Robbie Basho
Encyclopedia
Robbie Basho was an American
composer, guitar
ist and pianist
, and one of the pioneers of the acoustic steel string guitar in America.
, Maryland
, and was orphaned as an infant. Adopted by the Robinson family, Daniel Robinson, Jr. attended Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and went on to study at University of Maryland College Park. Although he played trumpet and sang in middle school and high school ensembles, his interest in acoustic guitar grew during his college years, as a direct result of his friendships with fellow students John Fahey
, Ed Denson
, and Max Ochs
. In 1959, Basho purchased his first guitar and immersed himself in Asian art and culture. It was around this time that he changed his name to Basho, in honor of the Japanese Poet, Matsuo Basho
.
Basho's vision was to see the steel string as a concert instrument and to create a Raga
system for America. During a radio interview in 1974, promoting his album Zarthus, Basho discussed his music in detail. He described how he had gone through a number of "periods" related to philosophy and music, including Japan
ese, Hindu
, and Native American
. Zarthus represented the culmination of his "Persian period". Basho asserted his wish, along with John Fahey and Leo Kottke
, to raise the steel-string guitar to the level of a concert instrument. He acknowledged that the nylon-string guitar
was suitable for "love songs", but its steel counterpart could communicate "fire".
Basho credited his interest in Indian music
to hearing Ravi Shankar
, whom he first encountered in 1962. Basho died unexpectedly at the age of 45 due to a freak accident during a visit to his chiropractor
, where an "intentional whiplash" experiment caused blood vessels in his neck to rupture, leading to a fatal stroke.
playing, and the studies he undertook with the Indian virtuoso Ali Akbar Khan
. Basho employed unusual open tunings, including a number of variants on "Open-C" (CGCGCE) and played a 12-string guitar
, in order to recreate the drone that is a notable feature of his beloved Indian Classical Music
. Basho's guitar melodies were often created using Eastern modes and scales, but his work contains a broad range of noticeable influences, from European Classical Music
to Blues
(in his earlier period) and Ballad styles of America
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, and one of the pioneers of the acoustic steel string guitar in America.
Biography
Basho was born in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, and was orphaned as an infant. Adopted by the Robinson family, Daniel Robinson, Jr. attended Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and went on to study at University of Maryland College Park. Although he played trumpet and sang in middle school and high school ensembles, his interest in acoustic guitar grew during his college years, as a direct result of his friendships with fellow students John Fahey
John Fahey (musician)
John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
, Ed Denson
ED Denson
Eugene "ED" Denson is an American music group manager, producer, record label owner, and - later - lawyer, who has made notable contributions to folk, blues, and early San Francisco rock.-Biography:Denson was born in Washington D.C. in 1940...
, and Max Ochs
Max Ochs
*Max Ochs is a fingerstyle acoustic guitarist and folklorist who recorded for Takoma Records among other labels. His family moved to Annapolis, Maryland in 1945, where Ochs spent his adolescence...
. In 1959, Basho purchased his first guitar and immersed himself in Asian art and culture. It was around this time that he changed his name to Basho, in honor of the Japanese Poet, Matsuo Basho
Matsuo Basho
, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
.
Basho's vision was to see the steel string as a concert instrument and to create a Raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
system for America. During a radio interview in 1974, promoting his album Zarthus, Basho discussed his music in detail. He described how he had gone through a number of "periods" related to philosophy and music, including Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese, Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, and Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. Zarthus represented the culmination of his "Persian period". Basho asserted his wish, along with John Fahey and Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
, to raise the steel-string guitar to the level of a concert instrument. He acknowledged that the nylon-string guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
was suitable for "love songs", but its steel counterpart could communicate "fire".
Basho credited his interest in Indian music
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
to hearing Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, whom he first encountered in 1962. Basho died unexpectedly at the age of 45 due to a freak accident during a visit to his chiropractor
Chiropractor
A Chiropractor, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges , "focuses on the relationship between the body's main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves – and the patient's health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to...
, where an "intentional whiplash" experiment caused blood vessels in his neck to rupture, leading to a fatal stroke.
Guitar style
Robbie Basho's dexterous, finger-picked guitar technique was influenced heavily by SarodSarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
playing, and the studies he undertook with the Indian virtuoso Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan , often referred to as Khansahib or by the title Ustad , was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod...
. Basho employed unusual open tunings, including a number of variants on "Open-C" (CGCGCE) and played a 12-string guitar
Twelve string guitar
The twelve-string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with 12 strings in 6 courses, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar...
, in order to recreate the drone that is a notable feature of his beloved Indian Classical Music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
. Basho's guitar melodies were often created using Eastern modes and scales, but his work contains a broad range of noticeable influences, from European Classical Music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
to Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
(in his earlier period) and Ballad styles of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Discography
- 1965 The Seal of the Blue Lotus (TakomaTakoma RecordsTakoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by John Fahey in the late 1950s.. It was named after Fahey's hometown, the Washington, D.C. suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland.-History:...
) - 1966 The Grail and the Lotus (Takoma)
- 1966 Various Artists: Contemporary Guitar (Takoma)
- 1967 Basho Sings (Takoma)
- 1967 The Falconer's Arm I (Takoma)
- 1967 The Falconer's Arm II (Takoma)
- 1969 Venus in Cancer (Blue ThumbBlue Thumb RecordsBlue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow, along with former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Krasnow had been in the record business for a number of years, working as a promotion man for King Records and also working for Buddah/Kama Sutra...
) - 1971 Song of the Stallion (Takoma)
- 1972 The Voice of the Eagle (VanguardVanguard RecordsVanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
) - 1974 Zarthus (Vanguard)
- 1978 Visions of the Country (Windham HillWindham Hill RecordsWindham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
) - 1979 Art of the Acoustic Steel String Guitar 6 & 12 (Windham HillWindham Hill RecordsWindham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
) - 1981 Rainbow Thunder: Songs of the American West (Silver Label Recordings)
- 1983 Bouquet , MC (Basho Productions)
- 1984 Twilight Peaks , MC (The Art of Relaxation)
- 2008 Bonn Ist Supreme, CD Live! (Bo'Weavil Recordings)