The Bottom Line
Pros
- Farewell Blues
- Twilight Kingdom
- Escher's Waltz
- Doggy Salt
- Armando's Children
Cons
- None
Description
- Guest artists include Earl Scruggs, Steve Martin, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Chris Thile, Sam Bush, and more
- Unbeatable instrumentation and arrangements
- A level of mastery and proficiency we can only expect from Tony Trischka
Guide Review - Tony Trischka - Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular
There's a fantasy every bluegrass fan must have, where they open the door to a ratty old roadhouse club, and inside they find all the greatest living bluegrass instrumentalists: Earl Scruggs is there, as is Bela Fleck, Chris Thile, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Dudley Connell, and others. Tony Trischka is standing in the corner, leading them all with his five-string banjo. It's okay now to wake up and realize it's not a fantasy anymore, thanks to Tony Trischka's Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular (Rounder, 2007).Despite all the incredible performances by guest artists on Double Banjo, it is a Tony Trischka album, and he deserves a fair amount of the credit for his proficiency and mastery of the genre.
His artistry doesn't end with his performances and arrangements. It extends well into the realms of recruitment, as well. When you have access to great instrumentalists ranging from Scruggs to Douglas, Rice, Bush, and Thile, knowing where and how often to use them is a difficult task. The temptation would be to put them everywhere they can go, but Trischka's discretion is as masterful as his musical gift, and Double Banjo shines as a result.
This is the kind of phenomenal instrumentation that would make anyone with any interest in music shake their head in wonder. Whether bluegrass is your thing or not, you've got to admit that Trischka and company are giving some of the best performances in contemporary music, paying homage to old time and regional styles as much as traditional flavors. Double Banjo is sure to be one of the best bluegrass records of 2007. I don't say this very often, if ever, but if any tiny part of you likes bluegrass, you'd be silly to not run out and immediately buy this CD.
