Contemporary Guitar

Takoma was the label, more than any other, that showcased innovative, outside-of-the-mainstream acoustic guitarists expanding the parameters of folk music in the 1960s and '70s. This rare 1967 various-artists album acted as something of a sampler of such Takoma-affiliated guitarists. John Fahey is by far the most prominent of these, but Robbie Basho also had his sizable cult following; both are represented by one 13-minute track apiece, the album also including a couple cuts each by Max Ochs and Harry Taussig, as well as one song by venerable Delta bluesman Bukka White. Contemporary Guitar isn't a mere sampler of cuts from Takoma's catalog, however, as none of the material appeared on other LPs, and little of it has apparently ever seen reissue. ~ Richie Unterberger