Overall Comments

It is hard to categorise this excellent album by Bob Shank – although the banjo predominates and is played in a combination of frailing and fingerstyle, there is a sense that the instrument is unrestricted to genre - which is what makes it a real treasure for anyone interested in the possibilities of the banjo as a soulful, melody instrument. Bob plays all instruments on the recording including hammered dulcimer, guitar, percussion and piano. The majority of the tunes are original (one of the exceptions being a snappy rendition of Joe Morley’s Dream Dance) and range from the Middle-Eastern moodiness of ‘Tunisian Radio’ complete with spiralling guitars and percussion to pretty, melodic pieces such as ‘Crossing Sandy’ and ‘CRS.’ In fact, this is an album of such variety and inventiveness, it rewards repeat listening and is well worth the ‘entry free.’ Highly recommended.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Great Clawhammer banjo by BHO member Peter Acty, aka Unstrung Hero. A fabulous collection of classic old time songs by this wonderful British Group. Easy to download from bandcamp.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

So my buddy and colleague, David Skarjune, called me spur of the moment a few hours before the Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio show on Thursday, Oct 18th, 2012 at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis. We took a chance and were able to score tickets. I've seen Bela seven or eight times previously, but not in this new collaboration, and such was the astonishing virtuosity of all four participants, and the brilliant fusing of piano and banjo, that I bought the album which is driving the tour: Across the Imaginary Divide. This is most definitely NOT a bluegrass album, but if you , like me, love the banjo as a fully realized musical instrument capable of being set in most any genre, then you will love this collection of original pieces of jazz, bebop, and bluegrass-tinged New Orleans jazz. Marcus Roberts is a protege of the great trumpet player and musicologist Wynton Marsalis, and Wynton's brother Jason is the drummer (and he is clean, dynamic, incredibly fast and with huge dynamic range) in the trio. Roberts is a brilliant pianist with an encyclopedic understanding of American music and an exquisite ear for improvisational possibility. Piano and banjo together can be problematic because of their similar sonic range, but Fleck and Roberts' blending of the two is a pure pleasure to experience, either live or on record. Pick this one up. It'll remind you of what's possible when virtuosos collide.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Thom Moore's debut CD "That Evening Sun" is a wonderful collection of Thom's original compositions that showcase his mastery of the 5 string banjo. Thom's style is all his own and it is wonderful! His tunes are elegant examples of original contemporary fingerstyle banjo with clear roots in Scruggs style and at the same time completely new and fresh. There are 16 tracks and each one is a gem. The accompanying instruments are a perfect compliment to Thom's playing and create a mood that is quiet and uncluttered.

If you're a fan of Tony Ellis you will love this CD as there is a common thread that runs through their music. Anyone who loves the 5 string banjo should have this CD in their collection. You can find it here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thateveningsun

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Hotmud Family - The Complete Vetco Recordings

Dave & Suzanne Edmundson & Rick Good.

One of my fondest memories was when I saw these folks at a concert in Carlisle, Ontario in the late [nineteen] seventies. They played a fabulous mix of bluegrass, old time & string band music. Their arrangements were incredible, especially Suzanne's lead vocals were outstanding. Rick's banjo playing was a real turn on, listening to him switch back on forth between three finger picking to clawhammer styles was just amazing. Seeing as I had just started to learn how to play myself I was mesmerized seeing and hearing him do that. Rick's been one of my banjo heroes ever since. I picked up one of their LPs, Years in the Making, at the time and it's still one of my all time favourites to listen to. I managed to find another ones of their LPs a few years later, Live as we know it. Borrowed one from a friend, Meat and potatoes and stuff like that, but that was it as far as getting any of their other ones around these parts of the world.

From time to time I tried to google them but nothing really turned up, until a couple of months ago that is. I found someone singing one of their songs on Youtube and figured it's time to google once more. Waddaya know, they now have a website and better yet, they rereleased their Vetco label albums on CD. Four albums on a double CD set and you can order them online. No brainer, and a few clicks later I started counting the days till the package arrived in the mail.

What a thrill to hear them again without all the snaps, crackles and pops on the old LPs and three of these albums I had never heard before - talk about yer treat for the day.

This set includes these four albums:

Till we meet again, or above
Stone Mountain wobble
Buckies in the briar patch
Years in the making

The thing of course, when will they be rereleasing their Flying Fish label albums and are their any I'm not aware of:

Live as we know it
Meat and potatoes and stuff like that

The Complete Vetco Recordings: this is truly amazing music - sooo worth the $25 for the double CD set.

