Reviews

GEORGE JACKSON TIME AND PLACE No Label No Number    This is an outstanding baker’s dozen of fiddle tunes, all of them originals and all of them with a firm grasp of the tradition. What is even more remarkable is that the writer of these tunes is originally from New Zealand. Jackson moved to Nashville after…

RAFE STEFANINI & DAVID BRAGGER HOLY SMOKE! Old-Time Tiki Parlour TIKI-014-CD    Rafe and David have teamed up for 17 wonderful old-time fiddle and banjo duets. They open with their powerful rendition of “Forty Weight Of Gingerbread” from Florida fiddler Arthur “Cush” Holston and conclude with John Morgan Salyer’s “Irish Boy.” In between, they nail one…

COLEBROOK ROAD ON TIME Mountain Fever MRF190503 This is a group from Pennsylvania who’s been winning contests and awards from Telluride to Podunk, while including stops in Connecticut, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. The band is led by Jesse Eisenbise who plays guitar, sings lead, and is the major songwriter with six of his compositions…

HEATH LOY DRAKESVILLE No Label No Number The cover of this CD is a parody of a Field & Streammagazine proclaiming Field & Strings. A banjo toting Heath Loy is in full camo as if going hunting, while looking upward clutching a passel of ducks. He actually did hunt down or had someone else hunt down a…

NIGHTFLYER FLIGHT Pinecastle Records PRC 1221 This is the third release from this southern Ohio quintet that features Rick Hayes (mandolin), Richard Propps (guitar), Tony Kakaris (bass), Ronnie Stewart (banjo), and Tim Jackson (resonator guitar). The band has a traditional approach to the music, but they can also put a more contemporary stamp on some…

JIGJAM LIVE IN TULLAMORE No Label No Number The latest recording from Irish bluegrass band JigJam was recorded live at the Tullamore Rugby Club in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland, giving the listener a feeling for the live energy this band generates. Hailing from the heart of the Midlands of Ireland, JigJam blends traditional Irish music…