Bruce Cockburn is one of Canada's greatest
singer-songwriters. Born in 1945, Bruce began his musical studies
at the end of the 1950's, and began his professional career in
1969 with the his first album "Bruce Cockburn". It was
like a bolt out of the blue when I discovered his albums toward
the middle of the 1970's, Cockburn was already a major star in
Canada and he was about to become one in the USA.
His albums during the 1970's are the
best works amongst singer-songwriters of that decade. Success
in America at the end of the 1970's allowed him to achieve world-class
notoriety that he maintained throughout the 1980's, even though
his work at that time was not as stellar compared to the 1970's.
However in the early 1990's, Bruce was reborn. He returned to
the acoustic singer-songwriter style of his first albums, with
strong folk influences along with his trademark poetic vein.
An excellent composer and musician, Bruce knew how to return to
the vein, and once again performed music of quality without caring
too much about profit..
The new album, "The Charity of
Night," his debut release on the alternative and intelligent
label Rykodisc, reaffirms that he has once again found the vein.
This album is different from his two preceding albums . It leans
towards the radical folk genre and is peppered with electric and
strong jazz influences. Bruce also continued his deep poetic
writing that has always characterized his work. "The Charity
of Night" is an intense and mature work, one of the Canadian's
best.
I met Bruce in Berlin and what follows
is the result of a long conversation. I've known Bruce since
the late 1970's and we've spoken whenever we get a chance. As
you will see, we sound like two old friends engaging in lively,
fruitful conversations.
Q: Why did you leave Sony?
A: It was a mutual decision, with both
of us ending the contract with the realization that leaving [Sony]
was the best thing to do. I had completed work on "The Charity
of Night" and they held off releasing it for months, leaving
me in suspense for a long time. Eventually, we met and talked
it over. If I depended only on North American sales, I would
have stayed with them. However in the rest of the world, Sony
did not do a very good job. My albums have been marginally successful
in Europe and, in some countries, they aren't even publicized.
Q: I thought that they took good care
of you, especially reissuing most of you your catalog of older
albums.
A: They reissued the back catalog mainly
in America and they did a good job of promoting me there. Elsewhere,
I remain an unknown. Ending the contract was a logical thing
to do.
Q: Then you signed with Rykodisc...
A: Both Rykodisc and I are happy with
the contract. They are a small company. I can speak with everyone
there and there is good rapport between the artists and the executives.
Additionally, they are people who love the music they distribute.
And many of the people at Rykodisc are big fans of mine. They
become immersed in their work and work closely with the artists
during the preparation of the album. My experience working with
Rykodisc is wholly new and fascinating.
Q: The new album is produced by you
and Colin Linden.
A: I think you know Colin well -- he
is an amazing musician and interpreter. He has played in my band
for the past five years, but he has, when the time allowed, produced.
He played on "Dart to the Heart" and in the touring
band for "Nothing But a Burning Light." I asked him
to help me produce the album since I don't have much technical
expertise. Colin does. I needed someone with a good ear and
to help me overcome some of the technical matters.
Q: Linden is not an inexperienced person.
Recently, he produced an album for Rick Fines, and that album
has a great sound...
A: He is an incredibly prepared and
he helped me find a natural sound. Also, a good part of the credit
goes to recording engineer John Whynot.
Q: You've got so many great guests on
your album. How did you persuade them to help out? With respect
to Gary Burton, could you tell me anything about his contributions
to the album? His contributions seem to be substantial.
A: Really! I could not have done this
without him. During pre-production, I was aware that the songs
were flat and featureless, that we needed to find the right sound.
The vibraphone seemed like the ideal thing and that made me think
of him [Burton]. So, we called him and he answered, 'yes.' This
surprised and pleased me. Gary Burton is the world's best when
it comes to his instrument.
Q: Why did you think the vibraphone
for give substance to your songs?
A: Because I considered it the perfect
tool for the type of songs that I had written and the result has
given me reason -- the vibraphone gives profundity that originally
was absent from the sound.
Q: You also recorded in Bob Weir's studio.
A: Yes. We also recorded Maria Muldaur
in Weir's studio.
Q: How did that happen?
A: A few years ago, I was touring with
Rob Wasserman, who for a while was an opening act for the Grateful
Dead. We got to know each other. And then Bob Weir was interested
in collaborating with musicians he respected and so we met again.