Be sure to check out their website: http://www.hotmudfamily.com

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I was extremely excited when I heard about this "new" CD. It's actually a CD release of live recordings that were done when the group was in Japan back in the late 70's. This is the original New South band, featuring the same members as the famed Rounder 0044 album, so I was very anxious to get my hands on it. I bought this 2-CD set from J.D.'s record table at a recent bluegrass festival, and he graciously autographed it for me. I was a bit hesitant at paying $30, even for a 2-CD set, but felt this was an opportunity to own a historic recording that I had only heard others talk about.

I popped the first CD in the player on the way home that night, and I immediately thought that I must have gotten a defective CD. The entire CD sounds as if only the mics that Ricky Skaggs' was singing and playing into were being recorded. You basically only hear Ricky's backup vocals and picking, and his occasional mandolin breaks; you can barely hear the lead or other harmony vocals, or the other instruments' breaks.

I thought surely this CD must be defective, so I switched to Disc Two, and it was almost as bad, but not quite. I was extremely disappointed to barely be able to hear J.D.'s banjo breaks and Tony's lead vocals. I was set to send the CD back for an exchange, and then someone on the BHO told me theirs was the same way, and that this is how all of these CDs sound.

In this age of technology, it's almost inconceivable to me that a recording company has issued such a terrible-quality recording. Surely there are better versions somewhere that they could have used as the master for producing these CDs? If this is indeed the best that exists, then they should have made that very clear on the package, and the cost should have been more like $10 or so.

I don't fault J.D.; I've heard since that he is very disappointed with the quality of these CDs. Still, he could have chosen not to sell them from his record table; I would have gladly bought some of his other CDs with the money that I spent on these.

Overall Rating

3

Overall Comments

From the first note played this CD had me in the palm of its hand. A truely stunning piece of work by Thom, the hangouts own "Thombanjo" Sixteen self penned tracks of beautiful crafted playing with the banjo giving a tone that i can only dream of getting. The guest musicians are top players and the tracks seem to weave thier way through the whole CD as if telling one story, it is wonderful to hear. There are traces of Tony Ellis and Jens Kruger style playing and the pieces are played with equal skill so you can imagine the standard you will be listening to. I cannot find anything bad to say about this work, i only wish i had done my CD,s so well. The presentation is top notch and the sleeve notes tell you everyting you need to know as to why this CD came about. Thom you are to be congratulated for such a fine offering, i shall teasure my copy. My favourite track is "Horizon of Distant Woods" but you will find your own piece of magic in this cd. Available on Amazon, CD Baby And Floyd County Record Sales.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is a FANTASTIC collection! A great listen for anyone who is just getting into Flatt and Scruggs' music. This has 28 of their classics and is a true gem! This is also great for evaluating how Earl exactly executed his famous three-finger style on the banjo. I highly recommend this!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

If you haven't heard the Mizzone boys, give them a listen. These boys are just getting started and they are fantastic. Tommy plays guitar, Robbie plays the fiddle and Jonny burns the banjo. WOW! This CD is full of good old songs. There is a Flint Hill Special (live) with JD Crowe & The New South at the end.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Some of you may have heard of two Old Time Traditional musicians: Fred Coon (two-finger clawhammer banjo, vocals) and Bill Burke (clawhammer banjo, mandolin, guitar). Both are superb musicians, and quite a number of their offerings are on YouTube.

The have just released a new (and first) CD, "Black Bear on the Mountain." It is excellent -- the real thing, traditional Old Time music in the true sense. Their cd contains nineteen tunes. Most are instrumentals but a few feature Fred's vocals as well.

The album notes feature a story about the tune "June Apple," that I find interesting:
"The first year Fred attended the Galax Old-Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia, he arrived a day early and, after checking into the Galax Hotel, drove to the ball park at the other end of the main street, where the festival was being held and had been a gathering place for local musicians at this festival for two generations or more. Driving through town, he stopped off to see Bob Wagner, who owned a plumbing company of the same name. Bob was the Chairman of the festival committee that year and Fred wanted to pay his respects. In the ensuing conversation, Fred asked Bob if anyone was playing around that day. Bob said that some guys were talking about setting up on the lawn of the courthouse that day. Fred said thanks and beat it up the street. Sure enough, there were these "OLD MEN" sitting in chairs on the courthouse lawn, just by themselves, playing music.

