Customer Reviews

Telluride Sessions

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This summit of acoustic genius remains the standard of excellence for blue/newgrass music some 13 years after its original recording. What makes "Strength in Numbers" such a compelling effort is the willingness of the musicians - all masters of their respective domains - to tone down the individual string pyrotechnics and work together as an ensemble.

The result is vibrant, diverse, and exciting music - from the mysterious opening strains of "Future Man" to the apocalyptic denoument of "Blue Men of the Sahara", the listener remains fully engaged throughout. If I had to pick three as an example of the breadth of talent at work here, I'd probably point to the "middle" of the CD - 1) "One Winter's Night," a lovely chamber piece involving beautiful interplay between Egdar Meyer's bowed bass and Mark O'Connor' violin; 2)"Macedonia", a bluegrass cum Greek dance song featuring the twin mandolins of O'Connor and Sam Bush (plus terrific, understated banjo backup from Bela Fleck), and 3) "Lochs of Dread", a Scottish/reggae (that's not a misprint) bounce-along composed by Fleck and dobro wizzard Jerry Douglas.

The appeal of "Strength in Numbers" goes beyond the "bluegrass jam" label. Some are clamoring for more from these five; I fear that any sequel would be a let down - then again, I wouldn't bet against them!

As much praise as has been heaped upon this album, one can hardly add anything new, but I simply must put in my two cents.

This album is *very* important in the history of bluegrass for several reasons.

First, because of the assembly of an absolute superstar lineup: Bela Fleck (banjo), Mark O'Connor (fiddle); Sam Bush (mandolin), Edgar Meyer (bass), & Jerry Douglas (dobro). All of these people are considered to be at the top of their field, and some of them are numbered amongst the legends of all time.

Secondly, because of the originality of the material. Most of the members of this group have plenty of experience in other areas (i.e. Fleck with jazz & world music, Meyer is a classical composer, etc.) Many of these songs have classical structures and incorporate elements of jazz as well. The amazing thing is that despite all of these outside elements, its still bluegrass music. Of course, its not old style like Bill Monroe, but all musical forms change and evolve, and this is certainly well within and respectful of the bluegrass tradition.

To go on and on about the players prowess would be silly, because everyone knows these guys are la creme de la creme. You know its innovative bluegrass though when there are songs titles like "Macedonia" (with a nice dobro & mandolin solos and trade-offs), "Blue Men of the Sahara" (which sounds like a runaway train during the jam) and "Lochs of Dread" (with its reggae beat.) This isn't your grandaddy's bluegrass, but he'd probably enjoy it too.

This album has no singing, just great all-acoustic instrument playing. Mark O'Connor, who was a fiddle champion at 14 and a flatpicking guitar champion at 16 (beating fellow legend Steve Kaufman), plays a breathless guitar on "Slopes." I still think seeing Mark play guitar is the highlight of his live shows. I've followed Jerry since before the Whites, Bela since his bands Tasty Licks and Spectrum, and Edgar since just after his days playing out in front of the ice cream stand. Of course, Sam Bush started the original incarnation of New Grass Revival in 1972 and has been at the forefront of this music since day one. Yes, these players are pretty much the house band at Telluride each year, and this wonderful album is a nice taste of what they do so well. Each player wrote one song with each other player, all in twosomes. That's the album. I've talked to Mark and Bela and both have said there will never be second Strength in Numbers album--this is it. What a heartbreaking thought. They do play together, or nearly all together, on dozens of other albums, but this one has a spirit and a life of its own. Twelve years later, it's still groundbreaking, inventive, and fresh. Trust all these reviews, this is the granddaddy of the "new acoustic" albums by the best players walking this earth.

This is an all-star group that really sounds like a group. Too many get-togethers by famous names don't click - like homemade spaghetti sauce in the first hour. This one's sounds have melded big-time. The compositions, the musicianship - the whole magilla is fabulous top to bottom. I spoke to Sam Bush (mandolin) about the album backstage once and he said - "Aw, I was just the percussion player on that album." That telling remark is true because he does it all: Sam's incredible right hand rolls on the mandolin astonish with how they parse a measure, his back-beat comping takes the 2-4 role a reggae drum and guitar combo do (Lochs of Dread), etc. And this is just one guy! What kind of steroids makes Mark O'Connor play solos like the one on Blue Men of the Sahara??? Just stop reading this and buy the album, OK?

