Tone Poems III: The Sounds of the Great Slide & Resophonic Instruments

Bob Brozman, David Grisman, Mike Auldridge | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2000)
• Original Release Date: August 22, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Acoustic Disc
• ASIN: B00004W5M3
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,106 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Guitar Magazine Review, November 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tone Poems III: The Sounds of the Great Slide & Resophonic Instruments (Audio CD)

The first Tone Poems was released in 1994 and paired Grisman with bluegrass guitar legend Tony Rice. It was followed in 1995 by Tone Poems II featuring the hot jazz licks of Scots guitarist Martin Taylor. Now, mandolin fanatic Grisman has joined forces with dobro-player extraordinaire Mike Auldridge and "Mr. National" Bob Brozman to create Tone Poems III: The Sounds of the Great Slide & Resophonic Instruments. If you thrill to the sound of slide or get sentimental over a Hawaiian melody, this album is a dream come true. Auldridge needs no introduction to dobro fans. Following in Josh Graves footsteps, he was a founding member of one of the legendary modern bluegrass bands, Washington, D.C.'s the Seldom Scene. For anyone who harbored any doubts, his first, eponymous solo LP proved without a doubt that this man could play the dobro and became perhaps the classic bluegrass dobro album. Brozman of course literally wrote the book on National guitars, as well as recording fourteen albums championng their sound. His musical influences run the gamut of anyone who picked up a slide or a National, from Sol Hoopii to Oscar Aleman. The collection of instruments here is also stellar: hollow-neck koa Hawaiians, "German-silver" National tri- and single-cones, wood-bodied Dobros, Martins, Gibsons, Gretsches, Mosrites, and modern R.Q. Jones, National, Guernsey, and Bear Creek guitars, ukes, mandolins, and various creations in between. Due to their rarity and the scarcity of history on many brands and models, the 46-page liner booklet is worth the album's price alone. And then there's the music. Ages-old Hawaiian tunes, sweet early jazz, pioneering bluegrass, and boot-kicking western swing---it's a phenomenal collection of classic songs and original compositions that combine to create a musical history of slide and resophonic instruments. It just doesn't get any better than this.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent album, August 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tone Poems III: The Sounds of the Great Slide & Resophonic Instruments (Audio CD)

This is an excellent album. I did not give it five stars because I have noticed that many albums receive this, and it is starting to mean nothing. Therefore I will reserve my five star ratings for albums that are must-have classics.

I am a huge fan of all of these guys, and this album lives up to my expectations. Bob Brozman can do some amazing things on those guitars of his, and the other two are also impressive.

The book that comes with this CD is also a lot of fun, and adds a lot of value to the listening experience.

If you are a fan of Grisman's other Tone Poems projects or a fan of Brozman or Auldridge, I recommend that you buy this album.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great performances, great recording, great package, September 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Tone Poems III: The Sounds of the Great Slide & Resophonic Instruments (Audio CD)

I came to this recording having never heard of Dave Grisman or Mike Auldridge (apologies, guys!). But I did know and admire Bob Brozman's other blues-based National guitar work, and I knew that Grisman had recorded "Tone Poems II" with Martin Taylor, whom I regard as the finest jazz guitarist in the world today. So, if Grisman was knocking about with the likes of Brozman and Taylor, I thought, he must have something going for him. And what a find this album proved to be! This is such good value for money, other record companies should be embarrassed about some of their offerings. The three musicians here are clearly masters of their instruments and the arrangements and interactions between them are sparkling and breath-taking. One topic that doesnt often feature in Amazon reviews is the actual recording quality itself. Be aware, you wont settle for muddy, poor definition recordings ever again after youve heard this. This CD is without doubt top-notch hi-fi demonstration quality - on a good system they are right there in the room with you. The dynamics of strings being plucked and fingers sliding over frets add to an incredibly believable ambience. And the fantastic information, illustrations and details provided in the thick CD booklet about each track make for a fascinating read each time you settle down with this album. Different instruments from a variety of manufacturers, vintages and styles have been used on almost every track, and the booklet explains why they were built the way they are and why they were chosen. You can follow the development of the instruments over the years along with the music that is played on them. What I have found most suprising is that this album was a real step out of line for me. I have no other Hawaiian guitar recordings, and I *definitely* would not call myself a country or bluegrass fan. The only mandolins I had heard before were in Vivaldi concertos! But thanks to these recordings I've found myself intrigued by styles of music I would previously have regarded as of no interest to me. I dont think you can offer higher praise of a musician than that he changed your listening patterns. The only trouble is, Im now scared to venture too far in buying other albums of these styles in case theyre not as good! This is the kind of dilemma everyone should have.