Music From Big Red by Jim Page

It was very much a question of chemistry, and it was evident from the beginning that things were right. It clicked.

Billy Oskay has a long history of music, being not only a renowned violinist and founding member of the very successful band Nightnoise, but also more recently a much sought after session player and studio engineer. Mark Ettinger, multi-instrumentalist, composer and orchestra conductor, has been a touring member of the Flying Karamozov Brothers for the last several years, taking major roles in their musical productions and in their collaborations with symphony orchestras. Billy and Mark were both at the Fair as a part of DuCaniveaux, a long suffering and reputed vaudeville troupe that specializes in uncommon behaviors often set to music as a part of what they call "performances."

By the way, Jim Page has been writing, performing and touring for the past 30 years and has 17 albums under his belt. He's a well-seasoned artist perhaps most well known for his fearless coverage of subjects often avoided by mainstream musicians. More about Jim at Jimpage.net

So back to Big Red and the Country Fair - on Sunday evenings, when the Fair is closing, Jim, Billy and Mark wander down to what became known as "The Truffle Booth" and begin playing, usually about 9 o'clock or so. It's dark by the time , everybody is fried, the lights twinkle in the woodland village and straight lines are impossible to hold onto. The music soars in a kind of celebration, drunk with possibilities. People gather around and sit or stand entranced, sometimes for two or three hours, in what became a traditional marathon finale. There is a depth and a laughter to these events, a charm and a rattle, and it's there that they decided to record, to try to capture that sound. Music From Big Red is the result.

All these songs were recorded ensemble, that is Billy, Mark and Jim all playing together. Mark was in the big room with the bass, Jim was in the isolation booth behind the glass door, and Billy was in the control room behind a window with one hand on the violin and the other on the record button. They all had eye contact but still there was instrument separation. The tape rolled, Billy gave the nod, Jim gave the count, Mark gave the punch and on they went...

Five days later and this is the result, as close as you'll ever get to that marathon Truffle Booth without actually being there. From the trampoline dance of the opening track EVERYTHING IS ROUND, to the cinematic enormity of the WTO uprisings in Seattle called DIDN'T WE, this music takes you through some twists and turns. From Old MISTER ONDO in the hallway trying to get home to a CLEAR BLUE SKY. Pre-gentrified Seattle lives in PIG ALLEY where everyone's BOUND FOR 'OUTTA TOWN. There's romance in the RAIIN and the sorrow of a SHADOW, light and dark, just the way life is. And when Kip Kinkle walked into school that day and shot all those people, it was just like a RIVER OF RAGE, slow and haunted.

And yes, there is a STRANGER IN ME too, how about you? But then, when the old man's wife passed away after 53 years and he saw her as a ghost come to tell him it was all okay, he knew it was good, that life was good, and music and love, and he would always have her, and he would always see her there, in the CORNER OF HIS EYE. And he was glad.

This music lives in it's own sound. There's room enough for worlds inside of it, worlds to journey through, on the way to wherever it is that we're all going. We need music to get there don't we? Yes, we do. MUSIC FROM BIG RED.

"Searing, compassionate lyrics, with an always rightfully placed ironic or humorous note; Jim Page's words, like his music, are for both the mind and soul. He urges us to live our lives to their fullest, and, reassures those who do."

------------ WINONA LADUKE

"Jim Page is a lyrical genius with a guitar. This man personifies the word 'free-flow.' Page takes to the mic and the song invents itself on the spot; his talent is a natural wonder."

--------------GAVIN

"Jim Page's music is the kind of great theater that makes you sit on the edge of your seat. One of my favorite writers and performers...always on the money, and always amazing."

-------------CAROLINE AIKEN

Average Customer Review: 5