As is done in the mountain tradition, Fred stood back, banjo case in hand, and waited for an invite to join them. At the end of their tune, they asked him to join them. They were fabulous. Driving rhythms, bow work in the sawmill style, crisp clawhammer playing and solid, single run guitar accompaniment. It was heaven for any young person who wanted to learn from men who could really play. Fred was nervous. His banjo style was different than the old man who was playing banjo so he wasn't sure they would like his type of West Virginia music. As is always the tradition of the mountains, they made him feel welcome and even asked him to lead a tune or two during the session. They all agreed to get together the next day, at the start of the festival, and play together again.

For years, Fred played with these "old men" each year at the festival and it was always a joy to sit together or lean against the back tailgate of someone's pickup truck, or gather in the tent when it would rain, and just learn from them and have a whale of a good time. Now, you need to understand that these "OLD MEN" were the same age as Fred is now. They were farmers and factory workers, but they later became some of the American icons of Old-Time Music. They were: Uncle Wade Ward, Tommy Jarrell, Fred Cockerham, Kyle Creed, Oscar Wright. What an exciting influence on a young man growing up and developing his style of banjo playing. Not many Old-Time pickers ever got that chance. Fred is very grateful for having had this experience of a lifetime. Oh yes, June Apple was Uncle Wade's signature tune."

And Bill's playing is not only incredible, but features instruments he has made.

This album is a great addition to the truest, purest of traditions of Old Time Music, a cd not to be missed.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Bill Evans' most recent CD entitled "In Good Company" and it is just that. He is in good company with the group of fine musicians that he assembled for this project. I found the song selections as well as the arrangements to be outstanding. There is a bit of something for a wide range of musical tastes. Beatles fans (myself included) will thoroughly enjoy the arrangements of the Beatles classics, Mother Nature's Son, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and A Hard Day's Night. And the enthusiasts of traditional music will enjoy other selections on the CD, I'm especially partial to Big Chief Sonny.

Treat yourself to a great CD, you will undoubtedly appreciate the fine, crisp instrument work and the tasteful vocals. Check out Bill's website, www.billevansbanjo.com if you would like to purchase a copy.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

I purchased this album after listening to several of Dave Hum's songs here on the Hangout and watching his Youtube videos.

This disc is a wonderful mix of Celtic, Bluegrass and Old Time tunes.

Dave Hum is a talented musician who puts his own touch on each song. I purchase Album 2 because I already knew I liked his version of some of the songs on it. I will purchase Album 1 because it's all good.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is a great disc for listening too as well as playing along with. There is a wide mix of types of music, some blue grassey, some old time some with vocals some without etc. I really enjoy the way the banjo actually stands out a bit, it's not overwhelmed by the fiddle but definately an equal partner to it. I also enjoy the singing quite a bit and it's great to sing along with. The tunings for the banjo are included in the disk jacket which is a nice touch. As a disclaimer, I am biased, I take banjo lessons from Dave, but I'd like the disk even if I didn't.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

This is an excellent bluegrass album in my humble opinion. Especially the track called The Great Remember. Just a fantastic piece of clawhammer playing.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

I really respect Bill Emerson as a Banjo player and he is one of my idols. He has a very clean technique and tone. Quite frankly this is one of Bill's finest CDs/Albums to date. The CD is primarily an instrumental CD, but there are 2 standout vocal tracks: "Jesse James" and "Don't Come Around" which was penned by his new fiddle player Jenny Leigh Obert. (Jenny has a very bright future as a fiddle player in Bluegrass.) Overall, the musicianship is outstanding. Bill has assembled an excellent group of musicians in "Sweet Dixie". Some of the standout tracks are: New San Juan, Coast to Coast, Chilly Winds, Don't Come Around, Ride it Out, and No Steering, No Brakes, just to name a few. The entire CD is great!

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Terry Baucom has been a busy man for the past four decades or so. He began playing banjo at age 10, but also picked up the fiddle as a youngster. His professional debut occurred as a teenager when he was thrust on stage with Charlie Moore. During that set for which he’d had no preparation, Terry impressed Charlie enough that he was hired as a permanent member of the band. He later moved on to Boone Creek with Ricky Skaggs, and was a founding member of Quicksilver as well as IIIyrd Time Out. So it is no wonder that it has taken Terry so long to finally release a “solo” CD. I use the term “solo” loosely because the musicians that accompany Terry on this release certainly make it an all-star compilation. Jamie Dailey, Doyle Lawson, Barry Bales, Adam Steffey, Lou Reid, Ronnie Bowman, the Gibson Brothers, Jason Carter, and Russell Moore are just a few of the bluegrass superstars who perform with “The Bauc.” In short, it was well worth the wait.

