Jack Hardy
Collected Works (10 disc set)
The Passing (1999)
(Prime CD)

Hardy has written about Robert Graves and the reclusive Irish poet Clarence Mangan, and sometimes seems to model himself after the latter - complete, these days, with the pointed black hat which we associate with Halloween and which he insists was the garb of the ancient bards. I think, though, that he has more in common with the controversial Ezra Pound, who mentored and edited and encouraged and harrangued young poets including T.S. Eliot into a serious artistic movement. From his studio walk-up in the Village, Hardy has created such institutions as the Monday Night Songwriter Exchange and the Fast Folk Musical Magazine. Like Pound, Hardy is also an iconoclast whose work is full of historical allusions and frequent literary and melodic thefts. In concert, he has been known to announce, "You may not understand this song, but I do." He has always risked accusations of being precious or pretentious, but has persevered in mining his hoard of ancient lore and bringing it to bear on contemporary social and political realities. His work has always been relevant - full of prophetic rage and a joker's glittering eye.

The recent release of his first 10 albums as a double-boxed set offers those willing to listen an opportunity to see the shape of his work as a whole and perhaps understand some of those songs better in that context. Like Pound's Cantos, these albums, made over the course of almost thirty years, are are really part of a single over-arching framework, a master opus. The unity of vision and direction are extraordinary, from the early mid-western cowboy songs to the Celtic legends to the Houston Street political songs to the Yeatsian love ballads.

Each of these disks holds real treasures. Hardy steals melodies and lines, but always from the best, and always reworking his materials to create something original. All the old LP's have been remixed and remastered, and much of the old artwork has been given a facelift.

Some of Jack's most recent work ranks with his best, and the new album, The Passing, contains many great songs, including the title track and "Willie Goggin's Hat." But that's another story.-HB

This master collection has been reviewed in greater depth by Jon Colcord and Christian Baumann. An excellent piece, worth reading. Find it here.