Back in the 1960s, Bunky and Jake was a gentle Greenwich Village based pop/folk duo - more in the Loving Spoonful mode than Kweskin Jug Band, if that means anything to you. Sweet, happy, soulful. Old and new simultaneously. Hard to categorize except to say that they embodied the laid back, Greenwich Village spirit of the day. Jake - Allan Jacobs - had a sweet fingerpicking guitar style and Bunky - Bunky Skinner - sang harmonies and the occasional lead. The arrangements were simple and straightforward, vocal harmonies with strings entering unexpectedly at times. They wrote the songs together.
He was a huge Skyliner fan, Laura Nyro, too.
I missed them completely at the time but they had a following and shared the Bitter End stage with many of their more famous contemporaries like Joni Mitchell. They were written up in the Rolling Stone - the issue fronted by Taj Mahal in 1969.
I have their eclectic debut, Bunky and Jake. I found it in Johnstown, PA, and snapped it up. I like their vocal harmonies and the jazzy little 1:25 instrumental, Mongoose, on side two. Maybe you can find it online. Worth a look and listen.
Jake first came to my attention when I heard him play Toad's Place in New Haven in the late 1970s as the leader of a band, Jake and the Family Jewels. The Family Jewels included Mike Rosa on drums, Jeremiah Burnham on Bass, and Dan Marsolino on piano. Their album of the same name is one of my favorites and includes a great Dylan cover:
Many years have passed since these records came out. I'm not sure what kept Jake and Bunky going over the years, but it turns out they and their relationship survived, although the Family Jewels did not.
So, when I heard that Jake had put together a new Jake/Jewels album I was eager to hear it. The album, A Lick and a Promise, actually picks up where Bunky and Jake left off, seemingly skipping over the heavier Family Jewels sound. It is credited to Jake and the rest of the Jewels, in acknowledgment of the one original Jewel, Dan Mansolino, on pianos, and some relative newcomers, the aforementioned 'other' Jewels.
Rather than being a new 'Family Jewels' project, A Lick and a Promise is really a Bunky and Jake revival. Gentler, happier. The years didn't diminish their voices, their melodies, or their wonderful, soulful, optimism. My favorite tunes are Stay in Shape, Willy and Toots, For No One But the Moon, Guitar, Guitar, and Don't Let Go. I prefer the tracks that drummer Bernie Soroko plays on - not the drum machine, Jake. Sorry, I like the sound of Jake's vocals against the foundation of Bernie's drumming and Bobo' bass - real instruments in a real context. The somewhat heavier, roots-ier production of the 'real' drum tracks help to ground those tunes. The drum machine sounds too smooth and artificial.
The album grows on the listener as the unfamiliar songs begin to sink in. I think a cover or two would help to create a connective narrative for the project, relating influence to creation. Throughout, Jake's distinctive voice is clear and strong, remarkably unchanged despite the passage of decades.
His melodies are similarly timeless.
Sadly, Bunky passed away before A Lick and a Promise was released to the public at the end of 2011. The album is a tribute to her enduring spirit, to love, to sincerity - and survival. You've got to hand it to Jake. After all these years, he hasn't lost his vocal chops, his guitar licks, or the promise of a song's power to lift the spirit - and make one dance...

My friend, Donna, is the drummer in a band. Our dogs, Bean and Ginger, are buddies, too. They like to mix it up, some long stride running, some wrestling, some roughhousing, some good natured fun. Donna's band Black Moth Super Rainbow (BMSR) likes to mix it up, too. A little psych, folk, and pop in a big rich electronica stew.
They opened for Flaming Lips on their 2007 tour and have been featured performers at SXSW. Here is a sweet taste in a low tech clip from one of their performances of 'Sun Lips' in Austin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=vwn6g_s7UVY&NR=1

Thank you, This is Music! Thank you Ryan Hogan!
The website This is Music put together a Top 20 blog list and lists this blog, blog.vinylrecordarchitect.com in the top twenty.
Her is the link: http://this-is-music.com/?p=61
Ryan Hogan writes: "Vinyl records may be a relic of the past but that doesn’t mean they’re still not popular with collectors, audiophiles, and music lovers. That’s probably because nothing beats the sound of a record player, the feel of a vinyl disc, and the comfort of an album cover. Compact discs sound better and mp3s take up less room but they can’t match the corporeal and sensual qualities of vinyl records. Let’s face it, vinyl records are flat out cool".
Tell us something we don't know, Ryan!
Just kidding, man. I am very grateful to you for including us in your rankings, Ryan. Readers: Check out Ryan's This is Music website and keep on rocking....to the vinyl beat.



![[LP Record] Square Dances with Calls, - Emery Adams & The Corn Huskers](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yMaM-IP8L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)