The two of us worked together for a week, writing and playing
in Bob's studio, but nothing came out well. But, I had just written
"Live on My Mind" and we tried working with that. Between
me and Bob there's the same feeling that there is with Rob Wasserman.
Q: Like Burton, Wasserman's sound is
also very critical to the sound of this album.
A: His contributions are all over the
album. Also, his musical style is unique.
Q: Did you like the Grateful Dead?
A: Yes, although I'm not a Deadhead.
I always admired them and was very pleased to meet them personally.
Q: What did you think of Jerry Garcia?
A: He was a great guitarist and it was
a pleasant surprise when he recorded one of my songs. Garcia
and I once spoke together briefly.
Q: "The Charity Night" is
an excellent album, one of the best of your career. I see it
like a logical pursuance of "Nothing But a Burning Light"
and "Dart to the Heart." Do you agree?
A: Partly. Your point is illuminating
-- at first I didn't think of it in this way but now I too find
a certain logic in the progression of the albums. Originally
I had decided to do a completely different album from what I had
done in the past. But as the album neared completion, I realized
that the albums followed a certain pattern. "The Charity
of Night" is jazz oriented, less folk than the other two,
but it does have much in common with them. Now that you've
brought it up, I understand that I had come to the same conclusion
without knowing it. When I began to write the songs for "Nothing
But a Burning Light," I deliberately went in a direction
of my musical roots. This approach continued with "Dart
to the Heart." But with this album I did not set any limits
for myself and I let my writing go where it wanted. With the
introduction of jazz, this album should be seen as more similar
to those that I did in the 1980's. But my exploration of the
"roots" sound is there, inside some of the songs and
that's what this album has in common with the other two.
Q: Is "The Charity of Night"
a figurative title?
A: Yes. Obviously it is also the title
of a song -- a song about memories, loneliness, the intimacy of
a couple, on the business of life. Then, because the album is
devoted to the night, it seemed natural to give the album that
title.
Q: You wrote all of the songs of this
album over the course of two years, in places completely different
-- is this common for your writing?
A: Normally it is. For me the process
of writing depends on the waiting, waiting for an idea. And
when the idea arrives, it doesn't matter where I am I write the
song. Many of my songs are influenced by the time and place I
find myself. Two of the songs of this album, "The Mines of
Mozambique" and "The Coming Rains" were written
in Mozambique. When you see a landscape like that, you could
be sure that scenery immediately becomes the inspiration. The
things that touch you deep down in your feelings can create a
strong emotional response.
Q: In your older albums and in recent
releases, you sometimes include an instrumental song. During
the 1980's you did not record any, but you have resumed putting
them on the recent albums. "Mistress of Storms," is
one of the prettiest you've ever done. It makes me think of the
Canadian winters, the Great White North...
A: Yes.... (He laughs...)
Q: On your albums there is a lot of
poetry -- do you find poetry a natural element when you record
an album?
A: I love poetry and the way you can
use the language. I am not able to compose music if I have not
found the right words -- of the two, I give more importance to
the lyrics. It is very hard to find the right words. I want
to create realistic and clear images.
Q: When you compose the music, you don't
put as much importance as you do on the lyrics?
A: I think of the music as a companion
to the lyrics. And, practically speaking, the music must be good
otherwise nobody will listen to the album.
Q: Do you write the music with your
guitar?
A: Yes
Q: How do you compose?
A: It has changed over the years. These
days, I take an old notebook and look for an idea. Then I pick
up the guitar and I embroider the music into the lyrics. It takes
a lot of work to create a song.
Songs like "The Mines of Mozambique"
have a history behind them. I went to Mozambique as a representative
for a Canadian organization, to study the territory and the local
situation. I was supposed to write a report for a magazine.
When I arrived there, I was very fortunate to meet people who
almost immediately showed me what was going on. The people I
met made me aware of their lifestyle and of their culture and
of the actual situation. The songs I wrote there don't have a
precise story, they are descriptive and meditative songs. Mozambique
is a very distinctive country, with a soul of its own.
Q: "Birmingham Shadows" is
a very long song...
A:... too long to be broadcast on the
radio... Well there's a lengthy instrumental part and the story
tells the lengthy tale of the conversation between two people
-- two strangers walking along a street in Birmingham in the course
of an evening.
