Music Arcades: Jack Elliott: The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack (soundtrack)

The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack was the opening film of the 2000 Sheffield Documentary Festival. I guess it was the UK premiere and the film makers, including Jack Elliott's daughter, Aiyana, were there for a Q&A afterwards.

As far as I remember, the film rides the tension between building up the public Ramblin' Jack — showing how he moved between many influential folk scenes — and showing how difficult he could be in private. Plenty of evidence of the former strand on this soundtrack, which I bought that evening: the collaborations with Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry, Bob Dylan and Odetta. Plus the sleeve notes, where Aiyana writes, for example, of Don't Think Twice, "My dad likes to tell the story of how he first performed this song at The Gaslight in 1963, but was interrupted by a curly-headed silhouette amidst the crowd who called out, 'I relinquish it to you, Jack.'"

There's none of his difficult side, but the gist was: if you're dad is a restless bohemian beatnik with commitment issues, guess what? He's not going to be a great dad. If you're Californian to boot, you're probably going to have to make a film to work through some of the issues he's left with you, and to start the process of healing.

I can't remember any of the turns by the big folk stars, but I remember two details. The first was that Jack eventually set up home — even though he was never there — in Mendocino. That stuck because my friend Freddie had just married and moved there, switching career from web bureau account manager to basketball coach. The other was the first time I came across Wizz Jones. Wizz and Jack played and hung out, and Wizz could justifiably claim to be the British Jack. He's a peer of Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Davy Graham, Clive Whatsit from The Incredible String Band, Ralph McTell and (surely, at some stage he must have played with) the likes of Martin Carthy and Leon Rosselson — without having a cult following of comparable size to most of those, Rosselson apart. But somehow that's not the same as Johhny, Odetta and Sonny; Newquay isn't the same as the East Village (see below); Balham isn't the same as Mendocino; and Wizz never carried the flame between generations the way Jack passed it from Woody to Bob.

Still, Wizz's son hasn't sought to put his dad's character on public trial, but just plays music with him instead. Earlier this year I saw them play in the local pub I was in last night.

Jack still plays in London from time to time. But if I were to choose an album of his, I'd take Talking Woody Guthrie before this patchily interesting compilation.