Bonn ist supreme

One of the few steel-string guitar virtuosos to sing along with his craft, Robbie Basho was a folk juggernaut in a live setting. Although it wasn't released until 2008, Bonn Ist Supreme is a testament to the late Basho’s stage prowess; it was recorded in Bonn, West Germany, at The Kulturforum on Nov. 24, 1980. Basho opens with “Redwood Ramble,” which begins with sprightly notes and fretboard filigree before his nimble fingerpicking gradually speeds up, filling the room with a complex resonance. “Fandango” is a sunnier piece with a skipping rhythm that Basho’s lyrics follow closely, though his warbly voice gets upstaged by his six-string acoustic. Before playing the Spanish-flavored “(Variations On) Easter,” Basho explains that he uses 35 different tunings for his adroit style of playing—which may account for the melodic overtones rising from the flurry of his arpeggios. Prior to this date, Basho had been touring a great deal, which sharpened his playing incredibly. In “German Chocolate Cake,” he plucks Beethoven-inspired notes two strings at a time to approximate a harpsichord.