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From
the: Chicago Tribune INSTRUMENTS
OF BLUEGRASS Not since the 1980s -- a golden age of sorts for newgrass and new acoustic pickers' projects -- has a single year yielded so many exceptional recordings by instrumentalists. The hardest to find should be available through bluegrass specialist outlets, such as County Sales (www.countysales.com or phone 540-745-2001). 1. Aubrey Haynie, "A Man Must Carry On" (Sugar Hill): With a tone as fat as it is refined, Aubrey Haynie's fiddling has become a frequent, if often anonymous, ingredient in country sessions produced in Nashville. His second solo album brings him out to take his bows not only for his work as a fiddler but also for his distinctive mandolin-picking and his ability to compose effectively in both traditional and progressive acoustic string styles. Haynie also has the relatively rare good sense -- for for an instrumentalist, at least -- to eschew singing and hire virtuoso pipes such as Tim O'Brien, Carl Jackson and Ronnie Bowman for the vocal numbers. 2. Dan Tyminski, "Carry Me Across the Mountain" (Doobie Shea): Dan Tyminski was chosen by the Coen brothers to be George Clooney's singing voice for their upcoming movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Smart move. The Coens' appreciation of Tyminski's earthy power is shared by his regular employer, Alison Krauss, who lends support to this deeply satisfying album. 3. Alison Brown, "Fair Weather" (Compass): Like fellow five-string banjo picker Bela Fleck, Alison Brown seems to be most at home playing jazz -- except when she's performing bluegrass, as she does on "Fair Weather," reasserting her expertise in the land of Scruggs. All-star players and singers help Brown create her most impressive recording yet. Brown's original compositions are tricky, yet unfold with organic logic. 4. Herschel Sizemore, "My Style" (Hay Holler): There can be no doubt where mandolinist Herschel Sizemore's sympathies lie. His tone, touch and composing are the definition of traditional bluegrass, but his sound is his own. Sizemore's notes, especially when he ventures into the mandolin's upper register, ring like miniature church bells, while his rhythmic zest hints at the core of bluegrass music's ancestral roots in country dance forms. The majority of songs on "My Style" are originals, his melodic gifts as apparent in his writing as they are in his improvising. 5. Special Consensus, "25th Anniversary" (Pinecastle): Yes, Special Consensus may be Chicago's very own veteran bluegrass band, but talent like this is the property of the world. How banjoist/leader Greg Cahill manages to keep drawing great pickers to the shores of Lake Michigan, far from the beaten bluegrass track, might be a mystery, but the quality of their product is not. The current lineup of Cahill, Tim Dishman, Josh Williams and Chris Walz is as fine an outfit as has ever carried the Special C moniker, and because the second half of this long CD features recordings from incarnations past, listeners can hear just what high standards they had to meet. 6. Bob Black, "Banjoy" (Green Valley): Banjoist Bob Black is best known from his 1970s tenure with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, and in a just world, he would be one of today's high-profile pickers. Hopefully, this solo album will move him further in that direction. Autumnal pieces such as "The Mountains of Merrimac" transcend styles and genres. Black also has done the music world a service by featuring the brilliant, ultra-eccentric mandolinist Frank Wakefield, who records far too infrequently. 7. Allen Watkins, "Battleground" (Battleground): Dark suspicions were raised by two facts about Allen Watkins' "Battleground" CD -- first, that it has a theme, in this case, the Civil War, which could have meant that the music would be forced into a premise; and that Watkins plays virtually all of the instruments himself, which can result in weak links. So much for presumptions. This is a tour de force of writing and playing. The emphasis is on instrumentals, and Watkins is comfortable floating between the bluegrass and new acoustic camps. 8. Monroe Brothers, "What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul?" (Rounder): This not only is where it all started, it is where it was before it all started. Bill and Charlie Monroe were a popular "brother duo" in the 1930s, before Bill created the Bluegrass Boys. This is the first of a projected four-CD series of the Monroe Brothers' entire 60-song output, and it is wonderful music, even without the knowledge of what it would lead to. Their vocals are a joy, and Bill's picking was already a force of nature. 