Bob Sharkey Quartet: Foolish Nightmare

Bob Sharkey Quartet
Foolish Nightmare
Mother West
2005-08-09

Music can be a soothing tonic, a cure for whatever ills present themselves in the course of the daily life, a panacea that invites belief in dreams, love, and a better world. That’s the kind of feeling you’ll get listening to the mellow amalgam of folk, jazz, and rock that is Bob Sharkey’s music. In Foolish Nightmare, concerns of love and the world at large are filtered though dream-like musical musings, harmonies and melodies that arrive like old friends on a cloud of warmth and jazz guitar riffs.

The very capable Sharkey has been playing guitar since the age of 15. He studied jazz guitar at the University of Southern California, where he expanded his inspirations beyond Neil Young and Bob Dylan to include Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman, along with guitar greats Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, and Bill Frisell. After college, he returned home to the east coast, where he fronted various jazz groups (playing original music) and played alongside various singer/songwriters.

In 1999, some 11 years later, Sharkey finally got back to interpreting some of his original inspirations, gathering a quartet of exceptional musicians to perform his moody jazz-infused guitar songs (Fil Krohengold on Moog and Wurlitzer, Dan Green on bass, and Jeff Lipstein on drums). A year later a CD was released with this new sound, but live performances at NYC’s the Living Room further allowed the quartet to hone its unique blend of jazz, rock, and folk sounds, improvising around lyrics, melody and song structures.

Initial tracks for Foolish Nightmare were recorded in early 2002, yet the CD wasn’t finished until December 2004. Listening to it, you wouldn’t know that. The ten-song cycle seems much of a piece, moving along a logical progression that flows easily, sweet sounds that convey deep feelings.

Sharkey’s voice is as mellow as his guitar, and that’s evident from the first track. “Alone in Mind” sets the tone as a man is questioning his mood, turning to an old phonograph that has saved him before, letting the music go “straight to where I hear my heart”. This is well-executed light jazz that delivers a lot in a short space of time. “The City Floor” continues the pondering, wrestling with the dilemma of staying in the city, fighting “all these little wars inside myself”, feeling lost and stoned with his “senses out of tune”.

The title track is something special, opening with solo guitar that leads into a romantic jazz ballad (a type of song Sting probably wishes he could write). Dulcet guitar arpeggios flutter atop the melody, as our hero finds his home in a sort of perfect love, yet questions whether it’s all for real: “Is this just a foolish nightmare / Am I destined to wake up crying all alone / A desperate soul searching for a love I’d share with you.”

“Something Special” is soft rock extraordinaire, pianos, guitars, organs and synthesizers melding into something sweet and telling, a song that might find a home on a John Mayer or Dave Matthews collection (only it seems more authentic). The song is about the realization that this is not forever, rather it’s something special: “So console your fears and form your lines, and lift up your lost potential from all of the years and all of the times.”

Sharkey and friends go a little more roots-music, almost into mellow southern rock realm with “Out of This World”. It’s all about a relationship beginning to turn — asking for a line to be thrown — but the music and fine guitar lead will have you thinking back to early Duane Allman.

The relationship and its intricate negotiations continue in “Heaven”, punctuated by brisk guitar strumming and bass lines, breaking into fluid guitar lines that spill out over this landscape of questioned friendships in a relationship where each person is scared of offending the other.

“Old Romance” is a more typical jazz ballad, moved along by the brushes and Sharkey’s gently emotive vocals, swearing to the apparitions that will align the stars for an encore of that old sweet song and that relationship he vows isn’t over quite yet.

“Stay Down” is a pretty and powerful call for courage, serving up advice to “save yourself tonight / all your strength is needed for the coming fight” amidst the poignant bare skeleton of mere guitar and vocals.

Less successful is “Wait Another Night”, the longest song here. It seems to ramble a bit, remembering some unclear past event, resigned to an uncomfortable situation, a “holding cell in the guise of a home”. It’s still a pleasant aural experience, but lacks the strength of the other songs in this collection.

The CD closes with “Paid the Price”, a whisper of a song that softly throbs while delivering a somber message that goes counter to the mellow sounds, talking about an inner sea of rage and being thrown (without a gun) into a war already decided.

Sharkey often manages the trick of getting his dark and melancholy messages across through the gentle persuasion of soft sounds. His calming voice recalls Michael Franks or Kenny Rankin at times, more modern mellow rockers at others, and his guitar virtuosity makes this music a real pleasure for the listener. The other members of the quartet are excellent as well — and they deserve a larger audience.

Foolish Nightmare is a tuneful and relaxing musical balm, a jazzy folk-rock blend that makes emotional turmoil-filled songs go down smoothly. It’s haunting and captivating — like the memory of some lovely late afternoon’s twilight — simple yet unforgettable, worth experiencing over and over again.

RATING 7 / 10

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