Beverly Glenn-Copeland
began his recording career with two self-titled LPs of poetic folk-jazz near the beginning of the 1970s. Following the stripped-down
Beverly Copeland
, recorded and released in a miniscule pressing by
CBC Radio Canada
in 1970,
was issued by
GRT
in 1971. The album was recorded with an impressive cast of notable jazz musicians, including flutist
Jeremy Steig
, guitarist
Lenny Breau
, drummer
Terry Clarke
, and bassist/percussionist
Don Thompson
. Much stronger than the artist's first record,
is a strange, mystical work filled with captivating vocal performances and intriguing songwriting. It's easy to imagine
Glenn-Copeland
's music eliciting comparisons to
Tim Buckley
,
Joni Mitchell
, and maybe
Laura Nyro
when these albums first appeared, but with half a century of hindsight, his early music makes more sense in the context of the freak-folk underground and the rediscovery of other obscure gems like
Linda Perhacs
'
Parallelograms
. Opening song "Color of Anyhow" is warm, majestic, and inviting, but "Ghost House" immediately switches the mood to something more curious and, indeed, haunting. The first half of the song is delicate, almost an ambient lullaby, then the second is an arresting gale of commanding vocals and rapturous guitar, flute, and drums. "Complainin' Blues" is a more rollicking, locomotive shuffle with percolating organ licks. Two songs from the first record -- the abstract, operatic "Swords of Gold" and the more comforting, uplifting "Song from Beads" -- are given more fleshed-out re-readings. The brief, distorted "My Old Rag or the Hysterical Virgin" manages to out-weird the likes of
Joanna Newsom
Devendra Banhart
, and other 21st century freak-folkies. Finally, "Erzili" is an expansion on the vibes of "Ghost House," beginning with lyrics of being possessed and dancing on rainbows, then progressing into a faster, more intricate instrumental section with freewheeling flute solos. Over the years,
has come to rival 1986's
Keyboard Fantasies
as the artist's most beloved work, and while the two albums sound vastly different, they're both singular, bewildering experiences. ~ Paul Simpson