Reviews

ONDRA KOZÁK ATAMAN Bluegrass music is, thankfully, an international endeavor. Even so, more can always be done to reach out to lovers and performers of the music whether they be in Japan, Italy, Australia, or the Czech Republic, where scenes are already established, or in many other countries ripe for good tunes. The Czech Republic…

IN IT FOR THE LONG RUN: A MUSICAL ODYSSEY BY JIM ROONEY University of Illinois Press 9780252079818. Paperback, 321 pp., $24.95. (University of Illinois Press, 1325    S. Oak St., Champaign, IL 61820, www.press.uillinois.edu.)    Just how important is Jim Rooney—singer, songwriter, show promoter, record producer, and author—in the history of bluegrass, folk, and folk/country music?…

RICH IN TRADITION LONESOMEVILLE Mountain Roads Records MRR-1019    The fourth CD from Rich In Tradition offers much that recalls such ’70s and ’80s groups as Boone Creek or Summer Wages or the Virginia Squires. They are not on the same level as Boone Creek—though arguably not far off—but are a very listenable band, highlighted by…

THE GENTLEMEN OF BLUEGRASS CAROLINA MEMORIES Pinecastle Records PRC1188    They do and they don’t. A decided lean toward the Country Gentlemen is evident on this Pinecastle debut from the Gentlemen of Bluegrass. Five of the tracks are covers of tunes once covered by the CG, including “Traveling Kind,” “This Morning At Nine,” “Blue Birds…

BRYAN SUTTON INTO MY OWN Sugar Hill SUG-CD-4105 Bryan Sutton has long been revered as one of the most accomplished and innovative acoustic guitarists on the scene. Novice guitarists no doubt study his techniques the way young, aspiring painters study masterpieces in The Louvre. Now, with his aptly-named fourth album for Sugar Hill, Sutton has…

UNSPOKEN TRADITION SIMPLE LITTLE TOWN No Label CRA 002    Split by the Blue Ridge Mountains, the western North Carolina-based members of Unspoken Tradition have melded into a polished ensemble with strong original material, abundant talent, and an already distinctive sound subtly more trad than most new bands. Simple Little Town proves an auspicious debut…