Generation Nation

Darol Anger & Republic of Strings (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Compass Records
• ASIN: B000ERU7FM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,811 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Though the Republic of Strings features 14 musicians, ranging in age from 14 to 52, the conductor-in-chief is clearly Darol Anger, a violinist and mandolinist who has established his own worldly approach to the new acoustic music of fellow travelers like David Grisman, Mike Marshall, and Béla Fleck. Second-in-command is guitar prodigy Scott Nygaard, who gives the tunes their rhythmic drive as well as a few precise improvisational leads, allowing Anger, cellist Rushad Eggleston, and five-string fiddler Brittany Haas to jam, trill, and generally outwail each other. The collective's vision, however, remains surprisingly smooth, despite the wide range of musical currents, including Celtic and European folk styles and baroque chamber music as well as post-bop jazz and Anglo-American fiddle tunes, which may be closer in harmonic structure than you'd guess. The prettiest performance is the luminous, almost chanson-like "Father Adieu," while the most purely exciting is the seven-minute live jam on the Yellowjackets' "Rain Dance." The album's only misfires are the two attempts at the pop music canon. On "Chain of Fools," singer Chris Webster goes for remote cool but mostly sounds genteel, while Terry Pinkham oversings on a bluegrassy interpretation (with a brief new age interlude) of Buffalo Springfield's "Bluebird." --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and Innovative, May 2, 2006

By 

thorn "thorn" (Lebanon, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Generation Nation (Audio CD)

Listening to this CD was a wonderful surprise! The musicians are excellent. The arrangements are diverse and exciting. The introduction by Amazon's music reviewer here was a bit different from my perception of the CD as I found the Chain Of Fools track to be far more appealing than the Father Adieu track. The Tan Hut and Rain Dance are superb, as are Lady Hamilton and The Ramblin' Barber. I highly recommend this CD.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very solid album, with very high peaks, March 20, 2007

By 

Dai Mcclurg (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Generation Nation (Audio CD)

Listen to "The Seagull/The Bay Day", and you will know what this disk has to offer: beautiful arrangements of great tunes, tracks that you will be playing over and over and over again. This tune is so beautiful that when the CD player hits it, you'll enter a whole new world. Then spin "The Ramblin Barber", an Ornette Coleman tune, which absolutely smokes. "Lady Hamilton" will satisfy your old-time bone, and the rest of the tunes round out a great effort. I can't wait until the next offering from these master musicians.

5.0 out of 5 stars Darol does it again, November 3, 2006

By 

James M. Hewitt "diamondjim" (Oracle, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Generation Nation (Audio CD)

Darol Anger wows us again with his eclectic and tasty mix of acoustic string and vocal titles. The Republic of Strings Generation Nation raises the bar for the alternative strings community.