Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe

[Josh Levine]

I just noticed that this album was being produced today. Features Ron McCoury, Brian Sutton, and Stuart Duncan. Should be a good one. Love Kenny Baker's album, so will love to see what this lineup does with it. I realize as he states that this is a not so thinly veiled cash grab, but who doesn't want to hear some of the best bluegrass artists in the game playing Bill Monroe instrumentals?

[coletrickle]

I would assume the "cash grab" was more tongue in cheek than anything else. I got the sense from his website he is taking this quite seriously in terms of a "tribute" album of sorts.

[Jonathan James]

Cash grab or not, count me in to buy it. Bluegrass artists need every cash grab they can get. As the old joke goes, you can makes tens of dollars playing bluegrass music...

[Dan Krhla]

The one track they posted on YouTube was phenomenal.

http://youtu.be/Iqys8Ez7Cno

[greg_tsam]

The one track they posted on YouTube was phenomenal.

http://youtu.be/Iqys8Ez7Cno

I promise I'm not trying to be the embedding police rather performing public service. :0

[John Hill]

If you've ever heard Pikelny then you know that the "cash grab" line was indeed a joke. Because, you know, there will be tens of fans lined up to buy a banjo player's take on a fiddle player's take on a mandolin player's tunes...

It seems that he has great reverence for the Baker album (as do I and many, many others) and its quite the lineup so I'm looking forward to it.

[Justus True Waldron]

I'm very excited about this release. I should be seeing him here in a couple weeks, we'll see if he plays stuff off this or his other albums. He's then on the NY banjo tour, but after that he's got a string of dates lined up... I'm hoping that's a tour in support of the new album. Jesse Cobb is playing mandolin with him, I'm excited to hear him play mando in a band setting again!

[bjewell]

And for the very few who might not know it, Noam was the founder of the Telecaster Discussion Page many years ago. That place -- now called www.TDPri.com -- has been a huge - -and I mean huge -- resource for all things Fender. Noam basically invented the musical instrument forum or at least got it off the ground during the early days of the Web. Then he walked away. What a cool dude...

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bad-dog-c...m-pikelny.html

[terzinator]

If you've ever heard Pikelny then you know that the "cash grab" line was indeed a joke. Because, you know, there will be tens of fans lined up to buy a banjo player's take on a fiddle player's take on a mandolin player's tunes...

Speaking of a cash grab, I'm waiting for the Chris Thile Plays Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe album.

[Josh Levine]

I didn't mean to insinuate that this project was not authentic or amazing in any way. I just seems to me that for Noam, this is easy. Get together those guys and I would assume that they could pull off hot Monroe instrumental licks to these songs in their sleep. This will in no way detract from my enjoyment of the project. I listen to this stuff over the Punch Bros any day. I enjoy the Punch Bros, but it is rare that I actually want to listen to them, while a project like this I will listen to all day every day. I have been playing Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe alot recently. I was actually thinking to myself that it would be cool if Thile and Daves put together an album playing Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe and then this popped up. Happy day.

[Tom Coletti]

I'm waiting for the Chris Thile Plays Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe album.

I am intrigued and yet somehow frustrated with this album title.

--Tom

[coletrickle]

It sounds like he spent a lot of time transcribing Baker's breaks for banjo, so I would say he made a challenge out of it.

[mandolino maximus]

I'm very excited about this release. I should be seeing him here in a couple weeks, we'll see if he plays stuff off this or his other albums. He's then on the NY banjo tour, but after that he's got a string of dates lined up... I'm hoping that's a tour in support of the new album. Jesse Cobb is playing mandolin with him, I'm excited to hear him play mando in a band setting again!

In case there's one near you, last I checked on the Banjo Summit site, Jesse will be playing for them too. He also toured for the debut of Noam's last recording. Noam and Chris Eldridge got on stage with The Infamous Stringdusters and Uncle Earl on New Years Eve when it was a blue moon (2009) to do Blue Moon of Kentucky. Jesse shines with that style too.

My definition of a good October: Thile/Daves on 10/12 in Virginia, Thile/Bach in Evanston on 10/15, Pikelny/Cobb in Ann Arbor on 10/23 and for good measure on 10/25 in Chicago a country/folk/soft jazz vocalist platinum record seller who visited my house a couple of times when she was 19 (minor mandolin content though). That's good Fall color. (And no, let's not forget Sutton Bulla Bales - OMG).

[Justus True Waldron]

In case there's one near you, last I checked on the Banjo Summit site, Jesse will be playing for them too. He also toured for the debut of Noam's last recording.

Yeah Jesse will be with the banjo tour too. I saw him here at the Egg in Albany with them last year, as well as with Noam & Friends there opening up for the Gibson Brothers. I also managed to catch the original Noam & Friends tour down in NYC the year before, and he came right here to Troy with his brother Shadd for a Cobb Brothers show which was really fun too. One of my favorite mando players and it's cool that he ends up playing around these parts a fair bit!

And I agree... heading up to Thomas Point Beach this weekend for a fest, then there are loads of awesome artists at the Freshgrass thing sept. 20-22... and even the Brooklyn Bluegrass Bash that same weekend if I can make it down for that. Chris Thile is doing a solo show in Albany in October, and I'm sure I'll make it to one of the Noam shows then too... lots of fall color as you put it!

[Josh Levine]

He just released Brown County Breakdown. It sounds great.
http://noisetrade.com/noampikelny/no...plays-for-free

[UsuallyPickin]

Yessssss . definately looking forward to this one.......

[brent1308]

Recently heard an advance copy...it's excellent!

[djweiss]

The next obvious evolutionary step in this concept...the things is, I like it!

http://chrismillerplaysnoampikelny.bandcamp.com/

[swampy]

The next obvious evolutionary step in this concept...the things is, I like it!

http://chrismillerplaysnoampikelny.bandcamp.com/

This is the greatest inside joke ever! Absolute genuis. I'm just bummed that I can't think of an actual human I could share it with that would get it.

[Justus True Waldron]

I saw that today! I think it's great!! Haha as one of the resident clarinet players lurking on this board I think I've got to say I'm tempted to keep this thing going and try my hand at Justus Waldron plays Chris Miller plays Noam Pikelny plays Kenny Baker plays Bill Monroe. Has a ring to it, no?

[sgarrity]

Now that's funny!

[mandolirius]

I saw that today! I think it's great!! Haha as one of the resident clarinet players lurking on this board I think I've got to say I'm tempted to keep this thing going and try my hand at Justus Waldron plays Chris Miller plays Noam Pikelny plays Kenny Baker plays Bill Monroe. Has a ring to it, no?

I hereby, officially, in front of all these witnesses, double-dog dare you.

[Justus True Waldron]

Careful, I just might!

[djweiss]

I'd play it on the radio!

[mandolirius]

Careful, I just might!

I spent four years in a klezmer band....you think I'm afraid of a clarinet?