“What on earth is he doing?”
Guitarist Mark Hill’s Up Home Tonight audition in the mid-80’s probably still exists in the dark recesses of some ATV film vault. What is not recorded on it is went on behind the camera such as that query by producer/ director Barry Bramhill.
“Unbelievable, but he’s finger picking the melody on the treble strings,” the show’s host, Gordon Stobbe, an amazing instrumentalist himself, explained, “and a split second later, picking it on the bass strings with his thumb.”
“Is that humanly possible?” Barry asked.
“Well, that’s what we’re seeing and hearing,” Gordon said.
It was the first expression of utter amazement I’d heard in all the auditions I’d sat in on with them, auditions that brought so many extraordinary musicians and singers out of the proverbial woodwork.
It’s that rare dexterity of mind and hand that Mark exhibits playing his interpretation of Moulin Rouge, its fingered melody with the thumb picking that sounds like an overdub so exquisite I nearly forget how beautiful Zsa Zsa Gabor looked singing it in the original 1954 movie of the same name. It’s one of twelve instrumentals on his new CD A Mark In Time he took copies of to the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society (CAAS) Convention at Sheraton Music City Hotel near Opryland this week, July 9-12.
Mark paraded his great diversity before the ATV audition camera that day….classical, standard, Chet Atkin’s style country, Lenny Breau jazziness, Jerry Reid poker club blues picking!
That diversity and exquisite simplicity is what brought Mark to the attention of so many at the Convention last year after US reviewer Palmer Moore enthusiastically praised his 2006 release Mark Hill Picks On Chet. He rhapsodized:
‘I am so excited to announce a new name (and certified Chet nut) to fans in the Chet Circle… Mark Hill! He’s from the Canadian Maritimes and one heck of a picker. His dad taught him how to play Chet tunes early and, even though he has progressed through heavy classical and jazz studies, he never forgot his love of the thumb picking stuff his dad left in his head.
‘After years of professionally playing jazz, flamenco and blues with a fairly successful band he formed with his brother Steve (the Hills brothers Blues Band) it was his dad that suggested he might drop back and record some Chet music which he did.’ Which led to that review.
‘Will he ever have a loud stage act like Emanuel or Dykes and do world tours? Probably not!’ he continues. ‘Could he hold his own with either of those two or with Richard Smith? I’m sure he could! Will we ever see him at the CAAS Annual Convention in Nashville? I sure hope so and I hope he sells a ton of these Hill Picks On Chet CDs.’
Well, maybe Mark didn’t quite sell a ton last year at this event but he did sell a bunch and, more importantly, he says, met a lot of Nashville’s top guitar session players and was greatly encouraged by their interest and praise and the thrill of being invited back.
Mark’s new album, A Mark In Time is a mixture of up beat and slow tempo tunes, carefully chosen and brilliantly performed. Besides the title tune, El Senteio, Oscar’s Walk, Hubbard’s Cubbard (a little music word play on Mother’s Hubbard’s Cupboard) and the rollicking, joy filled Twin Pipe Papa (Ohio Romp) are all gems that reflect Mark’s genius as a composer.
And his interpretations of such world favourites as Paganini’s Rhapsody, Limehouse Blues, Three Little Words, Cascade and Don McLean’s Vincent are incredibly meticulous and inspired, his version of Paul Yandell’s Coming Home shows how well Mark can straight pick and then break into such great single line improvising.
Backing Mark’s elegant guitar work, his brother Steve plays drums, percussion and harmonica, Brian Baker bass and mandolin and Pete Belliveau, who engineered the CD, percussion,as well. It was produced by Dave Hill. The beautiful cover design is by Steve Hill, a former artist and cartoonist with this paper.
The Chet Atkins Appreciation Convention Mark is attending…it started yesterday and continues through Saturday…was founded in 1983 by an extreme Atkins fan Jim Ferron. It yearly attracts hundreds of the world’s best finger pickers so to stand out you have to have something special! Locally A Mark In Time will be available at Backstreet Records, Saint John.