Tag: Bluegrass

bluegrass

Red Allen und Frank Wakefield – Bluegrass 1964

I have recently found an interview with David Grisman (Live on the Jake Feinberg Show) where he talked about the recording of the Bluegrass Album with Red Allen and Frank Wakefield in 1964. He later talks about his projects with Jerry Garcia.

This interview inspired me to look back to the early 1960s and how Bluegrass was like then.

The album was produced for Smithsonian Folkways Records. Grisman (born in 1945) was just 19 years old when he produced this record. Wakefield had a great influence to Grisman who says the he learned alle tha mandolin solos a played by Frank Wakefield.

Smithsonian Folkways about Red Allen & Frank Wakefield

Allen and Wakefield’s music ranges from strictly traditional songs like “Little Maggie” to pieces introduced by Bill Monroe to sacred material, all with their hallmark close harmonies and tight instrumental backing. Like Monroe and Roscoe Holcomb, Allen’s voice embodies the “high lonesome” sound.

Grisman had invited Red Allen and Frank Wakefield to play a concert at the Carnegie Hall before.

Bluegrass (1964) – Red Allen und Frank Wakefield

David Grisman especially was inspired by a song from the album “Mountain Music Bluegrass Style” – The White House Blues by Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys. They had to drive to New York to buy records like this. He says abou when he listened to this song for the very first time: “That changed my life”

White House Blues

Album – Mountain Music Bluegrass Style (Smithsonian)

David Grisman Interview Live on the Jake Feinberg Show

Wikipedia about Red Allen

Red Allen – Bluegrass Hall of Fame

WDON Recordings from Frank Wakefield and Red Allen

learn to play the mandolin

Tunefox – Learn to Play Bluegrass Tunes

Tunefox is a new web and app based learning tool for bluegrass instruments. I was asked by Bennett Sullivan to present tunefox in my blog.

Tunefox is primaily a web and app based learning tool for banjo, mandolin, guitar and bass. To use all the features of tunefox you need to subscribe.

As a subscriber you get access to the app or website with tutorials for many Bluegrass tunes. For each tune you can select between different levels of difficulty and between different playling styles. You can try the free tunes Cripple Creek and Worried Man Blues on the website.

To learn the tune you can play along the TABs, change the playback speed and shuffle the licks of the tune which can create many different solo versions for each tune.

You can also use the free beginner lessons, blog posts, youtube videos and other resources of tunefox without paying.

Tunefox is presented in the following introduction video:

Salt Creek Advanced Mandolin Solo

Tunefox will have it’s first Tunefox Camp with Mike Compton as mandolin instructor and other experienced Bluegrass instructors in May 2019. You can find detailed information about the tunefox camp on the tunefox website.

Additional information

Tunefox Youtube Channel

Tunefox youtube playlists

Tunefox Website

Tunefox Blog

Tunefox Camp

bluegrass

Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike – Bluegrass

Valerie Smith and her Band Liberty Pike have played in Germany for several times. Valerie Smith has written several great Bluegrass songs, and she has played with many great Bluegrass musicians. Her discography lists currently 14 albums, the latest album “Small Town Heroes” will be published soon.

This year she played again at the IBMA convention.

I have compiled a Playlist with a selection of older and newer videos.

Playlist Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike

Additional Information

Valerie Smith – Airplay Direct

Valerie Smith-Here’s A Little Song: http://airplaydirect.com/music/HeresALittleSong/

Valerie Smith: http://airplaydirect.com/valeriesmith

Becky Buller – Little Bird: http://airplaydirect.com/Littlebird

Valerie Smith – Small Town Heroes: http://www.airplaydirect.com/music/SmallTownHeroes/

Americana

Andrew Collins Trio – A musical fusion of classical…

I have first discovered Andrew Collins on the coolmandolin website where he had allowed his music to be played for the visitors. He belongs to the most interesting mandolin players that I know.

Andrew Collins founded his Andrew Collins Trio some years ago. Each of the three musicians plays several instruments. Andrew Collins plays mandolin, fiddle, guitar, mandola and mandocello, Mike Mezzatesta plays guitar, mandolin, fiddle and mandola and James McEleney plays bass and mandocello.

When they are on tour they take with them up to 13 instruments. The style of the trio is difficult to describe, its a musical fusion of classical to bluegrass, folk with jazz, swing with Celtic. Andrew Collins says that the trio gives him much freedom when playing and a lot of space to be filled.

The Andrew Collins Trio has just published a new double-CD tounge groove. CD 1 named Tounge contains 11 songs, while CD 2 named Groove contains eight instrumentals.

The previous CD And It Was Good was based on the biblical story Genesys about the creation of the World in seven days. For this CD the trio was joyned by a string quartet.

This trio can sound like a Bluegrass band, like a Jazz trio, but also like a classical plucked strings ensemble.

Promotional Video about the Andrew Collins Trio

I have found many great videos with the Andrew Collins Trio at youtube, and I have compiled this playlist – enjoy!

Playliste The Andrew Collins Trio

A complete concert is available at youtube as well: Read more “Andrew Collins Trio – A musical fusion of classical to bluegrass, folk with jazz, swing with Celtic” →