Daggomit

Max Wareham, who’s spent the last several years in Peter Rowan’s band, really knows his way around the banjo, as his debut album attests.  Rowan produced Daggomit, and contributes generously, with several cowrites with Wareham and two lead vocals. Though Wareham only sings on a couple of tracks, including “Hard Times Are Far Behind” (cowritten with Rowan), the first single, he certainly does a fine job.

The bulk of these tracks, though, are instrumental. Wareham is joined throughout by Laura Orshaw, fiddle and vocals; Max Wareham, banjo, harmony vocals; Chris Henry, mandolin; Chris Eldridge, guitar; Mike Bub, bass and Larry Atamanuik on snare.

These instrumentals – mostly Wareham originals –  include the jaunty “Bar Blues,” the evocative “Cattails,” the ringing “I Remember,” the rousing “Walking In Jerusalem” and the sprightly “The Black & Gold,” among others.

Laura Orshaw wrote and sings lead on the “That’s Just Part of It.” Rowan handles leads superbly on a haunting Wareham-Rowan original called “Gone, Baby Gone” and on a plaintive rendition of the gospel standard “Drifting Too Far from the Shore” on which Wareham provides sterling harmonies.