Best "newgrass" albums?

[SternART]

[QUOTE=AlanN;The term New Acoustic Music was sweated over even back then. [/QUOTE]

If I'm not mistaken........Darol Anger came up with that.

[Dagger Gordon]

Forgive me if I missed it somewhere, but one of the first 'bluegrass' LPs I got (and I didn't really know what I was buying) was 'The Bluegrass Session' by Vassar Clements (recorded 1976).

It had piano, bass, drums, pedal steel, Andy Statman on mandolin, Bobby Osborne singing and playing mandolin, and of course the much missed Vassar on fiddle.

Not exactly typical bluegrass. Newgrass? Great record, anyway.

[Jock]

Hi all, first post in this section

I'd have to go with the following, although I'm unsure of the labels;

New Grass Revival "New Grass Revival"
David Grisman Quintet (1976)
Bella Fleck's "Drive"

As a youth I'd hitch hike to Edinburgh (400 miles round trip) with the express aim of buying every bluegrass old time album I could lay my hands on. The 3 set out above are 3 albums that have stood the test of time that fall in to the category in the broadest sense, in my humble opinion that is. Also as albums they are as near perfect as I think it's possible to make an album without ruining it.

When I bought Drive in 89 I bought it on spec (as I did all my american acoustic music), because I liked the look of the line up. I ran round to a friends flat, my friend also being a Hi-Fi enthusiast, where we gave Drive a spin on the deck @ 100w per channel, and what can I say, it blew my mind. Tony Rice's guitar break on whitewater just left me speechless (as did all the breaks but being a want to be bluegrass guitar player, well, if you know the album you'll know what I mean ). Seminal and to my ear never equaled for it's simple traditional approach in format and despite the fantastic mind blowing musicianship it remains accessible to non aficionados.

[jbennett451]

Stirring up the pot, any opinions as to "The" newgrass track (first, best, arcetypal, personal favorites, whatever)?

I'd put my money on Bela's Spain from Crossing the Tracks.

I think it amazingly shows off the capacity to take traditional/b.g. instruments into a completely different musical form and completely transform the music something new - not some "jazz played by hillbillies" hybrid.

[AlanN]

Bela's Spain from Crossing the Tracks.

I think it amazingly shows off the capacity to take traditional/b.g. instruments into a completely different musical form and completely transform the music something new - not some "jazz played by hillbillies" hybrid.

What a great tune (and record). Has Sam Bush on fiddle and Bob Applebaum on mandolin (unique style).

Maybe an earlier cross-over tune is Great Balls of Fire, done up by the NGR boys. That mandolin break tattooed my brain. This could be the first rock and roll tune done up that way. I know J&J already had Berry Pickin', and OAITW were out in force back then, and Beatle Country was already several years old, but face it, the NGR brought the hippies and hillbillies together.

[Chris Travers]

Anything by "Cadillac Sky" They're Great!

[John McGann]

Yes! Plain and simple. If you don't like it, "you ain't no part of nothin'".

Pat Metheny says a couple of interesting things-

1) All music is acoustic, or you wouldn't be able to hear it.
2) Acoustic players show up at a gig and the first question is 'where are the mics"?

Oh- my nominations for 'newgrass' would be the first bluegrass oriented music I ever heard- Country Cooking as well as the first 4 Tony Trischka albums with Andy Statman, Russ Barenberg, Stacy Phillips etc.

That music rearranged my DNA bigtime

[mandolirius]

my nominations for 'newgrass' would be the first bluegrass oriented music I ever heard- Country Cooking as well as the first 4 Tony Trischka albums with Andy Statman, Russ Barenberg, Stacy Phillips etc.

That music rearranged my DNA bigtime

Man, you're reading my mail. Those albums for sure plus the first DGQ album, Breakfast Special and one by NY banjo player Marty Cutler called "Charged Particles".

[yonipapini]

i ended up with this album named: "Corazon" from "Rojos Calientes" when i visited telluride last year, and these guys are definitely doing something cool, adding some latin, singing spanish and using clasical with bluegrass, very cool solos mando and guitar. recommended for those looking for new sounds.

While I do also love bluegrass, for me the harder to find albums are the instrumental newgrass albums that are energetic and original. There must be some folks here who know ones that I don't know of.... These are some of my favorites.

The original David Grisman album from 1971 (I know this is Dawg music more than Newgrass, but you get the idea...)

The Tony Rice Unit Spacegrass Albums: Have only heard the one cut from Tony's bluegrass guitar album; Wish they'd release these on CD.

Thile from "Stealing Second" through "Not all who wander"

Mike Marshall's "Gator Strut"

The two instrumental cuts from Sierra Hull's new album...

John Reischman's "North of the Border" though it's a bit low key for my taste

Psychograss: ditto the Reischman album

Anyone have any other suggestions?

[yonipapini]

i ended up with this album named: "Corazon" from "Rojos Calientes" when i visited telluride last year, and these guys are definitely doing something cool, adding some latin, singing spanish and using clasical with bluegrass, very cool solos mando and guitar. recommended for those looking for new sounds, you'll love this album.

[kmiller1610]

Well it's been 10+ years, but here's an add on for this thread. Bela Fleck's "My Bluegrass Heart" is about 30% new grass and has many of the newer players, such as Billy Strings.

[William Smith]

II Generation! First album with Jimmy G. on mando and then my Uncle Gene Johnson on mando for the other records. As far as I know you can only get that on records! Or go to youtube and that one Japanese collector "TAKE" has those records as well as 1000's of other great records and live stuff! One could loose days pouring over the great old recordings-I have!