9. Scott Vestal, "Millennia" (Pinecastle): Bill Monroe might have approved of "Millennia," as long as nobody called this music any kind of "grass." But progressive banjoist Scott Vestal's pedigree includes stints with some of the best bluegrass band leaders in history, and even with tunes such as "Long Distance Runaround" (yes, by Yes, sung here by John Cowan), some Mozart, and plenty of modern originals, Vestal's roots always seem to peeking out from just below the surface. To hear Vestal tear up bluegrass standards, try the equally impressive "Bluegrass 2000" project, on the same record label. 10. Various artists, "The AcuTab Sessions" (Rebel): AcuTab is a company that publishes music transcription books for those who want to learn how their heroes do what they do. The underlying concept for this disc is to showcase these virtuosi. The results are exquisite. From duos to full ensembles, instrumentals to vocals, the creativity of the combinations and the sparks that result make this a must-have for the hard-core fan as well as a terrific entry point for the curious and newly smitten. From
the: IOWA CITY PRESS-CITIZEN “I believe Bob Black is the best playing the old-time fiddle numbers of any banjo player…there’s very few that can play a fiddle number right.” That’s a pretty strong statement for anybody to make, but seein’ as how it was made by none other than “the Father of Bluegrass Music” himself, Mr. Bill Monroe (in the 1998 book Masters ofthe 5-String Banjo), who are any of us to argue?Thegreat master was not particularly noted for over-generosity when it came to passing out the kudos, either, but Black’s two-year stint with Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys (1974-76) gave the old taskmaster plenty of exposure from which to make a qualified judgment. Of course, area bluegrass and old-time music aficionados have been well-aware of Bob Black’s wizardry since the early 70’s, whether through his playing with Bluegrass Union, Dogs Of Love, Harvest Home, his current long-running duet with wife Kristie or any number of impromptu jam sessions. A veteran of the Grand Ole Opry who has done session work on more than 30 recordings to date, Bob Black has made his name synonymous with top-drawer 5-string banjo picking both here and throughout the country music world. Banjoy, Black’s newest (and long overdue) opus, presents 15 sprightly original tunesby the North English resident that not only feature unbridled dexterity and melodicism on his instrument of choice, but also some worthy doubling on dobro, lead and fingerstyle guitars.Black’s rustic, unadorned singing style also gets a welcome airing on a half-dozen tracks, often with spot-on counterpoint by Kristie. Black’s dancing, sparkling flights of fancy are alone worth the price of admission, but he’s brilliantly aided and abetted by a sterling cast of old friends—mandolinists Frank Wakefield, John Purk, and Jeff Smith, bassist/guitarist Paul Squyres and this area’s other treasured husband-and wife bluegrass act, fiddler Al and bassist Aleta Murphy.Americana legend John Hartford chips in with some rousing fiddle on three memorable cuts, too. The recording of Banjoy is straight-up – as transparent and clean as country water.Given the talented hands on board, studio trickery or embellishments are never necessary, and any kind of tacked-on, external gimmickry would run entirely against the point of the wondrous, acoustic, handmade magic at work here.The disc runs a generous 42 minutes, but like a lazy summer afternoon of drowning worms on the riverbank with your toes dragging in the water, the time just slips right by. Banjoy’s title is entirely appropriate, and the record is a testament to the fast-disappearing notion of simple, beautiful things well-made using only the quality ingredients of passion, love and artistry. And if my word ain’t good enough for ya, no less than Greg Brown scribbled his enthusiastic endorsement right there on the back cover. From
the: Banjo Newsletter …one of the important players on the national scene…memorable and innovative banjo work…"Banjoy," Bob's wonderful new banjo recording, helps to make up for lost time and re-establishes him in the front of the pack of contemporary and original players. From
the: County Newsletter Black, from the state of Iowa, is a solid and proficient "chromatic" style banjo player who worked with Bill Monroe from 1974-76 and recorded on several of Kenny Baker's fine fiddle albums. Here, helped by Frank Wakefield and John Hartford, among others, he shows a more "progressive" side than on his previous recordings as a sideman. |
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