photo by Pamela Littky
Richard Thompson
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This past Friday night, March 18, there was an Englishman in Newark–not Quentin Crisp, à la Sting’s song, but another one of Britain’s greatest imports, the dazzling Richard Thompson. Folkies and guitar players and appreciators of every stripe gathered to hear one of the great singer-songwriters and to describe his work, I tell other guitar aficionados that, when Thompson plays, he sounds like an entire band.

Folks who follow folk music will remember when the 18-year-old Thompson burst on the scene and almost immediately joined and helped form Fairport Convention. At the time the band was doing primarily cover tunes, songs remade by Fairport Convention that had been made famous by the originating band. Within a short time, Thompson was chomping at the bit for Fairport to whistle its own tunes and soon was penning some of his earliest hits, which are still popular today.

Friday’s concert began with opening act Paul Rosevear. He’s got an urban look and a ghost of Neil Young in his plaintive delivery. A keen observer of everyday details, Rosevear writes what he sees. One could see that there were a number of Rosevear fans in the audience. Of his opening set, his song “Wait a While” had a touch of delta blues and some great energy. His final song, “Josephine,” was a story with a pendant ending, and a great sense of those lost moments of our carefree youth.

“The Spell is Broken” kicked off the mammoth set by Richard Thompson. He continued his ’80s arc with “Walking on a Wire” and “Turning of the Tide” and then he had us full on. He played for more than 90 minutes and had to come back for two encores.

You’d nearly swear that Thompson is polydactyl–has more than 10 fingers. Each one of them is actively engaged in playing. The left hand sweeps up and down the neck of the guitar, thumb included, and changes tunings with reckless, vivid abandon. The right hand holds a pick between thumb and index finger to play bass lines while the three lower fingers are strumming and picking at brilliant speeds. We guitar players love to see a musician’s hands when he or she is playing and Thompson is one of the absolute best.

Richard Thompson’s wit and wisdom shine through his songs. He treated us to a cut from his latest album, “The Dream Attic,” called “The Money Shuffle,” and it hits the right mark of rueful bitter satire. Following this up with the sentimental “Woods of Darney,” he had us with him all the way.

Selfish guilty pleasure marked the evening for me. Juxtaposing “The Sunset Song,” about a man moving on from his lover, with “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” with another man moving from his love to another, had tears in my eyes as soon as he played the opening bars about James and Red Molly. Later on when he covered Frank Loesser’s “Hamlet,” from 1949’s “Red Hot and Blue,” it brought the house down. As he finished the regular set with “I Feel So Good,” we were with him every step of the way. Thompson plays men’s and women’s emotions with skill equal to that of his guitar.

We wouldn’t let him go until he gave us two encores. The first paired “How Will I Ever Be Simple Again” and “Wall of Death” and the second, “Cooksferry Queen” and the evocative “Dimming of the Day.” If you have varied musical taste, you’ll hear hints of so many varied performers and different modes, pentatonics and more. You must not miss this virtuoso wherever you can hear him–his wit scintillates, but he is 100 per cent about the music–all music. Richard Thompson is a treasure.

NJPAC is the place to go whether you’re in the Prudential Hall or the intimate Victoria Theatre. There are two restaurants on site–Theatre Grill and the Bistro, and make reservations early or you will be locked out. It’s easy to get to via train and light rail, or by driving, and you’ll have a great experience.

Richard Thompson’s tour dates in the US are many and varied. Check out his website at www.RichardThompson-music.com.