Jack Nissenson

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Jack Nissenson (1933-June 24, 2015 in Montreal) [1] was a member of the Mountain City Four, a Canadian folk music group, based in Montreal and active in the 1960s. In addition to Nissenson, the group consisted of Peter Weldon, Kate McGarrigle and Anna McGarrigle. [2]

Before the Mountain City Four, Peter Weldon and Jack Nissenson were members of a traditional folk band called Pharisees. When Weldon and Nissenson met the McGarrigle sisters, they formed the Mountain City Four. [3]

Nissenson recorded an early concert performed by Bob Dylan at the Finjan Club on Victoria Street in Montreal in July 1962. [4] He made the recording with an old British-made reel-to-reel tape recorder, so the quality of the recording is exceptional. This recording remains as one of the most sought-after early recordings of Bob Dylan with collectors and fans. [5]

Nissenson moved to Toronto in 1975. [1] During the late 1970s and 1980s he sang and played guitar with a political folk group in Toronto called Bread and Roses.[ citation needed ]

Upon returning to Montreal, Nissenson continued to play folk music for many years as a solo singer and with a group named "The What Four" (with Peter Weldon, Marvin Segal, John Knowles and often Jane McGarrigle). [6] [7] He was also an accomplished storyteller and belonged to a group called Word of Mouth Productions with storytellers Dylan Spevack-Willcock, Sarah Comrie, and John David Hickey. [8]

Nissenson died in Montreal on June 24, 2015.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Jack Nissenson". Québec's Intercultural Storytelling Festival. 2005. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  2. ↑ "McGarrigle, Kate and Anna". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Kate McGarrigle". The Scotsman. January 23, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ Heylin, Clinton (1996). Bob Dylan: a life in stolen moments: day by day, 1941-1995. New York: Schirmer Books. p. 23. ISBN   0-02-864676-2.
  5. ↑ Pinkerton, CD. "Finjan Club - Bootleg CDs". www.bobsboots.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  6. ↑ "The What Four play in memory of Kate McGarrigle" (PDF). Westmount Independent. April 6–7, 2010. p. 10,12. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Westmounters revive McGarrigle era scene" (PDF). Westmount Independent. March 16–17, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  8. ↑ Stephanie O'Hanley (October 28, 2004). "Spooken word". Ottawa XPress. Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
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