steiny@scc.UUCP (Don Steiny) (01/22/85)
*** Of course, bluegrass is not really folk. It was orignally derivitive and commercial, but this group seems to be the closest. I read a book about bluegrass that is so good that I highly recommend it to all of you seekers of your musical roots. The book is called: The Big Book of Bluegrass The History, the Music Edited by Marilyn Kochman Quill 105 Madison Ave. It is reprints of articles from "Frets Magazine." It has history and biographies of the top artists from Bill Monroe through to the "New Acoustic", or "Newgrass" artists like David Grissman, Tony Rice, and Tony Trishka. I found the book exciting, though I have spent hundreds of dollars on records trying listen to the great music that the book talks about. I am going to go on about New Acoustic Music for a bit. I hope that anyone that is looking for exciting new music will read on, and better still, listen to the artists. For those who do not know, New Acoustic Music, is a special kind of music invented by Dave Grissman. It is a kind of fusion between all types of music. It is played on acoustic instruments. It has provided a powerful vehical for musicians of exceptional talent. For instance, Mark O'Connor, who will turn 24 this year, forced every fiddle competition he entered to change the rules and not allow the previous years champion to compete, because there was no chance that anyone would ever beat him. He had been on 5 ablums by the time he graduated from high-school. He is also among the worlds best gutiar and mandolin players and has, by now, recorded numerous alblums playing all of those instruments (individually). Mark O'Connor has recorded with David Grissman. A recent alblum features David Grissman and Stephan Grappalli, Django Rienhart's partner in the Hot Club of France. There is a beautiful duet of "Tiger Rag" with Mark and Stephan. I was startled to notice that the gutiar player on Grissman's first alblum, a person whose virtoso gutiar technique has won him a following in his own right, Tony Rice, has an admirer in Doc Watson, a more traditional subject of this newsgroup. Doc was asked if there were any really good pickers up and coming and he said, "Tony Rice." He said that Tony cut some songs with him and it will be released on an alblum soon. For those of you who are not familiar with Tony, you will probably like the alblum "Backwaters" because just about everyone does. Generally, New Acoustic Music is listening music and not dance music, though the group "Newgrass Revival" plays very dancable music including a few Bob Marley tunes. It is strange hearing reggae (sp?) on mandolins and banjoes, but it works. It is not classical, not jazz, not rock, not gypsy, not bluegrass, but you can hear all those things in it. -- scc!steiny Don Steiny - Personetics @ (408) 425-0382 109 Torrey Pine Terr. Santa Cruz, Calif. 95060 ihnp4!pesnta -\ fortune!idsvax -> scc!steiny ucbvax!twg -/
shor@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Melinda Shore) (01/22/85)
[] I, too, would like to recommend "The Big Book of Bluegrass." Certainly one of the best things about it is the interviews with many of my folk music heroes. And while we're talking about New Acoustic Music, let's not forget Robin Flower!! Melinda