John Reischman & the Jaybirds – Vintage & Unique – Corvus Records

by | May 17, 2011 | Pop/Rock/World CD Reviews | 0 comments

John Reischman & the Jaybirds – Vintage & Unique – Corvus Records CR018, 50:39 *****:

John Reischman has been a big figure in acoustic music for many years starting with the Tony Rice Unit, and for the last ten years he has been recording bluegrass music with his group, John Reischman & the Jaybirds. “Vintage & Unique” is this band’s fifth recording and in most respects is probably their best album to date. As its title suggests, this CD manages to be both traditional and original at the same time and in doing that they’ve created something all their own.

Most bands spend a certain amount of time figuring out how to work together and after more than ten years playing together, John Reischman & the Jaybirds have worked out all the kinks and have achieved a certain level of grace in their supremely harmonized performances. Given that John Reischman is one the very best mandolin players in the world, you’d expect the performances on “Vintage & Unique” to focus more on him, but nearly all tracks focus on the ensemble as a whole and provide equal time in the spotlight for all the members of the band. All in all, I can’t think of a better-balanced bluegrass band working today. Everybody is playing at the same high standards of performance that Reischman himself sets. Nobody is overshadowed.

The main vocals are split between Trisha Gagnon and Jim Nunally. Gagnon’s voice is rich and laden with heartfelt emotion and is always a pleasure to listen to, while Nunally’s voice captures the high and lonesome character of bluegrass. The CD features its share of traditional and classic tunes by Bill Monroe and Hazel Dickens, but the best songs are those written by the members of the band. Standouts include “Lancaster Sound” by fiddler Greg Spatz, “Gold Mountain” by singer and bass player Trisha Gagnon, “Consider Me Gone” by singer and guitarist Jim Nunally, “The Black Road” by banjo player Nick Hornbuckle, and “Bittersweet Waltz” by mandolin virtuoso John Reischman.

This last track sums up this album for me. It forgoes the breakneck pace of most bluegrass and strives for nuance. It also succeeds. While I there are more frenetic and more notes-per-second bluegrass music out there, I can’t think of a more polished, subtle, and thoughtful approach to bluegrass than “Vintage & Unique.” This one gets my highest recommendation.

TrackList:
Shady Grove; The Girl I Left Behind; The Cypress Hills; Hurry Up and Harvest; Last Chance; Consider Me Gone; Lancaster Sound; Gold Mountain (Gam Saan); The Black Road; Goin’ Across the Sea; The Old Grove; The First Whippoorwill; Gabriel’s Call; Bitterroot Waltz

— Hermon Joyner

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