I'm gonna start this ramble with some thoughts about what I believe to be Bluegrass and what is being presented as Bluegrass. As most of you know I have always had a fairly strict sense of what Bluegrass is supposed to be. Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys played Bluegrass. Flatt & Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys played Bluegrass. Both bands were comprised of basically five main instruments, Mandolin, Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle and Bass. Flatt & Scruggs later added the Dobro, but that's a whole 'nother story, so don't get me started on that right now. I think Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys played Bluegrass even though there were occasionally drums in his music. At the time Jimmy was simply playing good ol' country music and if he wanted a drum he used it. Thankfully, to my ears, the drums are almost silent. Bluegrass music, true Bluegrass music, must have a Banjo present, even if it never takes a solo break. Now, I know a lot of your are disagreeing with me right now, but even more of you are agreeing. Hey, we all know what traditional Bluegrass is, now don't we?
Well, I suppose a lot of you have noticed that I have been relaxing my strict standards as to what makes Bluegrass Bluegrass. A lot of bands these days don't feature the banjo and some don't even have a banjo at all. I really didn't like this trend, but I have heard some really great music(without Banjo) in recent years that I'm proud to include into my thoughts as Bluegrass. Just recently Brandon Rickman, the lead singer for Sammy Shelor's, Lonesome River Band released a CD of powerful Bluegrass music without a hint of Banjo anywhere. Allison Kraus and Lynn Morris both were some of the first to feature songs without Banjo. And speaking of these two ladies, having women in Bluegrass is also a change I have embraced. There are many women in Bluegrass today. And, since I really like women, I have have truly enjoyed their emergence into Bluegrass. In fact, many times when I have presented my "Night Owl Concerts" at IBMA in Nashville the majority of the groups have been comprised entirely of women or at least were led by a woman. I have been very resistant to the electric bass, but now I find it doesn't disturb me as much as it once did. So, looking back, I would say my outlook on Bluegrass has changed and I am much more flexible these days.
That said, I must tell you about a CD that arrived in my mail, unsolicited. It is entitled "Charlie Daniels & Friends, Joy To The World" subtitled "A Bluegrass Christmas." The first thing I want to tell you is that, indeed, there are many Bluegrass performers on this CD. Performers such as: The Grascals (Terry Smith, Terry Eldridge, Danny Roberts, Kristen Scott Benson & Jeremy Alshire); Aubrey Haynie, Kevin Haynie, Dan Tyminski, Evelyn Cox and Suzanne Cox. These are all great Bluegrass performers; absolutely. But when you add things like drums on most every track along with instruments such as tambourine, shaker, 12 string guitars and a casaba it is easy to see that the album is sorely misidentified as "A Bluegrass Christmas." The drums are featured very prominently in most every track of the CD as are the un-necessary noises of the other percussion instruments. On a positive note, I must tell you the package is wonderfully presented and there is not only a CD, but also a DVD with videos of each of the songs being performed live. The CD comes in a tri-fold cardboard package with both of the CD/DVD slots facing the center to prevent accidental slipping out of the disks. All songs are well annotated with all singers and instrumentalists listed for each. I find it odd that the producers are aware that knowing the details about each recording is important to Bluegrass enthusiasts, but they are not aware of the more strict parameters that identify and define Bluegrass music. The music is varied and features special tracks by Aaron Tippen, Jewel, Kathy Mattea, Evelyn Cox and Suzanne Cox and a well told story, "A Carolina Christmas Carol" written and read by Charlie Daniels. Overall the CD/DVD is well done with high production values throughout. I love the Christmas season and I'm sure I will enjoy "Charlie Daniels & Freinds, Joy To The World" CD/DVD set as well. I just wish the producers at "Blue Hat Records" could have resisted labeling the package as Bluegrass. It makes me wonder, "Is Bluegrass becoming so important, today, that a record label would misidentify a CD in order for it to thought of as Bluegrass?" Could that really be true?
"NUFF SAID!"
1 comment:
I played on stage with Charlie many times in the early 60's, before his big breaks, and I can tell you that Charlie always had an all-encompasing view of what music is. That, I might add, is what has made him and his music so endearing to decades of music fans. I stood beside him as he played and sang music from Roy Orbison, The Platters, even Fats Domino, and he treated each song as a treasure. I feel, as do many music lovers from Charlie Daniels to the Dillards, that new generations of music lovers will grow with the changes in music styles - and banjo players (witness Bela fleck) will still be an influence in many types of music!
Paul Brier (paulbrier2112@yahoo.com)
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