Concert Review: Robert Ellis And Courtney Hartman Honor John Hartford
Robert Ellis and Courtney Hartman united vocals to pay homage to John Hartford, and play of their newest, covers’ album: Dear John. Honestly, I had no idea who this man was, and I make this point because after seeing the duo sing so intimately to him at Rockwood Music Hall NYC…. I wanted to know him! You have sincerely paid someone honor when you make their work want to be known by those, like myself, who had no clue about him.
The music world is a BIG Place. So many pioneers have walked on the sands of this industry to leave a footprint, but as more walk in and out, it is not easy to remember whose footsteps were original/ the origins of a path. As Ellis and Hartman melded their voice like iron and glass within a fiery oven, the ambers of Hartford as a lyricist began to glow upwards. I had no IDEA that he was the creator of some of the most covered/ beloved country songs like, “Gentle On My Mind” and “Old Time River Man”. Yet, that goes to show my point! We are all walking the paths that were made for us long before even our parents. As Ellis and Hartman tracked through his repertoire and the things that inspired Hartford, whom inspired them, a spiritual chalk-board appeared in my mind. As colored chalks/ songs like, “Here I Am In Love Again”, “We Did Our Best”, and “Them Way Long Time Ago Times” , criss-crossed across the board of my mind, music history was being taught. Moreover, human history was being felt. For being a country-man of the 70’s, Hartford played to universality of nostalgia. For some reason, when we feel cannot look forward, we stay stuck looking back.
Watching Ellis and Hartman sing to this legend felt like a full-circle moment, for me, as an admirer of music. In perspective, all Hartford did was make songs from his heart, and through the years they would be replicated and revamped by artists who understood his “heart” as their own. Ellis and Hartman did exactly that. Their chemistry as a pair of artists whom admire each other and Hartford made the night feel quietly dignified, and amped that this was a concert to celebrate a man who made them want to have their own show. Is that not the hope of every artist? To inspire others the same way music has inspired them. Amongst laughs and warm vocality, Robert Ellis and Courtney Hartman made sure Dear John was a music letter received by all. For More Information on Courtney Hartman Click Here and on Robert Ellis Click Here.