Put it this way: while I love to read Amazon music reviews, and let them influence my purchases, this is the first album I have reviewed. I bought it last week and am wearing it out--dozens of listenings seem to be required to fully realize the scope of the sound these five guys produced together. It's hard to decide on a favorite cut, but at this moment I can't get "Macedonia" out of my head. It's truly one of the most joyous tunes I've ever heard. Here's hoping they someday release another recording!

Side project, all-star band, supergroup - the concept is usually rife with pitfalls, with many such attempts in the music world ending up as collective wanking sessions or showcases for the most famous among the lineup. Not so here. The idea behind this project was for five outstanding names in contemporary bluegrass to blend their creativity in an equal meeting of the minds. Since it worked so well (and since there probably won't be another with this same lineup), the Telluride Sessions album stands alone as a monument to just what can be accomplished when musical and compositional virtuosity remains untainted by individual dominance or large egos. Each of the members co-wrote one song with each of the others, and this equal approach carries through everything involved.

Ok, ok, on with the music. It's rooted in bluegrass, but the scope of such talent never stays limited to one simple label. There are a couple instances of branching out into different genres, as in one track that bizarrely marries a Scottish reel to a reggae beat. (I'll leave which one it is open to guessing, on the chance that the title "Lochs of Dread" isn't already a dead giveaway.) Though the compositions shift through several styles and modes, there's an inevitable country twang to everything due to the instrumental lineup: banjo, mandolin, dobro, bass and violin. If you shudder at the mention of those and are scared by mental images of flannel-swamped barn dances, then this definitely isn't for you. You might still enjoy the serenely entrancing "One Winter's Night," but I never recommend buying an album just for one track.

So what else is there? "Macedonia" is modern country taken with a Celtic tinge and a classical approach, still remaining danceable and bursting with energy. "Slopes" starts turning up the tempo into an acoustic frenzy that never loses its beauty, and it's only taken further in the avalanche-like buildup of "Blue Men of the Sahara." Don't be fooled by the easy-slow meandering intro. Before that track is over it'll reach a frenzied peak of hyper insanity before careening off into gentle silence.

This isn't a release for everyone (although I've pleasantly surprised several people who swore they'd always hate bluegrass), but I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who already has an interest in the genre. It's a good next step for those just getting interested, perhaps through the 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' phenomenon or the emergence of younger bands like Nickel Creek. For anyone in either of those categories, this is something you won't want to miss.

A few years back, two of the musicians on this album (Edgar Meyer and Sam Bush, along with Mike Marshall) were involved in a similar project, "Short Trip Home" (STH), for which Joshua Bell, the classical violinist, had been invited along for the ride. It had been a short-term "classical crossover" chartbuster, and more than likely drew the attention of listeners unfamiliar with this music genre to this group, and this album. It is not a stretch to say that this one is the better album of the two, with room to spare: A collaboration of Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor (the fiddler that Joshua Bell really couldn't be), Bela Fleck, Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas never has an "odd man out," as is the case for STH. Here, on "Telluride Sessions," everyone is in his element.

Those wishing a direct comparison between the two albums should start at the end of this one, with "Blue Men of the Sahara." After a somewhat "reserved" start, this track winds up with a fury that is every bit the equal of "Death by Triple Fiddle" on the STH album (where Bell, try as he might, just doesn't fit in with the group, in a way that might charitably called painful). Continuing in reverse order for a bit, "Slopes" gives Fleck, on banjo, and O'Connor, here on guitar, the opportunity to swap hot choruses; in my humble opinion, the best track on the album, thanks to Fleck's finger-bending (and mind-bending) work.

The triple-threat (fiddle, guitar, mandolin) talents of O'Connor are found throughout the album. As one who came rather late to the appreciation of this man's monster talents, it is a pleasant surprise to me to hear that he was in as fine and as fully-developed a form in 1988 as he is today.

