come, rather, to be taken on a journey through the music that Robin has explored with great precision and determination. They come to savor and to be moved by the voice he has given to that music on his various string instruments. And they have come to receive and be captivated by the gift of each piece crafted with impeccable ingenuity, integrity, sensitivity, originality, and passion.
Take what may be my favorite tune on this Retrospective, “Gae Bring to Me a Pint o’ Wine” (track 2). Robin found this Robert Burns poem, with melody by Francis Melville, in a book. Then, having never heard it sung or played by anyone, he crafted this hauntingly poignant guitar duet arrangement, one that suggests that Robin knew something about why Burns so eloquently called for that pint.
After hearing Robin’s recording, I sought out numerous other renditions of the song, some quite wonderful. But I have little doubt that when the saints go marching into music heaven, Robert Burns will be there to embrace Robin and to thank him for painting better than anyone else (and without words!) what Burns himself felt when he penned the final stanza of that heart-wrenching poem:
It’s no’ the roar o’ sea or shore,
Wad mak’ me langer wish to tarry;
Nor shouts o’ war that’s heard afar –
It’s leaving thee, my bonnie Mary!
Sadly, such sensitivity rarely gets instrumental guitar players into large auditoriums. But it did for Robin. In some cases that was because big-name artists, like Tom Paxton and Janis Ian, saw in him exactly what I have just described; that ability to feel what other musicians mean, and to use his instrument to help give their music a grander voice. Stars like that could have had their pick of the Nashville pros. But they wanted Robin Bullock as their sideman on tour.
Robin also plays large, packed halls with his own AFIM Indie Award-winning trio Helicon, and has been called “one of the best folk instrumentalists in the business” by Sing Out! Magazine. He’s won three Washington Area Music Association “Wammie” Awards and has had more good things said about him by Acoustic Guitar Magazine than I can count.
Still, for all the flashy resumé stuff, my bet is that most of his fans don’t think much about that when they hear Robin’s music. In fact, I suspect that, whether listening live or on their earbuds, they aren’t thinking much at all; they are simply feeling.
Robin’s has truly been a life well spent. May there be much more of his music to come. Until then, enjoy this album, and hearty congratulations to Robin on this 30-year Retrospective.
Steve Baughman
San Rafael, California
~
1. Come by the Hills (trad. Scottish/Irish)
Robin: solo guitar
From Rosewood Castle (Dancing Wolf DWCD-103, 2007)
2. Gae Bring to Me a Pint o’ Wine (trad. Scottish)
Robin: guitars
From Green Fields, Silver Anniversary Edition (Dancing Wolf DWCD-201, original recording 1993, remastered 2018)
3. Jodi’s Waltz (R. Bullock)
Robin: mandolins, guitar, piano
From The Lightning Field (Dancing Wolf DWCD-202, 2000)
4. The Lightning Field (R. Bullock)
Robin: guitar, bass, mandolin, cittern / Liz Knowles: fiddle
From The Lightning Field (Dancing Wolf DWCD-202, 2000)
5. The Flight of the Eaglets (P/M William Ross) / The Depth Charge (R. Bullock)
Robin: guitar / Michel Sikiotakis: wooden flutes, tin whistle
From The Irish Girl (Robin Bullock & Michel Sikiotakis, Dorian Recordings DOR-90111, 2003)
6. Frosty Morning / Santa Ana’s Retreat / Santa Ana’s March (trad. American)
Robin: guitars, mandolin
From The Enchanted Woods (Dancing Wolf DWCD-102, 2005)
7. Southwind (trad. Irish)
Robin: guitar / Al Petteway, guitar
From Rosewood Castle (Dancing Wolf DWCD-103, 2007)
8. Breton-Asturian Set (trad. Breton and Asturian)
Robin: cittern / Tony McManus, guitar
From Rosewood Castle (Dancing Wolf DWCD-103, 2007)
9. The Savage Wee Beastie / The Limerick Lasses / The Bird in the Bush (R. Bullock / trad. Irish / trad. Irish)
Robin: guitar / John Doyle: guitar
From Rosewood Castle (Dancing Wolf DWCD-103, 2007)
10. Master Bucton His Galliard / The Earl of Essex His Galliard (John Dowland)
Robin: solo guitar
From Majesty and Magic (Dancing Wolf DWCD-105, 2011)
11. Red Fox Waltz (trad. American)
Robin: guitars, mandolin, bass
From The Road Home: A Tribute to Butch Baldassari (various artists, SoundArt Recordings SACD-2256, 2009)
12. Shaker Hymn / Salutation (trad. American / trad. English)
Robin: solo guitar
From Alone and Together (Steve Baughman & Robin Bullock, Dancing Wolf DWCD-106, 2014)
13. Si Supieras que Cantando / Schottische du Stockfish / La Grande Chaîne (trad. Spanish / Daniel Thonon / trad. Québécois)
Robin: 12-string guitar, cittern / Steve Baughman, guitar
From Alone and Together (Steve Baughman & Robin Bullock, Dancing Wolf DWCD-106, 2014)
14. Prelude from Suite No. 2 (J.S. Bach)
Robin: solo mandolin
From J.S. Bach: Suites for Mandolin, Volume One (Dancing Wolf DWCD-107, 2016)
15. Dr. John Hart, Bishop of Achonry (Turlough O’Carolan)
Robin: guitar / Sue Richards, Celtic harp
From Highland Ramble (Sue Richards & Robin Bullock, Dancing Wolf DWCD-108, 2018)
16. Fox Went A-Hunting on a Chilly Night (trad. American)
Robin: guitars
From An American Guitar Album (Dancing Wolf DWCD-109, 2020)
17. Hard Times Come Again No More (Stephen Foster)
Robin: solo guitar
From Helicon & Friends Live at the Winter Solstice Concert (Fenchurch Music 13, 2022)
18. Beautiful Dreamer (Stephen Foster)
Robin: solo guitar
From An American Guitar Album (Dancing Wolf DWCD-109, 2020)
19. Shenandoah (trad. American)
Robin: guitar, cittern
From The Enchanted Woods (Dancing Wolf DWCD-102, 2005)
