We Talk To Darrell Scott About ‘Jaroso’

Posted on Oct 22, 2020 in New Releases

Darrell Scott’s new Jaroso

Darrell Scott

Releases Second 2020 Album

‘Jaroso’

Out October 23, 2020

By Rob Dickens

A short time after he has given us a tribute album Darrell Scott Sings the Blues of Hank Williams, the Grammy-nominated, multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott will release his new offering Jaroso on October 23 (via Full Light Records / Soundly Music).

Recorded and inspired by Jaroso, the last village in south central Colorado on the New Mexico border, Scott made an album in his friend Mark Dudrow’s adobe church. With no PA system and a small room of attendees arriving only by word of mouth, Scott and his engineer Erick Jaskowiak simplified the album process and made a fresh and intimate old-style recording.

Scott and Jaskowiak conjured the concept of Jaroso while staying in a chautauqua cabin in Boulder, Colorado one night.

Says Scott: “With a sense of Thoreau’s s i m p l i f y, I chose songs that wanted to be there…old, new, borrowed, blue and instruments that arrived from Mark’s house or his friends’ who showed up with a banjo, a nylon string guitar, a 12 string. Along with my Stephen Sobell guitar, I had some sonic variety, so, off we went with a couple dozen folks singing along; Erick at side/back “stage” with headphones; my son, Gabe, taking photos, and crickets listening and singing just outside the adobe walls as the high desert sun set – the experiment captured”.

The eleven- track digital album is available for pre-order now. The physical album also includes a bonus track “A Satisfied Mind” featuring Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, and Robert Plant – recorded live while on tour with Plant’s Band of Joy.

Fans who join Scott’s Patreon page (see link below) will get a first listen with two singles from Jaroso released exclusively to Patreon.

LTTL: Darrell, I believe you live in a rural area just out of Nashville. How and where have you been sitting out the pandemic?

DS: On our land on the Cumberland plateau – turns out I have been social distancing for years

It is a uniquely difficult time for artists, losing their source of income, their connection with a live audience – how have these distancing times impacted on you and your musical vision?

I have built a studio – during the pandemic – and started another recording and released two records – Darrell Scott Sings The Blues Of Hank Williams (April 2020) and Jaroso (October 2020), also started a patreon site with lots of content only available there.

I last saw you live, September 2019, with a wonderful bluegrass band in Bristol Tennessee. One of your many musical guises over the years, along with solo work, The Band Of Joy, Tim O’Brien collaborations etc. You seem to be constantly evolving and challenging yourself musically. Is there some sort of longer-term plan or ethos at work, or do you just decide on what’s next after each project?
I love music – it moves me and gets my attention any time I hear it – bluegrass, blues, jazz, world, folk, country, rock, etc etc. I wanna express as much as I can while I am here

Why did you decide to issue another full-length record so quickly after the last one?

Because I have more music (more releases) than conventional music biz allows for releasing – and music wins over biz

Tell us about the town of Jaroso and the church that became such a character on the new album – how and when were you in the town and what inspired you to record a live album there?
I had never seen the space at Jaroso – I just knew that it was an opportunity for a different live recording – a non PA show – and where the room was ever present (like it was/is). That decision created an intimacy with the listener (both the seated in the hall and the listener of the recording (now), I always wanna find new/old ways that I have not dabbled in before to express music

I love the quote from you regarding the songs on ‘Jaroso’ – “With a sense of Thoreau’s simplify, I chose songs that wanted to be there…” Now, there’re a few originals, one cover each from Merle Haggard, Gretchen Peters?, Hoyt Axton and Malcom Holcombe and about three I can’t place. Can you give us more detail about the songs you were drawn to?

Mickey Newbury wrote “Saint Cecelia” not Gretchen (look into Mickey Newbury’s work) **. I have known the Hoyt and the Haggard songs and the Newbury for 35 plus years. The Malcolm I had never done before
– the others are originals of mine. The sweetness of the recording and room and people guided the song selection, in a way it was a walk down memory lane, sweet and intimate

Did I see somewhere you do or have done music rafting tours, or did I just make that up? If true, it sounds fascinating – tell us about that and feel free to give yourself an unabashed plug!

Being in a wild river in a wilderness area is a great antithesis of the pandemic. I am doing two next year! One is August 24 to 29, 2021 on the middle fork of the Salmon River in Idaho and the other is with the great artist Greg Brown September 22 to 27, 2021 (for both go to idahorivers.com) on the main stem of the Salmon River – float down by day and sing and play by night

I see you have several tour dates listed in November and May next year. What do you expect to be doing over the next three months or so?

Getting my studio going (construction and occupying) and releasing more music, and especially getting good stuff on my subscription site.

** mea culpa – Gretchen recorded the Newbury song on her latest album

Jaroso Tracklist:

01 There’s a Stone Around My Belly – written by: Darrell Scott

02 No One Needs Angel – written by: Darrell Scott

03 Life Is Cheap – written by: Darrell Scott

04 (Have You Ever Been Down To) Colorado – written by: David Kirby (Sung by Merle Haggard)

05 Fiddler Jones – written by: Darrell Scott

06 Evangelina – written by: Hoyt Axton, Kenneth Higgenbothom

07 The Hummingbird – written by: Darrell Scott

08 Who Carried You – written by: Malcolm Holcombe