Arlo Guthrie Flaunts Rhythm and Blues

An audience of about 1,500 reverent music lovers came to the Warner Theater on Main Street in Torrington, Connecticut, on Nov. 18, 2007, to hear Arlo Guthrie. The steel blue lights shined down on the line-up of five guitars, one a twelve-stringer, and a classic piano on the main stage of a theatre recently renovated after a destructive internal fire within the past five years.

A truly fine guitarist and singer Arlo Guthrie who was a native of Tennessee and a real somebody now living in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Between the renditions of masterful work the musician told short quips about his background including the early days of growing up with one of his primary instructors, one was his father Woodie Guthrie who was a very capable writer and song-writer during his lifetime. One of the original train songs "City of New Orleans" was performed solo on a piano by Arlo, but so artfully accompanied by distinct vocal lyrics the blend became uniform. Most songs were played on six-string guitars, the musician very specific about the sound of each instrument he played with each song. Later he used a 12-string guitar which is a resonant instrument and difficult to use. The music was beautiful and creative, melodious but contrasted by break rhythms, tonation and explosive qualities, spanning approximately 30 years of live experience.

Guthrie came across as a warm, generous and caring artist, the performer with a "social conscience" enamored the audience without interruption other than the pre-scheduled intermission. This solo show maintained everyone's interest fully through the one and one-half hour time span, the sense of one solo performer on stage lost in the shuffle of varied songs and personal clips told in a funny and entertaining way without masking Guthrie's ability with is craft, enhancing the overall presentation.

According to the performer, his latest songs were performed with the University of Kentucky music students on a new release. Of course these students are enjoying his expertise as much as he has appreciated the accompaniment.