Earl Jam
The story of Tony Trischka’s Earl Scruggs tribute album sounds like the makings of a song itself. During the pandemic, the banjo virtuoso received a package in the mail that contained a thumb drive. This wasn’t one with old photos or spreadsheets — it was recordings of Scruggs and John Hartford jamming, mostly made at Scruggs’s house in the 1980s and 1990s.
There were over 200 songs on that drive and Trischka sorted through them, picked his very favorites, compiled an all-star supporting cast to record them and has delivered the wonderfully made Earl Jam.
The result for the listener is—like Trischka said when he popped the drive in his computer—mind-blowing. It seems everyone in country and bluegrass wants to record with Billy Strings (and who can blame them), and Earl Jam kicks off with him playing and singing on the Delmore Brothers’ “Brown’s Ferry Blues.” In addition to Trischka, Strings is backed by Sam Bush (mandolin), Michael Cleveland (fiddle), Béla Fleck (non-Scruggs banjo) and Mark Schatz (bass).
There’s no time to catch a breath after that, as rising Americana star Sierra Ferrell blows away the Bob Wills standard “San Antonio Rose.” If that wasn’t enough, she does a stirring take on “Amazing Grace.” It doesn’t matter how many times one has heard this song, this one is a gift. Trischka says at the end of the take, she ran through one more verse while clapping, and with harmony from the McCrary sisters; it’s used as a short sign off at the end of the album.
Bluegrass legend Del McCoury cut “Roll on Buddy” and “Little Liza Jane,” while Dudley Connell takes a turn on “Freight Train Blues” and “Cripple Creek.”
The making of an album bringing the legends of bluegrass together with hot young stars is no surprise from Trischka, who always has something out of the ordinary in his pipeline. Molly Tuttle is at the top of her game right now and she delivers on The Dillards’ “Dooley” with vocal help from Bush and reigning IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year Bronwyn Keith-Hynes.
It almost seems disrespectful not to talk about every single cut on this masterpiece, which honestly has to be considered among Trischka’s finest work. That’s saying a lot and maybe borders on hyperbole, but it’s true.
It’s telling that so many big names took roles on Earl Jam. In addition to the those mentioned above, country star Vince Gill; guitar maestro Bryan Sutton; fiddlers Jason Carter, Darol Anger, Casey Dreissen, Bruce Molsky and Stuart Duncan; bass player Mike Bub; mandolinist Ronnie McCoury; the Gibson Brothers and a host of others too long to list all contribute.
This is a special project, not just because of the inspiration and story behind it, but because of what a tremendous group of musicians across several generations has poured into it — the best this music has to offer from legends past, present and future.
