Reviews

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,…

ETHAN SETIAWAN FLUX No Label No Number Ethan Setiawan, a 2014 winner of the National Mandolin Championships at Winfield, Kans., is a rising star of the progressive acoustic style. Mentored by legendary mandolinist Don Stiernberg, Setiawan has produced a stirring CD of original instrumental music that sounds fresh and alive at its best. Filled with…

LEE KOTICK CIGARS AND GUITARS No Label No Number This project pulls together a group of session musicians to play a set of newer and traditional material featuring Kotick’s guitar playing. Kotick has had a friendship with the Rice family, and the first cut “Burnt Rice” is by the late Larry Rice. Jarrod Walker does…

ALLEGHENY DRIFTERS ROLLING ON No Label TAD-604 On the lovely Rolling On, Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Drifters deliver one of the most consistent, song to song albums I’ve heard. That takes a great deal of care and an ensemble with a lot of experience. On a recording with a generous 15 tracks, that is mighty impressive. It has…