DICK WEISSMAN, NEAR AND FAR

DICK WEISSMAN
NEAR AND FAR

Heron Bay Records
HB071

   Dick Weissman started his music career when he formed The Journeymen with John Phillips and Scott McKenzie, to whom this CD is dedicated. Composing all the music for this project, Weissman also plays banjo, 12-string and electric guitars, and piano, to name a few of the instruments. Mollie O’Brien adds her heart-thumping vocals on three of the tracks including a little scat singing on “Brazilian Banjo Rag.”

The remaining 14 cuts include “White Men At Eagle Pass,” which is a look at the Old West from the Native-American’s point of view, and “Dark Day,” a 12-string improvisation that came to Weissman one rainy winter day in the studio when he and the engineer were reflecting on two of their friends who had committed suicide. Weissman laid down tracks again for “Mill Valley,” but for this version he used classical guitar and oboe, and his late Blue Heeler dogs provided the inspiration for “Sami And Dave,” where he attempts to capture the stately and formal personality of Sami and her “mad man” brother, Dave. If you enjoy banjo, then you’ll love Weissman’s surprising arrangements. Add to that his tunesmith skills, and you have an entertaining night of listening in store with this Americana/folk album.(Richard Weissman, 410 S. Jersey St., Denver, CO 80224, www.dickweissman.com.)BC