Customer Reviews

Skip Hop & Wobble

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How much do I love this record? My apartment was robbed while I was buying one for a friend, and I still can't get enough of it. Now that I'm living in France, I've already ordered a copy from this site and figure that that's only the beginning. "Skip, Hop & Wobble" features three of America's greatest national treasures, Douglas on Dobro, Barenberg on guitar, and Meyer on arco bass. For added measure, and pleasure, Sam Bush and his mandolin guest on a couple of tunes. Though bluegrass traditionalists might take initial, acoustic offense at the jazzier cuts, and be bewildered by Meyer's bass fingering (why stop at the end of the fingerboard when there's still another sound expanse?), even the old-timiest among them will eventually come round. Proof positive?--the trio honed its licks at many a bluegrass festival. Owning this disc is the next best thing to keeping the guys around as your permanent nonstrolling troubadours.

"The Telluride Sessions" by Strength in Numbers has been one of my favorite recordings since it came out around 1990. So far, the instrumental masters Jerry Douglas (dobro), Edgar Meyer (string bass), Mark O'Connor (fiddle), Bela Fleck (banjo) and Sam Bush (mandolin) have only done one complete--and superb--album together. Fortunately, they continue to appear on each other's albums, and often in new groups, such as this one featuring Douglas and Meyer, with the outstanding guitarist Russ Barenberg.

While Strength in Numbers explores a blending of bluegrass, jazz, classical, folk, blues and even reggae, here Douglas/Barenburg/Meyer stick closer to the bluegrass and folksy side of things, probably because of the presence of a guitar player on all the cuts.

This is a pleasant instrumental CD to put on and listen to, especially as background music in my school library. While the virtuosity of these guys is apparant on all the cuts--and they blend together nicely--it never comes out and "wows" you like it does on "Strength."

I gave this CD a 5 star rating because I really do enjoy it. But on those days when I really need a musical pick-me-up, I still put on Strength in Numbers. I hope all five guys get together again, but in the mean time, this is one of the albums that satisfies my cravings, along with Bela Fleck's "Tales from the Acoustic Planet," as well as "Appalachia Waltz" and "Appalachian Journey" by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O'Connor and "Uncommon Ritual" by Edgar Meyer, with Bela Fleck and Mike Marshall.

I am constantly astonished by the compositional skills, emsemble work, and flat out picking virtuosity that is displayed on "Skip, Hop, and Wobble." One could make a case that this effort is driven by any of the Bareberg/Douglas/Meyer triumverate, but that would miss the point. Like "Strength in Numbers," and the original "David Grisman Quintet" effort, "Skip, Hop, and Wobble" defies catagorization - forget about any preconceptions about bluegrass, jazz, classical, or whatever musical orientation brought you to this offering and just enjoy the mystery to the intro of "The Earl of Hynford/Open the Present" medley, the humour of "Squeezy Pig" and "Why Don't You Go Back to the Woods", the majesty of "The Years Between" and "Here on Earth", and the flat out drive of "Big Bug Shuffle" and "Big Sciota." And while you're at it, marvel at how much variety and complexity can be achieved with three instruments at the lower end of the tonal universe.

Here on Earth is the title of Track 11. I think I'm right in saying it's the loveliest piece of music I've ever heard in my 45 years on this particular planet. Maybe you can find better elsewhere in the galaxy, but I rather doubt it. I used to wonder why a melody so powerful, so magical, was also so fleeting, passing by in a moment and leaving you clawing the walls for more. Then one day I thought about the title again, and realized its woeful shortness is completely appropriate. The excellent sleeve notes say of track 11: "The intention in the title is matter of fact - simply that making music like this is one of the things we do in our life here on earth. It springs from a feeling of acceptance infused with awe and wonder."

Not many evenings go by when I don't ask my CD to play at least tracks 1, 3, and 11, and "awe and wonder" sums up my reactions nicely. I have a couple of newgrass discs ('Into the Cauldron' and 'Telluride Sessions') where I feel the musicianship on offer sometimes exceeds the music itself, but the compositions here are all quite wonderful. This is especially true of those written by Russ Barenberg, who is also a guitarist of extraordinary brilliance - six strings of gold and purple, rich and vibrant and majestic. Jerry Douglas is the king of his instrument, while Edgar Meyer plays acoustic bass with his usual gusto, originality, and wit. (And if you're wondering how an instrument that big could ever be described as 'witty', it can only mean you haven't heard Mr Meyer play yet: often he sounds like he's sawing the poor thing up for firewood, not bowing it...)