Q: Also, the album is very long -- about
seventy minutes.
A: We even left one song off the album.
Q: I like the title track very much.
It is a fascinating song.
A: Also, it is another long song. It
would have been very difficult to compress the song. Time is
integral to my stories, and I like to leave space for them, to
tell about the place, the memories. It also helps me touch the
soul that resides inside us all. Writing songs is hard work,
but I try to do it with conscience. I don't ever abandon this
approach. I always go for the soul. In "The Charity of
Night," the first verse occurs in 1964, the second verse
in 1985, the third the present.
Q: Other songs that I like, beyond to
that which we've already mentioned, include "The Coming Rains,"
"Pacing the Cage," "The Whole Night Sky" and
"Night Train". If you could select one favorite, which
you would choose?
A: All of them (laughs with gusto).
I like "Night Train" purely for how much I enjoy playing
it. But, this is really a choice of the moment - if you ask me
next week, I would probably give you another title.
Q: Even after 25 years of hard work,
do you still like writing songs?
A: Yes. There are of the moments in
which the desire to write vanishes, but it returns with a vengeance.
And then it becomes mandatory that I write. I still like writing.
I am very fortunate -- I love my work.
Q: Writing is a hard and difficult work?
A: Yes, but it is also amusing. There
are different aspects of what I do that I like very much. Having
an idea, developing it, and seeing the song recorded is always
an amusing thing.
Q: This album radiates peace and tranquility.
Besides the music, also the contents of the lyrics differ from
your albums of the 1980 in which you fought for the justice for
the poor.
A: This album is more thoughtful, looks
inside the person, examines emotions, touching right to the soul
of oneself. It is definitely different from many of my earlier
albums. Anyway I can't say how my next album will be. I don't
want to generalize, but it could be more rock and roll, much louder,
different in every aspect. The essence of this album is also
a meditation on the fact that we all are getting older...
Q: Who are the musicians that have been
a major influence during your career?
A: My first real inspiration came from
Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. When I was younger, I wanted to
play the guitar like Scotty Moore. The music of that era had
a major influence on me. During that time I also learned many
things listening to jazz music, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman.
Then I approached the blues and ragtime. Mississippi John Hurt
has influenced me a lot, above all in how to play the guitar.
And amongst singer-songwriters, Bob Dylan is a fundamental influence.
Q: What current musicians do you like?
A: Ani diFranco. She is a young, strong,
talented and a very definite and formidable musician.
Q: You in last years have recorded songs
for the Columbia Radio Hour. Are there other songs besides those
that have been published in the CDs from Sony?
A: Yes. We've recorded one session
per year during the past five years. Each Christmas, for example,
we recorded a Christmas show. The first was with T-Bone Burnette
and Sam Phillips; the next year with Rob Wasserman, Roseanne Cash
and Lou Reed; the third year, Jackson Browne; the fourth year
with Nanci Griffith; the fifth year, with Jonatha Brooke, Patty
Larkin and Peter Stuart, leader of Dog's Eye View.
Q: You have also made a formidable recording
of "Chimes of Freedom" with Youssou N'Dour.
A: It was not recorded during any of
the Christmas shows, rather it was for another Columbia Radio
Hour. That recording came out very well.
Q: You have also appeared on recordings
of the radio program Mountain Stage.
A: Yes. I have appeared on that show
a couple of times.
Q: You have also recorded a very nice
song for the compilation "Honor" -- "Wise Users."
It's a great song.
A: I am flattered that you like it.
It is a song that I left off of the my new album. The version
that should have appeared on the new album was done in a much
different style -- very electric.
Q: "Honor" is an interesting
project. How did you become involved with it?
A: They asked me to help the cause,
which I like very much, and I contributed a song.
Q: You're quite a reader. What have
you read recently?
A: I have just finished "Cops Riders"
by Tim Winton, who is an Australian writer. Another book I've
read is "Indian Killer" by Sherman Alexi, who is Native
American. Great book.
Q: Have you seen many films lately?
A: I see them when I can. I live in
a small town where only the big titles arrive, those major movies
from Hollywood which are certainly not my passion. But, on a
recent trip to visit my daughter at her university, I saw a major
film, "Michael Collins." I really enjoyed that movie.