It’s huge for me to have those guys playing with me.ĭescribe your composing process. They travel all over the planet doing what they do, and I’m not about to stop them from doing that. They are some of the best musicians in the world, really great improvisers. How much leeway do you give your sidemen to jam or create parts? Man, there’s total freedom. Mine has jazz dudes on it-no doubt that influence is in there-but I don’t think of it as a jazz record. It reminds me of those Joni Mitchell albums with Jaco Pastorius. Photo by Jesse Barnett.Īlthough it isn’t a jazz album, Primrose Green has a lot of jazz overtones. Walker digs into his Martin D12-28 at this year’s NON-COMMvention at World Café Live in Philadelphia. “There is so much good guitar happening right now.” “It’s pretty easy to meet a good guitarist these days,” he says.
It’s also evidence of the current state of acoustic guitar, which, according to Walker, is in great shape. Open, loose, and improvisatory, the album serves as a showcase for Walker’s songwriting and playing. It features a cast of local jazz heavies, including Ben Boye on keys, bassist Anton Hatwich, drummer Frank Rosaly, Whitney Johnson on viola, and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm. He recorded Primrose Green-his second full-length album-in Chicago. Walker soaked in the sounds and practiced, and his discipline paid off: At age 26, he has superior chops, mature tone, impressive musicality, and advanced mastery of the instrument. “Along with a lot of roots music, I got huge into John Fahey, Sandy Bull, and stuff like that-super far-out acoustic guitarists.” “I figured going to shows at night instead of going to school was better for me.” He was a student of Chicago’s eclectic music scene and made it his business to attend performances of local legends like Jeff Parker (Tortoise, Chicago Underground). He flirted with college, but it wasn’t to be. Slam it on the ground or just destroy it-it was like anti-guitar music with a guitar.”Īfter high school, Walker moved to Chicago. It was like every part of your body was your guitar pick. and Sonic Youth, played in punk bands, and threw his guitars around. Sick.’”īut as a millennial, Walker was also interested in contemporary music. You look and look, and then you find one and you’re just, ‘Whoa. They had a song called ‘Hats Off to Roy Harper.’ I thought, ‘Who the hell is Roy Harper?’” “‘Black Mountain Side’ is a rip-off of a Bert Jansch song,” he says, “so that’s how I heard about Bert Jansch. “Getting into music is to get into Led Zeppelin.”Įager to expand his sonic horizons, Walker used Zeppelin as a gateway to older music.
“That’s the genesis of some kid from Rockford, Illinois,” he says. His interest in music started with Led Zeppelin. Walker grew up in Rockford, Illinois, about an hour northwest of Chicago. He is a creative, cutting-edge player with deep roots and a willingness to give a nod to the past. He boasts prodigious skill, an ear for diverse styles, and a knack for attracting Chicago’s top talent as sidemen. But don’t miss the point: Walker is anything but a throwback. Just dig the cover art-an overdose of green long, flowing hair a fistful of wild flowers and a photograph that oozes Van Morrison. At first glance, Primrose Green, the new release from Chicago-area fingerstylist Ryley Walker, conjures up some serious ’70s mojo.
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