Jack Clift
Encyclopedia
Jack Clift is an American Composer and Music Producer. He is best known for his hybrid soundscapes combining elements of American folk music
, jazz
and bluegrass music
with traditional instruments and singers from the many countries he has visited.
Clift's recordings feature virtuoso performances from Sardegna, Turkey
, Corsica
, Malta
, and most notably Uzbekistan
where he has been a part-time resident since 2004. That was when he co-founded the American-Uzbek musical group, Jadoo. Jadoo's members are Toir Kuziev, Utkur Kadirov, Otanazar Khudaynazarov, Olim Khakimov, Nodir Umarov and other musical contributors.
Clift has had compositions licensed by ABC for the 1996 Summer Olympics ("Guitarland", title track of Los Angeles guitarist Tim Pierce's solo album) and the nationally syndicated radio program, Car Talk
("Borrowed Car", co-written with Tom Adler and title track of Adler's CD).
In September 2006, Clift met with John Carter Cash
in Hendersonville, Tennessee where the two conceived an ambitious project melding the Central Asian influences of Jadoo with traditional American mountain music, including songs from the catalogue of the Carter Family
. Clift then returned to Tashkent
, Uzbekistan
and met with Tatar guitarist Enver İzmaylov
and the members of Jadoo for the first recording sessions of the project. Upon his return to the United States, he reconvened with Cash in Tennessee to begin introducing the contributions of mountain singer Ralph Stanley
, recipient of the National Medal of Arts
in 2006, country music icon Marty Stuart
, The Peasall Sisters (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Down from the Mountain), Randy Scruggs
, Ronnie McCoury
, John Cowan
, Greg Leisz
, and Ron Miles
, thus forming the group Cedar Hill Refugees. This project, titled Pale Imperfect Diamond had a limited release in 2009. "Keys to the Kingdom", featuring Ralph Stanley
, was chosen to be the first track on Coal Country Music, a compilation produced by Andy Mahler and Jason Wilber as a companion to the Sierra Club
film Coal Country.
A second Jadoo album, And Darkling Waters Flow, was also released in 2009. This beat-oriented instrumental album features the guitar work of long time collaborator Tim Pierce.
In June 2009, Clift was invited to perform with Jadoo for an upcoming episode of PBS travel series Rudy Maxa's World, working with travel guru Rudy Maxa
and Emmy award winning director Sue McNally. Jadoo not only performs live, but selections from various Jadoo CDs are featured prominently throughout the episode. Continuing this collaboration, Clift, Maxa, and McNally have begun developing a concert documentary that will bring the musicians of these two great traditions together for a concert.
2009 also brought the online pre-release of Horses Fleet as Wind, a collection of live studio improvisations featuring Jadoo with special guests Enver İzmaylov
, and Vitaliy Papelov. This title is currently available only as a download from the Effigy Records website but rumors of a pending packaged commercial release persist.
Currently, Clift and John Carter Cash
are in the production of an as of yet unnamed Cedar Hills Refugees follow up album. Veterans of Pale Imperfect Diamond, such as Ralph Stanley
, The Peasall Sisters, Marty Stuart
and John Cowan
will again be featured as well several new guest collaborators: Rosanne Cash
, bluegrass singer Dave Evans and acclaimed Virginia traditional singer, Elizabeth LaPrelle.
American folk music
American folk music is a musical term that encompasses numerous genres, many of which are known as traditional music or roots music. Roots music is a broad category of music including bluegrass, country music, gospel, old time music, jug bands, Appalachian folk, blues, Cajun and Native American...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
with traditional instruments and singers from the many countries he has visited.
Clift's recordings feature virtuoso performances from Sardegna, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, and most notably Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
where he has been a part-time resident since 2004. That was when he co-founded the American-Uzbek musical group, Jadoo. Jadoo's members are Toir Kuziev, Utkur Kadirov, Otanazar Khudaynazarov, Olim Khakimov, Nodir Umarov and other musical contributors.
Clift has had compositions licensed by ABC for the 1996 Summer Olympics ("Guitarland", title track of Los Angeles guitarist Tim Pierce's solo album) and the nationally syndicated radio program, Car Talk
Car Talk
Car Talk is a radio talk show broadcast weekly on National Public Radio stations throughout the United States and elsewhere. Its subjects are automobiles and repair, and it often takes humorous turns...
("Borrowed Car", co-written with Tom Adler and title track of Adler's CD).
In September 2006, Clift met with John Carter Cash
John Carter Cash
John Carter Cash is an American Country music-singer, author, songwriter and producer. He is the only son of Johnny and June Carter Cash.-Biography:...
in Hendersonville, Tennessee where the two conceived an ambitious project melding the Central Asian influences of Jadoo with traditional American mountain music, including songs from the catalogue of the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
. Clift then returned to Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
and met with Tatar guitarist Enver İzmaylov
Enver Izmaylov
Enver İzmaylov is a prominent Crimean Tatar folk and jazz musician resident of Ukraine. Born into a family previously deported from Crimea , İzmaylov returned in 1989....
and the members of Jadoo for the first recording sessions of the project. Upon his return to the United States, he reconvened with Cash in Tennessee to begin introducing the contributions of mountain singer Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
, recipient of the National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
in 2006, country music icon Marty Stuart
Marty Stuart
John Martin "Marty" Stuart is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music...
, The Peasall Sisters (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Down from the Mountain), Randy Scruggs
Randy Scruggs
Randy Scruggs is a music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13...
, Ronnie McCoury
Ronnie McCoury
Ronnie McCoury is a mandolin player, singer, and songwriter born in 1967. He is the son of bluegrass musician Del McCoury, and is best known for his work with the Del McCoury Band. He has also recorded several solo albums....
