Various Artists – Ernie: Songs Of Ernest Noyes Brookings
Ernest Noyes Brookings did not begin writing poetry until he turned 80 and was living in a nursing home. It turned out to be the perfect artistic outlet for the retired engineer. By the time of his death at age 88 in 1987, Brookings had written nearly 400 poems, offering his wry and offbeat observations about everyday life.
Brookings’ work invites comparisons to the late poet Odgen Nash through its wordplay and unexpected structure. “May”, for example, is a poem about the verb as well as the fifth month of the year.
Brookings’ poems are now finding new life beyond the printed page. Recognizing the melodic and rhythmic qualities of the poetry, David Greenberger has recruited performers to set the writings to music over the last decade. It’s a marriage that works on Ernie, the fifth collection assembled by Greenberger, who worked in the nursing home where Brookings lived.
The musical styles employed by the artists are as varied as Brookings’ subject matter. Dave Alvin performs “November” as a talking blues, a song that celebrates Veteran’s Day and home heating systems and rhymes the words “furnace” and “returnace.” It’s a performance that could have fit in on Alvin’s Grammy-winning Public Domain.
Michael Hall & the Rostenkowskis interpret “Rolling Stone” as a country ballad, while George Cartwright, with vocalist Sue Garner, gives “Baby” a jazz spin with pop overtones. “Handle With Care” by Michael Eck produces a stately melody for a poem inspired by the warning found on a packing box. Augmented by the vocals of Rosanne Raneri, the song gets an added lift from a string section.
Amy Denio turns “Duplex Nursing Home”, Brookings’ poem about his final residence, into a waltz, playing all the instruments herself, including accordion and alto sax. Josh Alan does a carefree version of “Vacation”, making it sound like a lost track from The Who Sell Out.
Ernie works as a celebration of an uncommon artist and shows that the tribute album is still a worthy concept.