Fiddlers 4

Fiddlers 4 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 12, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Compass Records
• ASIN: B000060P8H
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,280 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Classical musicians have been pinching melodies from folk musicians since before Mozart's day, so it seems only fair that the folkies should return the favor by borrowing the idea of the string quartet from the classical world. Fiddlers 4 is a supergroup formed by Cajun legend Michael Doucet, old-time master Bruce Molsky, progressive bluegrasser Darol Anger, and Rushad Eggleston, a dazzling young cellist who was still attending the Berklee College of Music when this recording was made. As you might expect given the musicians' pedigree, the tunes include Cajun numbers like "You Little Wild Thing (La Bétaille)" and songs from the bluegrass tradition like "Man of Constant Sorrow." What's surprising is how the four musicians take these familiar melodies and create a complex harmonic and rhythmic sound that simultaneously honors the tradition while reveling in the new sonic possibilities. Doucet, Molsky, and Anger each contribute original compositions that add jazz, African, Caribbean, and blues elements to the mix. The Fiddlers 4 are perhaps unique in the world: they are a string quartet that makes you want to get up and dance. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a fantastic mix, March 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fiddlers 4 (Audio CD)

Bruce Molsky, Michael Doucet, and Darol Anger -- the fiddlers (who are joined by a great young cellist) -- are well known in their respective music communities (old-time, cajun, and jazz-grass or whatever you'd call it, respectively). All of them are masters of their traditions, and can play "straight" trad fiddle music as well as anyone alive. But this disc shows that none of them is straitjacketed by an uptight view of tradition, and they work together in a great cross-pollination. Most importantly, their technical virtuosity -- amazing as it is -- is never just for showing off, but instead adds to the mystery and the fun of the music.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful fusion, April 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fiddlers 4 (Audio CD)

Shortly after buying the CD, I saw the group perform in Somerville, MA. They are an energetic and highly entertaining ensemble (very funny on stage), and their musicianship is superb. I can highly recommend the CD, which roams around bluegrass, Cajun, jazz, African, and Caribbean with equal facility. There's so much to admire on this disc, like Bruce Molsky's riveting "Man of Constant Sorrow" (the best version I've ever heard), the gorgeous textures of "Chez Seychelles," or the hypnotic "African Solstice." It's all quite irresistible.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This one really hit me today, May 4, 2004

By 

Pharoah S. Wail (Inner Space) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fiddlers 4 (Audio CD)

Okay, so I was getting antsy waiting for my copy of Darol Anger's American Fiddle Ensemble - Republic of Strings (his newest release) to arrive, so I revisited this one. It's been quite some time since I listened to this release and I have always thought of it as an album that is uneven, but with great moments. Well, I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I was wrong. Aside from really just two tracks, this disc is excellent! I don't know how I ever thought of this as anything less than a fantastic disc. I listened to it today and literally had to get up off the couch and dance in the living room.

Lots could be said about the three legends on this disc, but I want to also give a moment to Rushad (cello). This isn't just some young guy who got lucky and knew someone who knew someone and ended up getting a prime gig. Rushad is utterly brilliant! His cello playing changes the whole feel and movement of everything on which he plays. This could have been called Fiddlers 3 (just the legends) and it still would have been great, but it would have been a completely different album. Rushad's playing, and the sonority of the cello, just gives all these tunes a certain depth and a certain body that they could not have achieved without him.

As was said in a previous review, yes, this is the best, most emotionally powerful Man Of Constant Sorrow I have ever heard.

The number of stars to give a disc is usually the toughest part of the review. The other day I reviewed the new Garcia/Grisman album (Been All Around This World) and gave it three. I'm giving this one four, but that seems unfair to Fiddlers 4. It is head-and-shoulders better than Been All Around This World, in every possible way. I guess if I were to be more accurate, I would consider Been All Around to be a 2.7-star album, and this to be a 4.3.

This disc is a must-have classic, and just one more reason to believe that Darol Anger is still the most forward-thinking "new acoustic musician" of his generation. Thank you, Darol! Keep the classics coming!