, John Cowan
John Cowan
John Cowan is an American soul music and progressive bluegrass vocalist and bass guitar player. He was the lead vocalist and bass player for the New Grass Revival...
, Greg Leisz
Greg Leisz
Greg Leisz is an American multi-instrumentalist, playing lap and pedal steel guitars, guitar, mandolin, and bass.- Biography :Leisz was influenced early on by the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, especially pedal steel player "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow...
, and Ron Miles
Ron Miles
Ron Miles is an American trumpeter, cornetist and composer.-Career:Miles moved to Denver, Colorado at the age of 11 and attended Denver East High School. Ron went on to study music at the University of Denver and the Manhattan School of Music . He is among Denver's most prominent jazz musicians...
, thus forming the group Cedar Hill Refugees. This project, titled Pale Imperfect Diamond had a limited release in 2009. "Keys to the Kingdom", featuring Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
, was chosen to be the first track on Coal Country Music, a compilation produced by Andy Mahler and Jason Wilber as a companion to the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
film Coal Country.
A second Jadoo album, And Darkling Waters Flow, was also released in 2009. This beat-oriented instrumental album features the guitar work of long time collaborator Tim Pierce.
In June 2009, Clift was invited to perform with Jadoo for an upcoming episode of PBS travel series Rudy Maxa's World, working with travel guru Rudy Maxa
Rudy Maxa
Rudy Maxa is an American consumer travel expert. He's the host and executive producer of 85 half-hour travel shows on the world's great destinations that are broadcast on public television in the US with the titles Smart Travels: Europe with Rudy Maxa, Smart Travels: Pacific Rim with Rudy Maxa,...
and Emmy award winning director Sue McNally. Jadoo not only performs live, but selections from various Jadoo CDs are featured prominently throughout the episode. Continuing this collaboration, Clift, Maxa, and McNally have begun developing a concert documentary that will bring the musicians of these two great traditions together for a concert.
2009 also brought the online pre-release of Horses Fleet as Wind, a collection of live studio improvisations featuring Jadoo with special guests Enver İzmaylov
Enver Izmaylov
Enver İzmaylov is a prominent Crimean Tatar folk and jazz musician resident of Ukraine. Born into a family previously deported from Crimea , İzmaylov returned in 1989....
, and Vitaliy Papelov. This title is currently available only as a download from the Effigy Records website but rumors of a pending packaged commercial release persist.
Currently, Clift and John Carter Cash
John Carter Cash
John Carter Cash is an American Country music-singer, author, songwriter and producer. He is the only son of Johnny and June Carter Cash.-Biography:...
are in the production of an as of yet unnamed Cedar Hills Refugees follow up album. Veterans of Pale Imperfect Diamond, such as Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
, The Peasall Sisters, Marty Stuart
Marty Stuart
John Martin "Marty" Stuart is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music...
and John Cowan
John Cowan
John Cowan is an American soul music and progressive bluegrass vocalist and bass guitar player. He was the lead vocalist and bass player for the New Grass Revival...
will again be featured as well several new guest collaborators: Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of the late country music singer Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin....
, bluegrass singer Dave Evans and acclaimed Virginia traditional singer, Elizabeth LaPrelle.
Discography
- Horses Fleet as Wind (2009)
- And Darkling Waters Flow (2008)
- Pale Imperfect Diamond (2008)
- Prairie Fire (2006)
- A Parade for the Fallen (2004)
- The Earlyears (2003)
- The Secret Histories (2001)
- From A Window Black as Rain (1997)
- On a Bright, Bright Morning (1993)
Awards
- 1998 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Producer)
- 1998 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Original Modern Classical Genre )
- 1998 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Eclectic)
- 1997 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Mainstream Rock)
- 1997 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Metal)
- 1997 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Adult Contemporary)
- 1993 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Acoustic/Folk)
- 1992 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Single)
- 1992 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Alternative/Modern)
- 1988 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Best Producer)
- 1988 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Best of Show)
Notable Collaborators
- Tim Pierce
- Alan PasquaAlan PasquaAlan Pasqua is a jazz pianist, educator and composer who co-composed the CBS Evening News theme. He also has had an extensive career in pop and rock music, most notably as a founding member, keyboardist and songwriter of the 80s hard rock band, Giant. He studied at Indiana University and the New...
- Enver İzmaylovEnver IzmaylovEnver İzmaylov is a prominent Crimean Tatar folk and jazz musician resident of Ukraine. Born into a family previously deported from Crimea , İzmaylov returned in 1989....
- John Carter CashJohn Carter CashJohn Carter Cash is an American Country music-singer, author, songwriter and producer. He is the only son of Johnny and June Carter Cash.-Biography:...
- John CowanJohn CowanJohn Cowan is an American soul music and progressive bluegrass vocalist and bass guitar player. He was the lead vocalist and bass player for the New Grass Revival...
- Ralph StanleyRalph StanleyRalph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
- Ronnie McCouryRonnie McCouryRonnie McCoury is a mandolin player, singer, and songwriter born in 1967. He is the son of bluegrass musician Del McCoury, and is best known for his work with the Del McCoury Band. He has also recorded several solo albums....
- Jeff BealJeff BealJeff Beal is an American composer of music for film, television, recordings, and the concert hall. Highly regarded as a jazz instrumentalist and versatile composer, Beal's music often incorporates a synthesis of improvisatory and composed elements.- Early life :Beal began trumpet studies in the...
- Edgar MeyerEdgar MeyerEdgar Meyer is a prominent contemporary bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. Meyer has worked as a session musician in Nashville, part of various chamber groups, a composer, and an arranger...
- Marty StuartMarty StuartJohn Martin "Marty" Stuart is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music...