Reviews
BRADFORD LEE FOLK AND THE BLUEGRASS PLAYBOYS SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY
BRADFORD LEE FOLK AND THE BLUEGRASS PLAYBOYS SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY No Label No Number Since Bradford Lee Folk’s recording seems centered around lyrics, that will draw the most attention here. That said, some mention of the musical settings is necessary. A couple of them are straight-ahead bluegrass, the one with the most traditional drive being…
SPECIAL CONSENSUS AND FRIENDS, COUNTRY BOY: A BLUEGRASS TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER
SPECIAL CONSENSUS AND FRIENDS COUNTRY BOY: A BLUEGRASS TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER Compass Records 7 4627 2 The late John Denver never really played bluegrass music, but he wasn’t shy about using the fiddle and other bluegrass instruments on songs such as “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” and others. And, over the last…
I DRAW SLOW, WHITE WAVE CHAPEL
I DRAW SLOW WHITE WAVE CHAPEL Pinecastle Records PRC1187 I Draw Slow’s second album for Pinecastle Records, White Wave Chapel, draws from the many roots and branches that have made up the underlying ingredients of bluegrass music over the years. Not a standard bluegrass album by any means, the recording is an amalgamation of what…
ONDRA KOZÁK, ATAMAN
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
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
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…