Ordinarily I recoil from phrases such as “one size fits all” or “there is something for everyone” because typically that often means that I will appreciate only a small part of whatever it is (CD, clothing, lunch buffet, etc.) and have no use for the rest. However, this is one instance where I will embrace such an all-inclusive description. Terry’s choice of tunes range from the very traditional bluegrass sound of the Jimmy Martin/Paul Williams song Stepping Stones (performed with Paul Williams and Cindy Baucom on vocals) and the Louvin Bros/Jim & Jesse track I Wish You Knew, to the new-grass feel of The Next Last Time with Ronnie Bowman and John Cowan. For those of you looking for that solid quartet sound so definitive to Quicksilver, Terry, Doyle Lawson, Jimmy Haley, and Lou Reid deliver with the gospel number My Eyes Shall Be on Canaan’s Land. And have no fear Scruggsphiles, you will get your fix of the driving Baucom banjo on the title-track instrumental In A Groove. In my opinion, this tune is destined to become a banjo classic. Adam Steffey’s speaker-rattling baritone vocals and haunting mandolin rivet the listener for the Eddie Adcock story ballad The Sentence. Paired with Cindy’s light alto, this tune makes one want to pull the car over and just listen. For those of you with a desire to taste a little country, The Gibson Brothers and Terry put their own spin on the Buck Owens tune Open Up Your Heart.

You don’t want to miss this one folks. It is as solid a collection of tracks as we have seen in bluegrass in several years. Terry demonstrates, not only through his musical skill, but through his drafting of a hall-of-fame class of contributing bluegrassers, that he is a true force to be reckoned with. I’m just hoping that he doesn’t make us wait another four decades for the next one!

You can purchase the CD through www.terrybaucom.com or through the usual bluegrass outlets.

Track titles:
Do You Wrong Kind of Girl (Jamie Daily, Lou Reid, & Terry Baucom)
Good Time Mountain Man (Chris Stapleton & Ronnie Bowman)
Nothin’ Like the Scorn of a Lover (Russell Moore, Buddy Melton, & Terry Baucom)
In A Grove (Instrumental)
Stepping Stones (Paul Willimas, Cindy Baucom, & Terry Baucom)
My Eyes Shall Be on Canaan’s Land (Original Quicksilver Quartet: Doyle Lawson, Jimmy Haley, Lou Reid, & Terry Baucom)
Open Up Your Heart (The Gibson Brothers)
Young Lillie’s Dreams (Don Rigsby, Buddy Melton, & Terry Baucom)
There Ain’t No future In The Past (Lou Reid, Jimmy Haley, & Terry Baucom)
I Wish You Knew (John Cowan & Russell Moore)
The Sentence (Adam Steffey, Cindy Baucom, & Terry Baucom)
The Next Last Time (Ronnie Bowman & John Cowan)

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

A fantastic and noteworthy collection of old time music from a great talent. Chilling ballads, great singing songs, and fiddle/dance tunes are combined for a very well rounded listening experience.

Brett Ratliff is an amazing player and he has learned a genuinely traditional style of playing in the living tradition of Kentucky, which is one of the few places with a still unbroken musical tradition. It's great to listen to and great to learn from. His singing is just as remarkable as his playing. His voice is both rich and expressive, to the point that you will get chills listening to it.

Two of the most moving, dark songs are "Young People Who Delight In Sin" and "Cold Icy Mountain." The two songs that I found most fun were "Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow" and a very nice version of "Wish I Had Stayed in the Wagon Yard."

Overall a really good album, you can't go wrong with such a talented artist as this one.

Overall Rating

9

Overall Comments

22 old favorites from on of the finest tenor banjo players I've ever worked along with the Cream of trad. jazz players in New England (or anyplace else). I'm delighted to listen to this CD. Top notch playing by guys I've known for decades and have played with (too many) years ago. Makes me want to get the old horn out again. Thanks, Mike.

Overall Rating

10

Overall Comments

Good for What Ails You is a compilation of music of the medicine shows from 1926-1937. It features 48 tracks on 2 CDs showcasing a bunch of different artists, who performed with the medicine shows of the era. There are too many to list here but some of them include Daddy Stovepipe & Mississippi Sarah, Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley, The Allen Bros., The Carolina Tar Heels. The set is packaged beautifully and comes with a really interesting booklet, that is almost worth the purchase price alone. The book provides a really neat look at the history of the medicine show, with a variety of photos of artists, and posters from the shows, as well as a brief write-up about each track/artist. A real gem for anyone who is interested in this area of old-time music. I don't remember the exact price, but it was around $25.00 I think.

Overall Rating

10