Customer Reviews

Mountain Tradition

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Playing Time - 36:48 -- Clay Jones is one of those guys we call "Hoss" or "Hot Picker" in the bluegrass community. So, what did guitarist Jones decide to do? Well, he enlisted the help of four other hosses to produce one simply killing mostly instrumental album recorded at the reputable Doobie Shea Studios. That's right, "Mountain Tradition" also features Jason Moore (bass), Jim VanCleve (fiddle), Adam Steffey (mandolin), and Ronnie Stewart (banjo)....some of my favorite string wizards today. We're also treated to Tina Trianosky's clawhammer banjo on Black Mountain Rag and Mississippi Sawyer, Barry Abernathy's lead vocal on Gonna Settle Down, and Steve Gulley's tenor vocal on Cold Sheets of Rain and Gonna Settle Down. Jones has a decent voice, and I wish he would've sung on more than one cut.

This is the debut solo album for Jones who currently picks with Gulley and Abernathy in the exceptional band, Mountain Heart. He appears on their "Forces of Nature" album. Jones' former experience is with Lou Reid, Terry Baucom & Carolina, then with Marty Raybon and Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder. The group assembled for "Mountain Tradition" turns in a racing, jaw-dropping performance. Perhaps it's because they choose fairly standard fare that we've all come to love so well like Under the Double Eagle, Blackberry Blossom, Road to Columbus, Salt Creek, Black Mountain Rag, Clinch Mountain Backstep and Big Mon. If you think you might be bored by hearing these warhorses again, my counsel is to reconsider. These guys give them a unique flair with clean adroit picking, and their closing rendition of "Big Mon" is about the faster I've ever heard. Most of the tunes are quick-paced romps, and a couple slower selections might've given the project a little more variety. Of special note are their peppy renditions of Ron Stewart's "BF05" and Darol Anger's "Ride the Wild Turkey." I believe that the former tune was written by Stewart for this album.

Clay Jones' first solo album is long overdue. His involvement on the instrumental "Bluegrass `95" album helped it win the IBMA's 1996 Recorded Event of the Year award. So why has it taken a decade since then for Clay to get "Mountain Tradition" out? I reckon he's been so busy on the stage, road and in studios. I'd especially like to see him start soon on a sequel to this project that finds some less-oft-heard tunes from the large canon of material available. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

For the traditional bluegrass and acoustic music fan, this cd is a delight. Clay's guitar picking is clear and imaginative without being "over the top." He lets the other musicians shine also -- the fiddle, mandolin, and banjo solos are outstanding also. As a fan and beginning clawhammer banjo player, I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of clawhammer solos on Black Mountain Rag and Mississippi Sawyer.

All but one or two selections are instrumentals.

As noted by previous reviewers, the song selection may not be adventuresome, but the playing is great. I've really enjoyed this bluegrass recording, and I can't think of any better instrumental bluegrass CDs that are any better.

Although mostly a traditional group of selections, Clay and his Mountain Heart buddies do 'em better than anybody. This is one of my very favorite bluegrass albums and one of the most underated in my opinion - awesome pickin' in the tradtion of Tony Rice!