Articles

CORRINA ROSE LOGSTON BLUEGRASS FIDDLER Patuxent Music CD-278 I was listening recently to some of my old vinyl recordings, including a cluster of albums by the great fiddlers Kenny Baker and Byron Berline. They were distinguished by a consistently high level of sweet and proficient fiddling, a wide-ranging assortment of interesting tunes, and support from…

EXERCISES FOR THREE-FINGER BANJO BY JACK HATFIELD Mel Bay MB99783. (Mel Bay, #4 Industrial Dr., Pacific, MO 63069, www.melbay.com.)   This is a book for the serious banjo player. It’s full of techniques for both hands on the banjo and good advice to everyone wanting to be a better three-finger banjo player. Subtitled Drills In…

DARIN AND BROOKE ALDRIDGE FASTER AND FARTHER Mountain Home MH16642 Eight years into their career—and their marriage—North Carolinians Darin and Brooke Aldridge have established themselves as rising stars on the bluegrass gospel scene. Their new album, as its title suggests, seems destined to speed their ascendance. Faster And Farther showcases not just Brooke’s remarkable vocal…

MICHAEL AND JENNIFER McLAIN HIT THE ROAD AND GO No Label No Number One airing of this new recording from Michael and Jennifer McLain and you’ll know the aim is one of an older vintage. Any resemblance to contemporary bluegrass is so thin as to be wraith-like. Maybe you hear a bit on the start…

CASCADE CRESCENDO CAUGHT IN THE RAIN No Label No Number Cascade Crescendo’s name honors the majestic Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest including Oregon, and this Portland-based group’s impressive debut album proves yet again that you don’t have to hail from the Appalachian or Blue Ridge Mountains to create heartfelt, exciting bluegrass. This is a…

BLUE MAFIA HANGING TREE Pinecastle Records PRC1202 After the dark comes the light. Blue Mafia has been self-described as “dark” and “bloody” and “dirty” and, in reviews, as “edgy.” Listening to their first two recordings confirms such. Now comes their third and, while much of that dark and edgy quality is still front and center,…