Appalachian Journey (SACD) Music

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by: Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor, Stephen Foster, Traditional, James Taylor, Anonymous, Yo-Yo Ma

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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: Rating: - Two Grammys: A Fitting Tribute!!! Two Grammy Awards (Producer Of The Year, Classical for Steven Epstein; and Best Classical Crossover Album) are a fitting tribute to this outstanding album by three of the most gifted string players and their distinguished guest artists.While this may be considered a "crossover" album, it falls in the classical tradition of composers like Dvorak, Gershwin and Copland, and even Stephen Foster himself, who freely borrowed from various folk traditions. I like to think of this as chamber music for a new generation, with its collection of several relatively short and diverse pieces. While other reviewers here have mentioned bluegrass influences, I personally think the Celtic influence is more strongly apparent, as in "Fisher's Hornpipe" and "Emily's Reel."The addition of James Taylor and Alison Krauss is a stroke of genius. Their voices blend so well with the string trio that it's listening like a string quartet. Taylor's simple whistling and quiet guitar on his piece "Benjamin," make for a soothing lullaby.While I unsuccessfully looked for the title of a video that Ma, Meyer and O'Connor did around the time of their first venture together, I discovered that there's a new video based on this album. If it's anything like the first video (which I checked out of our local library), it will give a very nice personal view of these virtuoso musicians, as they visit, rehearse and perform together.Anyway, I love this album, as well as the first one, "Appalachian Waltz." If you like this one, it would also be worth listening to Edgar Meyer's other classical recordings, as well as Mark O'Connor's "Fiddle Concerto." Another recent discovery for me is Yo-yo Ma's 1997 album, "Soul of the Tango," which I think many "Appalachian" listeners would also enjoy. Rating: - Classical Grass? The liner notes of this album boldy declare, "This is the new face of classical music." I have no problem with that. This string ensembel makes compellingly beautiful music. Meyer and O'Connor handle most of the writing on this recording. The lone exceptions are the traditional "Fisher's Hornpipe," on which Alison Krauss guests on violin, and two Stephen Foster songs: "Hard Times Come Again No More," with James Taylor on guitar and vocal, and "Slumber My Darling," with Krauss on vocal. In addition, Taylor contributes the instrumental "Benjamin" on which he also plays guitar. This music is at its core hauntingly beautiful, but difficult to categorize. I appreciate the analogy used in the liner notes when trying to explain the seemingly diverse, yet unifying elements contained in the music on this CD. It is like "the enormous fields of mushrooms found in the American Midwest, which botanists have now determined are in fact a single organism." While there appear to be many diverse influences at work here, maybe the simple truth is that this is all part of a common bond we call music. At any rate, this is an enjoyable and engaging album. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Rating: - A Pleasing Variety Having read an encouraging review in my local paper, I decided to buy this recording. I usually don't trust the critic's opinion, but man am I glad that I trusted him this time. This CD is a beautiful blend of waltzes, hornpipes, love songs, and for celtic fans like myself, reels. The reels are actually the main reason why I bought this album. I am always looking for musicians who have the guts to add something unique to celtic music, and this CD certainly does that. Hearing these 3 fine musicians play reels in an almost classical form is a crossover between the two genres (classical and celtic) that you do not find everyday. I was also pleasantly surprised by the voice of James Taylor on the third track, "Hard Times Come Again No More". The chorus and melody are actually quite simple, but Taylor single-handedly makes it the standout track on this album. All and all this album is perfect for everybody, whether you like classical music, celtic music, or anything in between. It is truly a unique experience.

Appalachian Journey (SACD) Music

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