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Max Ochs (born Maxwell David Ochs in
Takoma Discography
/ref> The LP presents a collection of fingerstyle guitar songs often performed in a subtle and sometimes improvised manner. Ochs returned to College Park and received his degree in 1970. Now based in
Max Ochs (born Maxwell David Ochs in Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Dec 31, 1940) is a fingerstyle acoustic guitarist and folklorist who recorded for Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by guitarist John Fahey in the late 1950s.
among other labels.
Biography
His family moved toAnnapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
in 1945, where Ochs spent his adolescence. His friendship and association with guitarist John Fahey led to many music collaborations, including that of Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist.
Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He wo ...
who spent weeks teaching Ochs older picking styles.
After attending high school in Annapolis, Ochs studied at the University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
where he became friends with Ed Denson in a creative writing class. Denson, along with John Fahey, went on to form Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by guitarist John Fahey in the late 1950s.
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
in 1963. Without a degree, Ochs left University of Maryland and moved to New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
where he lived from 1961 to 1965. During his time in New York, he collaborated with Buzzy Linhart
William Charles "Buzzy" Linhart (March 3, 1943 – February 13, 2020) was an American rock performer, composer, multi-instrumentalist musician and actor.
Early life
Linhart was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Cleveland, Oh ...
and was a founding member of the folk-raga group, the Seventh Sons.
After leaving New York and heading west in 1965, Ochs was invited to appear with fellow University of Maryland student and fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with a single plect ...
ist Robbie Basho
Robbie Basho (born Daniel R. Robinson, Jr., August 31, 1940 – February 28, 1986) was an American acoustic guitarist, pianist and singer.
Biography
Basho was born in Baltimore, and was orphaned as an infant. Adopted by the Robinson family, ...
, as well as John Fahey and Harry Taussig
Harry Arthur Taussig (alternately appearing as Harry Taussig, Arthur Taussig, or H. Arthur Taussig, born March 31, 1941) is an American physicist, biochemist, collage artist, photographer, film analyst, author, academic, and fingerstyle guitar ...
on a Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by guitarist John Fahey in the late 1950s.
release titled Contemporary Guitar./ref> The LP presents a collection of fingerstyle guitar songs often performed in a subtle and sometimes improvised manner. Ochs returned to College Park and received his degree in 1970. Now based in
Severna Park
Severna Park is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Severna Park is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, and is located approximately north of Annapolis, south of Baltimore and east ...
, Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...
, Ochs continues to perform, write and record songs in an early folk and blues tradition. He was the curator of the folk music series at 333 Coffeehouse in Annapolis
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
for over a decade.
Discography
* ''Various Artists: Contemporary Guitar'' (Takoma, 1967) * “Imaginational Anthem”/”Oncones“ 45 (Fonotone, 2005, recorded in 1969) * ''Letter to the Editor'' (Big Ear, 2000) * ''Imaginational Anthem'' LP (Near Mint/Tompkins Square, 2004) * ''Got these Blues with Neil Harpe'' (PPG, 2007) * ''Hooray for Another Day'' (Tompkins Square, 2008) * ''The Music Of Harry Taussig & Max Ochs'' (Tompkins Square, 2017)References
* *External links
* http://www.tompkinssquare.com/max.htmlNotes