Fiddle and Violins: EMD

David Grisman Quintet: EMD

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Hey, here’s something I bet you didn’t know: a fiddle can do scat singing. It sounds ridiculous, I know. But listen to Darol Anger’s solo on EMD, and tell me I’m wrong.

I have written here and elsewhere about my dislike of musical genre labels. In 1977, David Grisman was about to release the first album of his quintet. The music was acoustic, with fiddle, mandolin, guitar and bass. But this certainly was not bluegrass. It sounded more like jazz, but not exactly. Grisman evidently didn’t like genre labels either, so he came up with something silly to fend off the question. The only trouble was, the new label stuck. This, then, is Dawg music, the first anyone ever heard. EMD is the opening track off the debut of the David Grisman Quintet.

Public Domain: The Water Is Wide

Karla Bonoff (with James Taylor): The Water Is Wide

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Tim O'Brien, Darol Anger, David Grisman, Michael Manring, Bela Fleck, John Jennings: The Water Is Wide

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Indigo Girls, Jewel, Sarah McLachlan: The Water Is Wide

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From the Wikipedia entry:

"The Water Is Wide" (also called "O Waly, Waly") is thought to be an English or Scottish folk song that has been sung since the 1600s and has seen considerable popularity through to the 21st century... Cecil Sharp collected this song during his journey to America in World War I.

The inherent challenges of love are made apparent in the narrator's imagery: "Love is handsome, love is kind" during the novel honeymoon phase of any relationship. However, as time progresses, "love grows old, and waxes cold". Even true love, the narrator admits, can "fade away like morning dew"...

This post came in a roundabout way, in that my first song choice for this theme was Shenandoah, and I remembered the Heritage CD I had, which contained a version by the lovely Jane Siberry - however, when I listened, it was over 7 minutes long and a child's voice chimed in and... it just didn't resonate... so I used only Laura Love's interpretation...

However, also on the Heritage CD (an amazing project produced by fiddler Darol Anger, with a terrific array of guest stars) was a gorgeous rendition sung by Tim O'Brien, joined by other brilliant musicians... which in turn made me remember the Lilith Fair collaboration (with Indigo Girls, Jewel and then Sarah McLachlan taking turns on the verses)... which brought to mind an old favorite a few years post-college by Karla Bonoff, joined by James Taylor who lends his distinctive guitar and voice....

All are different and all are goosebump-inducing - as Darol says in his liner notes:

"In my life between the cracks as an art/folk musician, I've always dealt with the metaphor of traditional music as a river connecting the present with our parents, grandparents and on back It's a good metaphor because you can just about tease it to death. In that spirit, I've been moved to try to bring some old songs a ways downriver... They've been alternately worn smooth and built up again and again, polished to mirrors, so we see ourselves in them. They are truly emissaries from upriver, reminding us of who we are and where we come from. Point us in a direction. Are you going upriver or down?"

Cool Kidsongs: Just a Few More Edition

Here are four songs that fit our theme. Other than that, the only thing they have in common is that I couldn’t choose between them for my last post this week.

Zak Morgan: When Bullfrogs Croak

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One key element of great kid’s music is a sense of humor. Zak Morgan delivers that here. Don’t miss the kicker in the last verse.

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman: Jenny Jenkins

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Our theme this week is called Cool Kidsongs, but it could just as easily have been Not For Kids Only. When Jerry Garcia and David Grisman chose to make an album of music for kids and the adults who would have to listen with them, that is the title they used.

Jerry Garcia was, of course, the leader of the Grateful Dead. He had known David Grisman from San Francisco, before either musician made a name for themselves. The two had even recorded together in the one-shot bluegrass project, Old and in the Way. Grisman and Garcia had continued to get together and jam whenever their schedules allowed. Most of these jam sessions were committed to tape, and many have been released since Garcia’s death.

Here, their take on the traditional Jenny Jenkins shows the easy comraderie of old friends. The comfortable feeling and low key approach fairly represent the quality of the album as a whole.

Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer: Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?

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One of the dangers of making kid’s music is overdoing the sweetness, and producing something cloying. Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, both together and individually, avoid that trap. Their music shows that it is possible to be sweet without overdoing it.

Dan Zanes (with Rosanne Cash): Fooba Wooba John

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Dan Zanes used to be in a band called the Del-Fuegos. When they broke up, Zanes’ career took a surprising turn: he became a kid’s music artist. All of his albums that I am aware of include guests who you wouldn’t expect to be doing kid’s music at all. Rosanne Cash’s guest spot here is a fine example. In recent years, many “adult” artists have taken a turn at producing kid’s music albums. Dan Zanes may well have provided the inspiration to do so.

Record Labels: Acoustic Disc

David Grisman Quintet: Chili Dawg

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Enrique Coria: Milongo del Angel

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David Grisman began his musical life playing bluegrass. He was in Old and In The Way with Jerry Garcia. And like Garcia, Grisman had more than just bluegrass in his head. He has never accepted the limits some people might place on what kinds of music you can play on a mandolin, instead ever seeking ways to expand the mandolin’s vocabulary, and seeking out other adventurous musicians to help him do it. By 1979, Grisman was playing a hybrid of bluegrass and jazz, with elements of gypsy music and folk thrown in as well. He called this music “Dawg music”, Dawg being a nickname Garcia had given him that stuck. All through the 1980s, Grisman continued to add in more ingredients to his musical stew, until he arrived at a sound that no record label, big or small, knew how to market.

So, in 1990, David Grisman founded Acoustic Disc. On his own label, there were no limits on the directions his music could take. Now he also had a place to release the music of musicians who inspired him, The first release on Acoustic Disc was by the David Grisman Quintet, and it included Chili Dawg. But from then until now, Acoustic Disc has released a fascinating array of music played on acoustic stringed instruments. Mandolin and guitar players from Latin America are here. So is Jewish music for two mandolins. There is an album of music for kids and others by Garcia and Grisman. The series of albums entitled Tone Poems includes music from Grisman and others that defies attempts at categorization. And Grisman manages to sell enough of all of this to keep the whole thing afloat.

The second tune that I have chosen is by Enrique Coria. Coria is a fine guitarist from Argentina, and a current member of the David Grisman Quintet.