Bluegrass Tracks

Andy Statman grew up in Queens on rock and roll music, took mandolin lessons from David Grisman, wanted his Jewish heritage to be a part of his art and his work is described on his website as “spontaneous American-roots music and personal, prayerful hasidic music, by way of avant-garde jazz.” 

So naturally, listeners would expect an album titled Bluegrass Tracks from Statman that features some of the best musicians the form has ever known. It’s worth noting that the arrival of a Flatt & Scruggs album at the Statman household got him hooked on the genre decades ago and it’s evident on the first listen.

There is mandolin work from Ricky Skaggs on Bill Monroe’s “Stoney Lonesome” and “Katy Hill.” Ron Stewart and the late Byron Berline feature twin fiddles on four numbers, including “Brown County Breakdown” and originals penned by Statman, including one of the best, “Sycamore Street.”

Guitarist Bryan Sutton and bass player Mike Bub join Tim O’Brien to round out the cast. O’Brien provides the vocals for the only track that has voice, “Bile ‘Em Cabbage Down.” In all, there are eight songs written by Statman in addition to the fine covers.

While perhaps not a household name in bluegrass, Statman has done session work with a range of artists from Bob Dylan to Vassar Clements to Jerry Garcia. There is plenty to like on Bluegrass Tracks, which features a fun ride of familiar tunes given new life and plenty of original work to put on repeat.