Jesse Harper
Tangowahine, New Zealand
“Long lost classic from a ’60s guitar legend, alive and well”
Doug Jerebine paints a unique portrait of himself as Jesse Harper and his guitar wizardry in this compelling sonic arena of instrumentation captured on disc.
Audiences have been known to get juiced up and dance out of their socks and sneakers to this rave of righteous music. Known for his timeless jams in his native New Zealand in the 1960s, Jerebine (aka Harper) was the eclectic counterpart to the vibe and magic of Jimi Hendrix, only residing in a different hemisphere.
Though Hendrix passed on, Jerebine kept these sounds alive, giving ever more prominence to the cult following he and Hendrix amassed. Truly, this is an exceptional testament to the wonders of the ’60s and ’70s. A soupy delight of fuzz jazz, soulful blues and acid rock psychedelia, the sounds are riveting and stripped naked of artificial baggage, evolving into music that is vulnerable and real.
“Hole In My Hand” expresses predicaments between neighbors during hot summers.
The music urges the listener to hold on to one’s promises.
The “fountain of youth” approach that filters throughout all great music is most vibrantly depicted in the upbeat enthusiasm of Jerebine’s happy-go-lucky sounds, complete with wah pedals, swaying bass, and rapid, free-flowing percussion.
“Ashes and Matches” delivers jangly, reverb-thirsty guitars, and punching beats nicely, meshing with Jerebine’s soulful vocal messages, with occasional poignant harmonies in the choruses.
Most of the tracks carry a fuzzy distorted feel, and the recordings are quite lo-fi as the only available master was an original vinyl copy of the album first pressed in the late 1960s, yet the new CD version is still very listenable and exemplary. The material skips and blends nicely from soft, sullen dream like jives to more robust, edgy, heavier melodies. Overall, the record is a soothing piece of music to kick back and meander through. Kudos to Drag City for uncovering this lost classic. (Drag City)