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find: Music U.S.A.

Chris Ruhe  


singer, songwriter, U.S.A.


chartreuse blues, 1999   list of tracks

...here it is, a musical pastiche, some paint upon the canvas...bright splashes of colour... chartreuse...brilliant green of parrot's wings, of mountain moss and secret wild Honduran callings of loud, raucous, muscley, rowdy life...mix it then with cobalt blue, of cold Magellenic ocean deeps, of nearnight skies, of gliding jay´s wings, of my love´s eyes, of yon supine Appalachians, and there we sort of have it...my music, my chartreuse blues, (for youse). (yeah)

Many wonderful musicians, all my friends, have contributed to this album... they range from 17 to 75 yeras old, and come in all shapes, sizes, and hues...all members of the ancient, noble tribe of music-makers...

The songs from 1984 to 1996, are written and composed by Chris Ruhe.

Order the CDs from: 37 Dutchess Terrace, Beacon, NY 12508, U.S.A.
Email: pescadoroo@aol.com

Excerpt from a review
by
Sonja van Kerkhoff


There are so many shades of blues on American Chris Ruhe's CD "Chartreuse Blues", that I can imagine in the music industry it could be criticized for being so eclectic. This diversity of styles is what I like about the CD which features fourteen musicians playing bass, guitar, harmonica, flute, keyboards and percussion. It starts out with a fast paced "Life's a Highway" and then changes gear to the more complex "Down by the River", with lyrics such as, "four wasps dying on a window,
but I don't lift a finger to help them.
I know you won't understand."
evocatively conjuring up ideas about 'cause and effect', 'desire', 'accountability' and finally 'being judged'.

If you listen to the rest of the lyrics in "Going Down To The River," it becomes clear that the song tells of doing things others don't understand.

Chris Ruhe performing with Dizzy Gillespie in 1991 in Chile.

Doing things that you don't understand yourself. It's about "going down to the river and putting my hand in the water." The complex guitar runs and hints of bopbeat -like rhythm and the rest of the lyrics weave threads of loose associations.
The next track, "Caretakers" is more salsa in feel, with riddle-like lyrics such as; " touch a king's snake on the fourth floor / please let him live to hunt some more / we are the caretakers, a crown on our heads / baby do you care / a place in stone / and miracle threads."
"Night Plane" has a Steely Dan groove and rich jazzy-blues chords. "Just So" is a swinging love song, "Echoes on the Street" is another "on the road" track with lots of bass. The richness of Chris's voices resonates deepest on "Rose of the Night" and "Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts".
The album is a collection of his diverse musical take on the blues, which is probably why Ruhe chose the title "Chartreuse Blues" for his album. A green that is not just a green and likewise with his blues.

Arts Dialogue, June 2002, page 6.


Still Rockin' down that highway paved with song

, 2001  

The songs are written and composed by Chris Ruhe.

Musicians:
Chris Ruhe: guitars, vocals, keyboards, harmonica, rattles, hambone, Peter Boddy's agogo bell.
Arash Aazami: lead guitar on 6 tracks.
E.C. Lorick and Rick Hayman: bass.
Mike Kimmel and Olu Akiwumi-Assani: drums on the same 7 tracks.
Rafael Figueroa: cungas on the same 7 tracks.
Bob Thurston: violin on 3 tracks.
Pete Seeger: banjo on 1 track.


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