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About Demons & Angels
When folk revivalists all of a sudden became fascinated with country-blues performers of the early 20th century, no one had to go into the sticks to find Reverend Gary Davis. Though he'd stopped recording, Davis was an active street singer and preacher in Harlem throughout the 1940s. In the 1950s, folklorists, fans, and followers began to seek him out to hear him play, record him, and learn from him. Stefan Grossman, now a respected guitarist in his own right, was one of his longtime students, and he's compiled this wonderful three-disc box set, complete with detailed song notes and an essay that explores Davis's pre-New York days. Disc 1 features rare recordings made by Columbia University student John Gibbons in 1958 and 1959, and it focuses mostly on Davis's instrumental prowess: a thoroughly matchless fingerpicking guitar style that fused bits of jazz, blues, and ragtime into a highly personal technique. In addition to the many instrumentals on the first disc, there are some of Davis's most spellbinding vocal performances, especially "Crucifixion" (which blends singing and preaching) and "Don't Know Where to Go." Disc 2 includes home recordings from the mid-1960s, while the final disc of live recordings shows off his stage charisma and command. Demons and Angels clearly displays the breadth of Reverend Gary Davis's talent and material--from pop songs to "holy blues" and age-old folk--and is quite a welcome boon to his devoted fans and anyone else looking to discover one of the genre's inimitable talents. Beyond that, it will have aspiring (and even accomplished) acoustic guitarists staying up half the night trying to figure out exactly how the good Reverend played what he played. --Marc Greilsamer
