Dave Van Ronk – …And The Tin Pan Bended, And The Story Ended

Perpetually misunderstood, hugely influential, always a mover and shaker behind the scenes, Dave Van Ronk never truly got the recognition he deserved. Van Ronk, who died in February 2002, was a walking repository of folklore, ancient blues and fingerpicking genius whose keen sense of history and marvelously expressive guitar playing were attributes valued by every musician who traipsed through the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene. Though his hulking, towering presence was intimidating, underneath he was generous and funny, and always mindful of pushing the folk process ahead a few steps by helping peers and youngsters along the way.

This remarkable recording of Van Ronk’s last concert (recorded in October 2001) is the fondest of goodbyes. Generous of spirit, with lots of crazy stories and a full repertoire played with verve and passion, Van Ronk touches on the full spectrum of the American songbook, from Jelly Roll Morton to Josh White to Joni Mitchell.

Played against the subtext of Van Ronk’s awareness of his cancer diagnosis — he quite possibly realized this was his final show — the disc becomes an extraordinary document, a piece of history itself. The performance leaves an indelible mark, with nary a note out of place, and his raspy voice lending these already monumental songs the kind of authority and grace that comes from a life fully lived.

While the sublime “St. James Infirmary” and a surprising cover of Dylan’s “Buckets Of Rain” are spellbinding, it’s a rendition of Brownie McGhee’s prescient “Sportin’ Life Blues”, a meditation on mortality, that approaches immortality.