Wings For Wheels

This afternoon Matt tweeted a rumor that Jay Bennett, the multi-instrumentalist best known for his work in Wilco, died suddenly. Later, while I was on my way out, he had confirmed the horrible news. Bennett had recently recorded a solo album called Whatever Happened, I Apologize (a lyric from the X classic, 4th of July) that can be downloaded for free here.

Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-TImes has a wonderful piece about him that goes into more detail than I can. Greg Kot, who is famously close to the Wilco camp, and wrote a biography of Wilco a few years back, weighs in with a little bit more. Both go into detail about Bennett’s departure from the band, and his recent lawsuit against them.

Here are some clips from an appearance by Wilco on Austin City Limits in 1999, promoting Summerteeth, which I still feel is their best album, and the height of the Tweedy-Bennett partnership. They show off so much of what Bennett brought to Wilco as a musician and arranger.

She’s A Jar and A Shot In The Arm. Notice how the Jay’s Mellotron flutes take the former from a passable Neil Young impression into something beautiful, haunting and unsettling. And the piano melody on the latter takes a disturbing song about heroin addiction and makes it a pop song.

Christ For President and I Can’t Stand It. Jay’s lead guitar on the former is as fluid as a Nashville pro, and his organ on the latter is soulful as hell.

Also, if you may indulge me, a few weeks ago, I bought a couple of new toys: a Takamine guitar and a MacBook (which I’m using to write this post as I lay in bed). I recorded a few videos of me singing a few songs, and one of them was Wilco’s I’m Always In Love. It had always seemed strange that it was in B, so I moved it up half a step into C, which was easier to play on guitar. I paid tribute to Jay’s keyboard part by attempting to whistle it coming out of the bridge. Oh, and at the end I also threw in a chorus of Femme Fatale by The Velvet Underground, which was an unsurprisigly natural fit.