| |
|
Best reccomendation is check out the Easy Disk label. They do super cheap compilations of various roots music genre's. The comps are almost always top notch. And they've got a couple of bluegrass ones. They're distributed by Rounder Records.
And shame on jack for talking historically, and not mentioning Bill Monroe. The term bluegrass was coined because of Bill's band, The Blue Grass Boys. Acctually, that's another way to find bluegrass musicians. Pick up some Bill Monroe, and see who he's playing with. Only the best played with him.
As far as newer players... If you want something that's got a more modern take on the genre, I'd reccomend New Grass Rivival and Sam Bush Band (not only an amazing mandolin/fiddle player [Sam Bush] but one of the most soulful voices in bluegrass [John Cowan]). For great dobro, check out Jerry Douglas. For top notch song writing, Peter Rowan. For some of the best flat picking guitar around, Tony Rice. For jazzier stuff, David Grisman. For great acoustic blues/bluegrass Doc Watson. For great picking, and an extremly silly view of music, Leftover Salmon (note: Salmon doesn't play straight bluegrass, instead playing, what they call, polyethnic cajun slamgrass)
Acctually, my reccomendation would be to check out the reviews at pauserecord.com it's not just bluegrass, but there's a lot of bluegrass there. And Tim Lynch (their reviewer) is pretty good at calling the crap, crap.
Oh, and if you've got about a $100-$150 burning a whole in your pocket, keep an eye out for when tickets for the Merl Watson Bluegrass Festival go on sale. 4 days of americana music, on 10 stages, in the western hills of NC. And when the stages close, you just wander around the camp sites and listen to the picking parties till dawn. I went a few years ago, when I was really into traditional music, and it still ranks as one of the best weekends of my life.
Most of the albums on either Rounder Records or Flying Fish tend to be really good stuff. Not always bluegrass, but always top notch |
|
|
