Les Disques Omnison / France / 2023
"Where does Turner Williams Jr. fit ? Let's put it this way: in a lineage where the history of strings, via folk but not only, goes back to Roscoe Holcomb and John Jacob Niles (it doesn't matter if they don't play exactly the same instruments, or if they built them themselves or not), before it was extended by John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Peter Walker, or enriched by Sandy Bull's own effects, with whom the Appalachians, India or the spirit of certain Celtic-influenced ballads cohabit seamlessly with repetitive, and why not noisy, structures. Of the latter, Turner Williams Jr. continues the syncretism from Marseille, where he has lived since leaving the United States and his native Alabama. In fact, his instrument of choice, the shahi baaja, is of Indian origin, which explains why some of his many limited-edition recordings evoke a fantastical Orient. What's more, although the shahi baaja is played from a sort of retro-futuristic typewriter keyboard, its strings are akin to the dulcimer and the Vosges spruce, providing a link between his homeland, Japan, France and Pakistan - among others. The drone and sympathetic strings, reminiscent of the bulbul tarang once electrified, are reminiscent of Michael Flower, Hans Reichel's daxophone or - above all - the self-produced cassettes of the duo Davey Williams and LaDonna Smith."
Limited edition vinyl (100 numbered copies) of Ensoleillé, by Turner Williams Jr. Handmade cover with collage. Random colors ! Comes with a A4 insert with liner notes in french and english by writer and journalist Philippe Robert.