Garth Cartwright - More Miles Than Money: Journeys Through American Music

Garth Cartwright, New Zealand born, South London-based, oft wandering, is an award winning journalist, occasional DJ, sometime World Service broadcaster and the author of Princes Amongst Men: Journeys with Gypsy Musicians (Serpents Tail).

Praise forPrinces Amongst Men

Roma music is redolent with Gypsy lore, language, passion and personality. [Cartwright] found a vibrant, living musical tradition that is central to pan-European culture The Times

A valuable chronicle of their personal histories [Roma Gypsies] and musical development He writes lyrically and builds steadily to create a sense of anticipation Times Literary Supplement

Funny, revealing and frequently moving Observer Music Monthly

Excellent survey of Roma musicians in the Balkans What distinguishes Cartwright is his style, his verve and his wholehearted engagement with his subject Guardian

As Bulgaria and Romania creep on to the travel and property pages, this book about Balkan gypsy music could become an essential alternative guide For anyone interested in the reality of Roma culture, or planning a holiday in the region, this is the perfect offbeat companion Sue Steward, Daily Telegraph

Insightful, energised and empathetic Time Out

Reminiscent of Jack Kerouac or Hunter S Thompsonthe prose is carefully written and keenly observed New Internationalist

You dont have to be a fan of gypsy music to appreciate Cartwrights book Part travelogue, part musical history, its full of picaresque tales told in an appealingly off-beat and impressionistic style Uncut

Cartwright is an observant and eloquent writer who demonstrates a strong understanding not just of how things are, socially and politically, in the Balkan states hes visiting but of how things got to be that way. He neither condescends to his interviewees nor patronises the reader, and his love of the Roma, their music and the various countries they inhabit shines through on every page The Wire

An insightful and poignant travelogue which should be handed out free to every Daily Mail reader Big Issue

This is a book about music by a man who has a bellowing and bizarre passion for Balkan brass. It is also about history, culture, tragedy, and, most definitely, joy. In short, it is about what it means to be a human being In this work of enormous humanity Cartwright celebrates the power of music to transcend the most hideous suffering of a people Leeds Guide

MORE MILES THAN MONEY

Journeys Through American Music

GARTH CARTWRIGHT

First published in Great Britain in 2009 by
SERPENTS TAIL
an imprint of Profile Books Ltd
3A Exmouth House
Pine Street
London EC1R 0JH
www.serpentstail.com.

This eBook edition first published in 2009

Copyright Garth Cartwright, 2009
The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Designed and typeset by Folio

This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

eISBN: 978-1-84765-298-0

To: Charlie Gillett, Chris Strachwitz

and the indomitable spirit of Curtis

Mayfield; three who, each in their own

way, helped shape how I heard America

Contents

A road trip such as this relies, to a large degree, on connections. Whether they provided information, contacts, food, music, transport, company, even a sofa to sleep on, Im indebted to all of the following: Roger Armstrong (Ace Records), Chris Strachwitz (Arhoolie Records), Kathy Norris (Canyon Records), Greg Butensky, Jim Kelly, Sharon Schanzer, Elijah Wald, Luis Rodriguez, Radmilla Cody, Leo Dodd, Andria Lisle, Scott Bomar, Tim Sampson, Diana Jones, Lenka Romanova, Bruce Iglauer, Michael Frank, Jimmy Castor, Mickey McGill, Charles Wright, Ian Hancock. Back in the UK my friend and editor John Williams and my friend and agent Hannah Westland both helped shape the sprawling notes that became this book. Gracias, amigos! Pete Ayrton and Andrew Franklin at Serpents Tail/Profile are passionate, hands-on publishers. Ian Anderson at fRoots provided space for reports from the American road. Shout outs to: Bernard MacMahon, Allison McGourty, Adrienne Conners, Neil Scaplehorn, Gareth Evans, Conrad Heine, Marc Gengel, Florence Halfon, Steve Bunyon, Henry and Helmut at Asphalt Tango Records, Orville Saunders, Leon Parker, Rob Hackman, R. Crumb, Rupert Orton, Pete Z, the Jones-Benally family, Errol and Adam, Joe Cushley, Michael Dregni, Niamh Murray, Nita@ Goldstar.

Certain photos for this book were provided by Dave Peabody, Alan Balfour, Colin Escott, Tony Russell, Heather Scaplehorn, Elijah Wald, Canyon Records, Alligator Records, Arhoolie Records and the Soulsville Foundation their help and generosity are appreciated.

To friends international: many blessings!

To my parents, who gave me my first taste of America with Mark Twain and westerns, your support no matter how crazy my quests may seem is always appreciated.

Last but not least: to Florence Arpin and Alexander and Ariane, who always make returning to South London a pleasure.

Since we dont know each other, I want to give you a complete picture of myself, why Im interested in America, why Im always occupying myself with America: because in America, theres the whole world. In Italy theres Italy, and in France theres France. The problems of America are the problems of the whole world: the contradictions, the fantasies, the poetry. The minute you touch down on America, you touch on universal themes. For better or worse, thats the way it is.

Sergio Leone

I always thought it was our America as much as anybody elses circus people and carnival freaks, prisoners and music makers, troubadours, minstrels, hobos and poets and such, we cant let the goddamn country go down to politicians and corporate madmen and media people and college professors, run it over and ruin it all. Its ours, our goddamn country. We built the midway, didnt we? And we make the music that goes on the midway, from sea to shining sea. You know, goddamn, Ronald Reagan died recently and they flew the flag half-mast. Well, did they fly it at half-mast for Ray Charles? For Johnny Cash? Declare a national holiday? Yet these people, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, they moved and changed the daily lives more than any politician who are just grifters and scum. Wouldnt even let them in the goddamn midway. So let us now praise the real American heroes, the ones with heart and soul who changed things for the good.

Little Jack Horton

Gambling on a future: dice men, Mississippi, 1939

No moon illuminates our journey and the stars, why, they fear to shine.