Ricky Jay - Ricky Jay Plays Poker

Ricky Jay combines his talents as a sleight of hand expert, historian of cons and cheats, and lover of poker and poker music in this remarkable CD/DVD deluxe set that celebrates the history, the language and literature, the art and the music of poker. 21 songs of hustlers, reprobates, blacklegs, scallywags and the passions and pleasures of the game. The deluxe gift box also includes a bonus dvd starring Ricky Jay performing some unbelievable deception at the card table, a 72 page color book with an in-depth essay written by Jay and beautiful reproductions from his incredible collection of art and memorabilia and - if all that weren't enough - a custom poker pack from the U. S. Playing Card Company.

This royal flush of a card sharp's compilation provides an inspired soundtrack for magician Ricky Jay's poker obsession. The game (blood sport?) offers common thematic ground for blues king Robert Johnson, country queen Patsy Cline, folk great Bob Dylan, soul legend O.V. Wright, and the high bluegrass harmonies of the Country Gentlemen. The selection additionally extends from call-and-response musicals (Howard Da Silva's "Politics and Poker") to TV (Lorne "Bonanza" Greene's "Five Card Stud") to Irish balladry ("Dolan's Poker Party"). The same song--"Ace in the Hole" (not the George Strait country favorite)--receives dramatically different readings from the sultry Anita O'Day and the gravel-voiced Dave Van Ronk. Listening to Townes Van Zandt's allegorical "Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold," you can't help thinking that poker is the perfect metaphor for life (or perhaps that life is the perfect metaphor for poker). --Don McLeese