Reviews

JOHN JORGENSON BLUEGRASS BAND J2B2: FROM THE CROW’S NEST Cleopatra CLO0751 Jorgenson may not be known to you for playing bluegrass, but he does so here with his old bandmate from the Desert Rose Band, Herb Pedersen, along with Jon Randall and Mark Fain. That’s an impressive lineup of pickers, and it yields good results….

WE BANJO 3 HAVEN No Label WB3CD005 This is a really nice project of contemporary acoustic music from this band based in Galway, Ireland. The all-original selections are marked with influences from bluegrass, Jazz, and Celtic styles. The band is two sets of brothers: David Howley (guitar), Martin Howley (mandolin, banjo), Fergal Scahill (fiddle, percussion),…

VICTOR FURTADO DELLORTO ISLAND Patuxent Music CD-319 This young man comes from a musical family and it shows. This is not his first recording, and this one is more fully realized than his earlier effort (Patuxent CD-261), taking his clawhammer banjo to new frontiers. He’s accompanied by three fiddlers—Nate Leath, Aila Wildman, and Andrew Vogts—the…

THE SLOCAN RAMBLERS QUEEN CITY JUBILEE No Label No Number    One of the biggest challenges in bluegrass music is to draw heavily on a traditional style, yet still make it sound fresh. The Slocan Ramblers, a young Canadian quartet, have managed to find a sparkling balance on Queen City Jubilee, their third recording. I’ve not heard,…

AL JONES, BILLY BAKER, DEE GUNTER JUST A MEMORY Patuxent Music CD-320 Baltimore, Md., with its legendary bluegrass scene beginning in the 1950s, was common territory for Al Jones, Billy Baker, and Dee Gunter at various times in their careers. Al Jones worked with Earl Taylor, Johnnie Whisnant, and eventually Frank Necessary. Billy Baker, who…

ANDREW COLLINS TRIO TONGUE  ANDREW COLLINS TRIO GROOVE No Label No Number Canadian mandolinist, composer, and stringed-instrumental master Andrew Collins has shown repeatedly his skills as a soloist, arranger, and creator of fine music in styles ranging from north-of-the-border bluegrass to the most modern and progressive acoustic music. Now, he’s out with a paired-CD project,…