It would not be a hackneyed expression to say that Artie Traum has gone back to his roots for his new CD, Thief of Time. Traum for now has edged out of the smooth jazz world, where prior releases such as Meetings with Remarkable Friends were well received, to let his songwriting dictate the direction of his new release, and he brought in producer Wendy Waldman to help him. Traum said he wanted to go with “more roots, blues and songwriter stuff,” and Thief of Time is the logical progression from his previous release, South of Lafayette, which touched the same territory but without such a blues edge.
Traum’s teaming with Wendy Waldman stemmed from their connection as Taylor Guitars clinicians. When Waldman heard Traum’s South of Lafayette album, she said she wanted to produce his next CD. It turns out that she was involved in the writing and the flow of it, as well.
The co-written songs with Waldman, including “Last Tree in the Bronx,” “Bonnie Jean,” “That Secret Place,” and “Back in the Sugarcane” (with John Sebastian), showcase the writers’ abilities to tell a compelling story. Traum’s solo-written tracks include the title cut, the reflective “Midnight Blue,” a proper Louisiana history lesson in Halifax, and the Ohio working man’s statement, “Insult a Man.” Traum and Joe Flood go deeper into the blues with the stripped-down track, “Where the Blues Began,” featuring Traum on resonator guitar and Flood on a blues-funky mandolin weaving around Traum’s guitar.
Most of the album was recorded live, except for a couple of electric guitar overdubs and final vocals. Traum credits his studio players with making the live feel possible. Their experience in recording Traum’s riveting version of the traditional “Cuckoo Bird” was indicative of the entire album. Traum describes it as “almost Appalachian banjo-style guitar that’s been mixed with a great rhythm section.”
Traum’s core team included tasteful players Warren Bernhardt on piano, Tony Levin on bass, and Gary Burke (Bob Dylan, Joe Jackson, Aretha Franklin) on drums and percussion. Kenny Edwards also sat in on mandolin, and John Sebastian added baritone electric guitar to “Insult a Man.” Among the guest vocalists who added to the atmosphere were Amy Helm, Teresa Williams, Donna Lewis, Jim Photoglo and Waldman.
Traum played all of his Taylor guitars on the album, but says the strumming-friendly GS got the most attention this time around.
As a guitar player, singer and writer, Traum is very good at a lot of things, but with Thief of Time, he has taken the music of his heart to a new level.
— Julie Bergman
It would not be a hackneyed expression to say that Artie Traum has gone back to his roots for his new CD, Thief of Time. Traum for now has edged out of the smooth jazz world, where prior releases such as Meetings with Remarkable Friends were well received, to let his songwriting dictate the direction of his new release, and he brought in producer Wendy Waldman to help him. Traum said he wanted to go with “more roots, blues and songwriter stuff,” and Thief of Time is the logical progression from his previous release, South of Lafayette, which touched the same territory but without such a blues edge.