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Bahaman Folk Guitar: Music of the Bahamas, Vol. 1

by Joseph Spence

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    This reissue LP has been meticulously redesigned from original prints and materials, photos, and remastered from original LP master tapes. It features the classic black textured Folkways tip-on style album jackets and the liner notes booklet that was included in the initial release.

    All US orders will be shipped USPS media mail.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Bahaman Folk Guitar: Music of the Bahamas, Vol. 1 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $23.98 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    All US orders will be shipped USPS media mail. Image is a mock-up.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Bahaman Folk Guitar: Music of the Bahamas, Vol. 1 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $16.98 USD or more 

     

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about

Recorded in 1958 and released on the Folkways label in 1959, this album introduced American listeners to Joseph Spence’s unique guitar and vocal styles. These field recordings by musicologist Sam Charters capture Spence in a relaxed, expansive mood—only one of the six selections in the set is under five minutes in length. Spence’s guitar style was due in part to the D tuning of his bass string, which produced a lower bass sound. Whereas many critics have called Spence’s vocal style unorthodox, they have found his guitar playing spontaneous and iconic. Some music critics have gone so far as to refer to him as the “Thelonious Monk of folk guitar.”

The vinyl reissue of Music of the Bahamas, Volume 1 includes Sam Charters’ liner notes. This reissue is part of Folkways Records’ 70th anniversary celebration series, revisiting some of the most iconic and influential albums released on the record label.

credits

released January 1, 1959

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Joseph Spence Nassau, The Bahamas

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