Of the five, Meyer seems always to be the catalyst (as can be seen from all the subsequent albums he's been the focal point of throughout the years, mixing and matching the talents of all the individuals). With his inestimable contributions to this and later albums, it is difficult - but necessary - to keep in mind that he leads a second, and equally public, life as a classical contrabassist and composer!

This is a seminal album, setting down a genre more than a dozen years ago that is as hot and as fresh today as when it was first released. May it never go out of print. And, with the benefit of 60 collective years of subsequent work by these five, may they soon go back into the studio for a long-awaited sequel.

Bob Zeidler

If you like any of these 5 musicians alone doing solo material, then you'll love this remarkable recording. These 5 chaps were pretty much a house band in some form or another at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado in the late 80's. Usually a few of them play with various groups every year at the festival. This album is a great showcase for each musician's command of their respective instrument. I wholeheartedly disagree with the guy from Milwaukee who said it was lethargic and that the band needed to play together more. If he knew anything about music he would recognize the amazing interaction on this Cd.

The tracks range from fairly straight forward bluegrass-newgrass to strange folk music. O'Connors's guitar playing on "Slopes" is incredible. Meyer's bass solo on "Duke & Cookie" proves he's definitely at the top on the instrument. Douglas displays his talent on "No Apologies" which shows why he is the most recorded musician in history (more than 500 albums with various artists). Fleck and Bush are excellent on every track. The strength of this Cd is the interplay of the different songwriters and musicians. It is not simply one person's band. Sure, if you want traditional bluegrass there are better albums, but this album shines after 15 years. Take this album for what it is - 5 phenomenal musicians & friends getting together and jamming.

It all started when my friend Ashley used "Macedonia" (track six) to demonstrate the quality of his JBL iPod speaker ring. Never having listened to bluegrass before, I asked what kind of music it was and he said it is beyond classification. So I listened to "Slopes" and got the kind of euphoric rush you get when you're having a sports-related high or the ecstatic sensation of moving at great speed.
No matter what you think of bluegrass or banjos, anyone who takes delight in music that is intricate, brilliant, sensuous and evocative, will find much to love about this album. Jazz fans will appreciate the Pat Metheny undertones and harmonies in tracks like "One Winter's Night." I would be first in line for any new project by this line-up of virtuoso musicians. What a joy to listen to flawless musical jamming!

Hidden inside what must be one of the least attractive and attention-getting CD covers ever is some of the very best hot-licks bluegrass fusion music to be found anywhere, written and performed by five artists who are by now legendary, twelve years after the release of this album.

Perhaps the recent popularity of Edgar Meyer's "Short Trip Home" (STH) will draw the attention of listeners unfamiliar with this type of music to this group and this album. It is not a stretch to say that this is the better album of the two: With Meyer, O'Connor, Fleck, Bush and Douglas, there is never an "odd man out," as is the case for STH; everyone here is in his element.

Those wishing a direct comparison between the two albums should start at the end of this one, with "Blue Men of the Sahara." After a somewhat "reserved" start, this track winds up with a fury that is every bit the equal of "Death by Triple Fiddle" on the STH album. Continuing in reverse order for a bit, "Slopes" gives Fleck, on banjo, and O'Connor, here on guitar, the opportunity to swap hot choruses; in my humble opinion, the best track on the album, thanks to Fleck's finger-bending (and mind-bending) work.

The triple-threat (fiddle, guitar, mandolin) talents of O'Connor are found throughout the album. As one who came rather late to the appreciation of this man's monster talents, it is a pleasant surprise to me to hear that he was in as fine and as fully-developed a form in 1988 as he is today.

Of the five, Meyer seems always to be the catalyst (as can be seen from all the subsequent albums he's been the focal point of throughout the years, mixing and matching the talents of all the individuals). With his inestimable contributions to this and later albums, it is difficult - but necessary - to keep in mind that he leads a second, and equally public, life as a classical contrabassist and composer!

This is a seminal album, setting down a genre a dozen years agothat is as hot and as fresh today as when it was first released. May it never go out of print. And, with the benefit of 60 collective years of work by these five, may they soon go back into the studio for a long-awaited sequel.

Bob Zeidler