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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Zen bluegrass wisdom from D. Grisman collaborations 1969-98,
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This review is from: Life of Sorrow (Audio CD)
Playing Time - 60:08 -- Suffering, sorrow, heartache and distress. They're facts of life, and bluegrass music is full of sad stories. We learn from others' tales of pain, and we realize that sadness eventually touches all of us in life. To some extent, bluegrass music teaches us to respect these feelings and gives us insight on how to deal with sorrow. Taking this theme, David Grisman has searched his recording archives to find musical collaborations (some rather minimalist) dating from 1969-98 with friends Pat Enright, Alan O'Bryant, Del McCoury, Ralph Stanley, John Hartford, Herb Pedersen, Mac Wiseman, Ralph Rinzler, John Nagy, Bryan Bowers and others. Grisman's mandolin is in the forefront of each song's mix, and we even find David providing vocal parts on over half of the 15 cuts on this one-hour project. While Grisman isn't primarily known as a singer, I liked his lead vocals, especially when paired up with the tenors of Del McCoury (We Can't Be Darlings Anymore, Unwanted Love, Cabin of Love), Ralph Stanley (Man of Constant Sorrow), Alan O'Bryant (Tragic Romance), and Herb Pedersen (Seven Year Blues). The repertoire is drawn largely from the vaults of standard traditional material, and bluegrass material of the fifties. The CD comes with a 20-page insert that includes lyrics and Grisman's notes about each song, as well as some personal reflections about his musical friends. The fact that we suffer means that we are alive, and traditional bluegrass music lovers know that listening to songs about anguish and misery often have the paradoxical effect of providing uplifiting experiences and inspiration. After the conclusion of "Farther Along" (sung by Bryan Bowers), a few bonus minutes by Mac Wiseman and David Grisman encourage us to "Keep on the Sunnyside of Life." There is a great deal of Zen wisdom found in bluegrass music, and David Grisman manages to present some of it here. Perhaps the key message is that treading a path of sorrow is not something to be avoided, but rather is a journey that will only make us stronger. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now) |
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Life Of Sorow by David Grisman
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