5 December, 2023Print
Jim Kweskin Reunites With Longtime Collaborators Rose Guerin & Samoa Wilson On New Single “I Ain’t Never Been Satisfied,” Weaving Seamless Harmonies Through Childhood Folklore
New Duets Album Never Too Late Out on January 26th via StorySound Records, Followed by Jim Kweskin Extravaganza on February 4th
Today, folk legend Jim Kweskin releases “I Ain’t Never Been Satisfied,” featuring Rose Guerin and Samoa Wilson. As the latest preview of his upcoming album,Never Too Late, out January 26th via StorySound Records, the song brims with an arrangement of seamless harmonies, vibrant harmonica, and verses that evoke childhood folklore like Little Sally Walker and Old Uncle Rabbit. On the roots of the collaboration, Kweskin explains:
“There were wonderful, vibrant folk music scenes all over this country in the late 50s and 60s. One of them was in Berkeley, California, where there were some really great singers and musicians, like Miriam Stafford. She took some traditional children's southern play songs and made this arrangement which she called ‘I Ain't Never Been Satisfied.’ We learned it from her.”
Listen to “I Ain’t Never Been Satisfied” HERE
In addition to longtime collaborators like Rose Guerin and Samoa Wilson, Never Too Late features captivating duets with some of Kweskin’s favorite female singers – Juli Crockett, Meredith Axelrod, his granddaughter Fiona Kweskin, and more – while simultaneously spotlighting the genre- and generation-hopping nature of his musical interests. Across its 18 tracks, Never Too Late suggests a Great American Songbook where Leadbelly’s “Relax Your Mind” precedes the Tin Pan Alley tune “Sheik of Araby,” which leads into 1940’s country hit, “Remember Me.”
“I Ain’t Never Been Satisfied” follows the recently released “Let's Get Happy Together” featuring Maria Muldaur, who first collaborated with Kweskin in the 1960s, as part of the influential Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band.
Jim Kweskin recorded Never Too Late in early 2023 at Dimension Sound Studios in Jamaica Plain, MA, near his Boston home base. According to Kweskin, “almost every song on Never Too Late was either the first or second take because everyone was so good and prepared.” Joining Kweskin on this album are fiddler Suzy Thompson, dobro & steel guitar player Cindy Cashdollar, harmonicist Annie Raines, and his regular bassist/producer Matthew Berlin.
Jim Kweskin's music career took off in 1963 when Maynard Solomon, Vanguard Records co-founder, saw him play at Club 47 in Cambridge, MA. Suitably impressed, Solomon offered to record Kweskin, leading him to assemble the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, featuring key members Geoff Muldaur and Fritz Richmond. This unconventional group gained fame with their spontaneous and unscripted performances, in contrast to the formal folk groups of the early 60s. Despite only lasting five years and releasing four studio albums, they left an enduring impact on the music scene. Esteemed critic Ed Ward ranked them among the most important bands of the early 60s, and their influence can be seen in the likes of the Lovin' Spoonful, the Grateful Dead, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks.
To celebrate the release of Never Too Late, The Jim Kweskin Extravaganza will take place at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA on February 4, 2024. The night will feature appearances by Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Samoa Wilson, and Jim's granddaughter, Fiona Kweskin. Find more details here.
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