Since releasing his groundbreaking album Spider Tales in 2020, Jake Blount has become known for his preservation of the old time string band tradition. On Blount’s latest release, Single-Footing Horse, he presents what he’s publicly stated is his final venture in that idiom.
As with any old time-oriented album, most all of these pieces have been learned from a wide variety of sources. The sole exception to that is Grand Forks, written by Blount himself. It’s a lively piece that shows Jake’s deep comprehension of the old time fiddle tradition. Throughout this album, he is accompanied by Cap Cooke on banjo, Ethan Hawkins on guitar, and Felix Sartori on bass.
Shady Grove is one of a few tunes borrowed from the repertoire of Jon Bekoff of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Though there have been countless renditions of this song documented through the years, this particular version has an incredibly haunting quality to its melody, one that will stick with the listener long after they hear it.
Another from Bekoff is the title track, Single-Footing Horse. What was initially meant as a tune to test the microphones in the studio ultimately became a double fiddle tour-de force with Blount alongside fiddler Judy Hyman. The ensemble was also joined by Jeff Claus on the banjo-ukulele, a bandmate of Hyman’s in The Horse Flies.
Working On A Building is another song that many listeners are familiar with, but will have most likely not heard this rendition. With words from Lesley Riddle, this song takes on a totally different feel than any other. Blount and Friends are joined here on harmony vocals by Megan Jean.
Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom comes from Snake Chapman and is incredibly riveting. All Young and Hannah at the Springhouse are both sourced from Melvin Wine of Copen, West Virginia. Though they are similar to each other melodically, each is played with a different emotional feel, making for a nice contrast.
Jake Blount not only displays his powerful musicianship all throughout this recording, but also his deep knowledge of some of the great overlooked artists in old time music. If Single-Footing Horse is truly Blount’s final exploration into the world of string band music, he has guided us on one heck of an adventure.