Their achievement is all the greater because they recorded this dazzling CD while being attacked by a hundred angry bees in the pouring rain. At least, that's what it sounds like. The background hiss varies from irksome to atrocious, and sabotages what ought to be a peerless masterpiece where even the album photos are a source of pleasure. With the world so full of burgers crying out for flipping, it's tragic that the sound engineer's undoubted talents are all going to waste in a recording studio. By calamitous misfortune, 'Here On Earth' is the worst affected track of all - another thousand bees join the party, and the rain turns into a torrential hailstorm. The bee-free version is probably playing on Radio Heaven right this moment.

But such is life, and if you have a lousy hi-fi, or play this in your car, you probably won't notice. Either buy it or have yourself locked up, but forget about any kind of third option. My reason for writing this review is simply to thank every one of the musicians for this astonishing gift to me and everyone else who, due to them, now skips and hops and wobbles.

It seems that many of the reviews make the inevitable comparison to the Strength in #s disk, the Telluride session. Those who do not care for this work seem to be disappointed that this is not the same disk as that milestone in new acoustic/progressive bluegrass/newgrass/call it what you will music.

But, to me, that is sort of the point. This disk stands up well, even compared to that masterpiece. It is actually more accessible, in part because of Russ Barenberg's gentle guitar. His pieces are brilliant in their simplicity. His playing, while perhaps more economical than that of, say, Tony Rice or David Grier, is clean and ever so tasteful (and tasty). And Jerry and Edgar - well, what more can be said? They are simply brilliant. There is a delightful sense of humor that pervades many of these tracks - Squeezy Pig, Why Don't you go Back to the Woods, others. For sheer brilliance, there is Ankara to Izmir, Jerry Douglas' masterpiece, which also features mind-bending bass work from Edgar. Sam Bush is underutilized on the couple of tracks on which he appears.

Suffice to say, if you are a fan of newgrass music, you probably already have this disk. If you don't, what are you waiting for? Take it on its own terms, & I promise, you will not be disappointed. Until Jerry & Edgar team up with Sam, Bela & Mark O'Connor again, this is the best album of its genre since Strength in Numbers. That's pretty darn good, & well worthy of 5 stars.

This is the second time I bought this CD. The dogs liked it too, thought it tasted great. The music is wonderful. I can listen to it for hours, either for pure entertainment and appreciation of each musical part, or for relaxing background music while doing other activities (such as finishing my master's thesis). If you like instrumental music with a bluegrass flavor but without the twanginess (my word), this is the perfect CD. I only wish these three would get together and do some more!!

Plenty of strong reviews, and the disk is worthy of all praise, and more than five stars. My reasoning for this recapitulates another reveiwer's experience:

Was bombing across the Palouse (flatlands of eastern Oregon) recently, heading for the coast, and put this CD in...listened to The Hymn of Ordinary Motion, From Ankara to Izmir, The Travels of Mr. Hulot...and realized that hours into this trip, I wanted nothing more in the world than to be right there, in that moment...hearing these guys play, with my wife and daughter peacefully asleep as we crept across that vastness. I literally had tears of joy.

We are, most of us, most of the time, far removed from any deep appreciation of the moments in which we live. Any music that can bring you closer to that appreciation is to be treasured, and is beyond criticism. (Well, for me anyway.) I've bought three of these CDs (AFTER I downloaded most of the tracks) and I still feel I owe these guys.

Your results may vary, but aside from any potential cosmic results, the virtuosity of the playing and the creativity and humor and raw beauty found variously in these tracks make it one of the best CDs I've ever heard.

This is an absolutely superb collection of complex movers and shakers. An energizer; definately not for the meditators amongst us! This album is truly unique. I can't really compare it to anything else I'm aware of. It is generally listed under blugrass, but honestly I am compelled to think JAZZ when I hear it. The musicianship is absolutely impeccable, these dudes are masters of their chosen instruments, and the tunes are exquisitely wonderful, not a single yawner among them (my favorites: Monkey Bay & From Ankara to Izmir!)! Give this album 6 STARS!

I was not sure I heard the attribution right when the DJ at on-line station KPIG-FM said the cut he had just played was by a bleugrass group. The cut was "The Hymn of Ordinary Motion" and I was blown away. I hadn't appreciated bluegrass since my college days in the early 60's, and now I tune in to KPIG every Sunday for Cuzin Al's Bluegrass Show ("...meeting or exceeding your minimum weekly requirement of death, misery, spiritual yearning, & hot licks."). But Douglas, Barenberg and Meyer take the pickin' and hot lickin' to all new places. My Advice...BUY THIS ALBUM!

Edgar Myers, the bass player is unparalled in the genre. He plays fiddle solos up to pitch on bass. The interplay is genius. Worth the cost of admission.