CD of the Week Jan. 14-Jan. 20, 2001

David Grisman, et al.

Dawg Duos

Acoustic Disc

David Grisman is acknowledged by just about everybody to be a master of the mandolin. Beyond that he almost single handedly invented his own genre of music which he calls Dawg Music. Dawg Music is a combination of Jazz and Bluegrass with a little Classical thrown in along with countless other influences. Grisman has been perfecting this style of music for over 25 years. One major step for Grisman was founding his own record label in the early nineties, Acoustic Disc. Since its inception, Acoustic Disc has released over 40 CDs of music by artists as such as Doc Watson, Jerry Garcia, Jody Stecher, Oscar Aleman, Red Allen, Radim Zenkl and of course, Grisman himself. With an Acoustic Disc release you know that you will get an interesting collection of music that features great sound and production, and Dawg Duos is no exception.

Dawg Duos is the 38th release from Acoustic disc and it not only features Grisman, but as the titles implies, a whole host of collaborators who duet with him. The list includes such acoustic luminaries as Bela Fleck, Mike Seeger, Vassar Clements and Edgar Meyer. These tracks were recorded over a number of years and each is unique and interesting in its own way.

The first track features bassist Edgar Meyer dueting with Grisman on a tune called "Mando-Bass Boogie Samba" that alternates between forlorn and bouncy. Grisman picks away while Meyer plays bass with a bow.

Another highlight is Grisman’s collaboration with banjo legend, Bela Fleck. Fleck is one of Grisman’s most successful students. Fleck’s own hybrid of Jazz and Bluegrass can be traced directly back to Dawg Music. The tune they play here is called "Clinch Mountain Windmills" and it is actually a melding of two famous songs, "Windmills of Your Mind" and "Clinch Mountain Backstep". The whole piece has sort of a Classical/Appalachian feel to it.

Grisman is at home with many styles. His collaboration with Drummer Hal Blaine, "Buttons and Bows" is pretty straightforward be-bop jazz except that the lead instrument is a mandolin of course. On "Trinidadian Rag" with National Steel player, Bob Brozman, the two perform in a Ragtime/Swing mode. "New Delhi Duo" with percussionist, Zakir Hussein combines Grisman’s style with Indian Classical music.

Every track has something to offer and has a different feel to it. Grisman is such an excellent player and his tone and sound are instantly recognizable. This music is full of depth and emotion and all of it is expertly recorded so that it sounds like Grisman and his friends are sitting in your living room.