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CD Review: The Thrifts
Right In The Wrong Direction. TT003

I HAVE NO DETAILS of this duo other than it consists of man & wife team Phil and Eve Thrift. 18 tracks in all, Phil takes vocals plays guitar, banjo, mandolin and Dobro, while Eve compliments Phil with gentle harmonies and handles the upright bass exemplary.

The album kicks off with the title track from Vern Gosdin and continues with Before You Go from Ruby Moody/Lester Flatt. Phil shows his proficiency of the banjo with Earl Scruggs Groundspeed and Tony Trischka's Stop Action. The Thrifts cover the Eagles' Hotel California superbly with Phil on lead vocals. A particularly splendid country number is Bob Frank's Ain't No Reason To Cry. The 1958 Osborne Brothers hit Once More is given a new lease of life and they include the solemn Send My Body Home written by Randy Travis.

Other favourable tracks include the traditional Auld Lang Syne, the Muleskinner favourite Dark Hollow and Eve gives a first-rate rendition of Bill Mack's Blue, which was LeAnne Rimes debut hit.

A nice album with a wide variety of numbers brought together with a predominantly bluegrass flavour.

Graham Lees, Dewesbury, W.Yorks

Plectrology V Flatpick Guitar CD collections on sale now

PLECTROLOGY IS A FLATPICK guitar CD collection made annually by people from the Internet USA Flatpick-list (a subscription list for flatpickers and people who like flatpick guitar music, a forum for everyone to communicate by Write to). It has a really good spirit, mainly guitar players asking and giving advice about playing, about guitars, about repairs and set-up problems, etc. Many luthiers contribute to the list, so there's a lot of valuable information exchanged every week. One often sees interesting letters from well-known flatpickers here too.

A few years ago, someone started annual CD anthology so that members of the list could hear each other's music. Last year's collection, Plectrology IV, boasts great players like Steve Kaufman, Mark Cosgrove, John Carlini, Rolly Brown, etc. The new collection, Plectrology V, is being made right now, and promises a "big surprise"...

Ordering details: Write to Harry Moore, who is trying to complete an advance mailing list. Prices: Plec IV - a few copies (five 70-minute CDs) still left @ US$32.00; Plec V (five 70-min. CDs) @ US$35.00. Both for US$65.00
No extra charge for the overseas post. Web site

HERE IS MY PERSONAL take on some recent publications that I feel are really worthwhile, not only from a learning standpoint but also if just for listening to the music itself on the accompanying CD included with each book.

THE FIRST OF THESE is Round Peak Style Clawhammer Banjo by Brad Leftwich. This book has 82 tunes on the CD providing a well rounded look into the old timey style of clawhammer banjo with songs in the styles of Charlie Lowe, Fred Cockerham, Tommy Jarrel and others, all arranged or transcribed by Brad Leftwich and then played by him on the CD. This is the first real comprehensive material I have seen on the clawhammer style that is not just a lot of wasted space and poor recordings. Though not strictly for beginners, the CD is very clear and anyone interested in the clawhammer style would do well to have this book and CD. The lyrics and tab are included for each song though the CD plays only the music. It's a spiral book so it lies flat when opened. Tunes are organized by the specific banjo tuning used, with A, G, and D tunings being most prominent and there are also historical & biographical notes, as well as technical tips and a discography for less than $20. Definitely a bargain even at twice the price.

THE NEXT TWO BOOKS are The Winfield Winners: The National Banjo Champions and The Winfield Winners: The National Mandolin Champions. The banjo book has the tab of each song as played by the performer as well as short biographies of some of the artists such as Jeff Scroggins, Tony Furtado, Randy Lucas, etc. The CD contains 7 of the 8 transcribed tunes including Red Eyed Bennyhin, Brilliance, Fisher's Hornpipe and more. From listening to the CD it would seem that only the last song on the CD was actually done from the Winfield stage while the rest appear to have been done in the studio with fiddle, mandolin, bass, etc. The recordings are excellent and each performer offers an interesting look into their own particular style. My personal favourite is Red Eyed Bennyhin, but you can get something from each song. Once again this is not strictly for beginners as there is only tab but no playing instructions.

The tab varies - some were done on TabRite and some have no chord progression shown and one tab even has no measure lines! A good book just the same and worth having, if just to listen to the music.

The mandolin book is really good, too,containing a lot of licks to 'borrow.' Like the banjo version, the CD is excellent though there are only four or five songs on it But the material for each song is extensive and fun to work with.

All of these books are put out by Mel Bay Books and available at good bluegrass stores. From the looks of things, Mel Bay is finally putting out publications that provide more of what the learner is looking for.

Rex C.Jones, Tokyo. (rex@ksw.nesic.nec.co.jp)

THIS NEW PACKAGE INCLUDES two CDs and the cost is US $29.95 retail. There are 26 songs and tunes by a galaxy of stars covering a wide variety of songs. Some songs were included from the AcuTab books but not all are on the CDs.

The contents are as follows: Eddie Adcock - Sing Banjo Sing;  Tarrant Bailey Jr. - How's That;  Mark Barnett - Dizzy Fingers, Bugle Call Rag;  Laura Boosinger - Josie Girl;  John Bullard - Prelude from Partita #3;  Pat Cloud - Sally Johnson;  Bill Emerson - Reynard in the Canebrakes;  Wayne Erbsen - Wild Bill Jones;  Bill Evans - Corey's Slide;  Marke Foxworthy - My Way Home;  Tony Furtado - Jenny's Wedding/Rakish Paddy;  Ira Gitlin - Dust on the Roses;  Tom Hanway - Morgaine's Hornpipe;  John Hartford - Foggy Mountain Landscape; Jack Hatfield - Dancer;  John Herrmann - The Lost Girl;  Brad Leftwich - Cider;  Dan Levenson - Midnight at Black Mountain;  Michael J.Miles - Suite for the Americas/Gigue;  Jim Mills - Charley Horse Stomp;  Randall Morton - Adoring Ashley;  Ken Perlman - Bay of Fundy;   Chris Sands - Windermere Polka;  Mark Schatz - Movin' Out;  Lisa Schmitz - Sandy Boys;  Fred Sokolow - Smokey Mokes, St. Louis Tickle;   Scott Vestal - The Fly; Dick Weissman - Sittin' By the Dock at Mel Bay;  Pete Wernick - Huckling the Berries.

Tracks not on the CDs are:

 Terry Baucom - Big Mon;   J.D.Crowe - Cryin' Holy;   Janet Davis - Beaumont Rag & Freight Train;  Joe Mullins - Little Annie;  Alan Munde - Great American Banjo Tune;  Sammy Shelor - Sitting on Top of the World;  Tony Trischka - Banjo Cheer (Oh Come All Ye Faithful);  Larry Vanek - Maria.

Rex Jones, Tokyo Write to

At the AGM held in March Andrew Nixon became the Membership Secretary following Stephanie Francis' long-service retirement and Derek Brandon (Webmaster) was elected to the committee.

Robert Clinton (Editor, BBN) is retiring and returning to the USA, so a new BBN production team is needed by January 2001

GUILDTOWN FESTIVAL (11-13 August) will be lucky enough to have two great French banjo players appearing: Gilles Rezard & Philippe Bourgeois. Philippe played for some time with Christian Seguret in the band Transatlantic Bluegrass, who were one the number one bluegrass bands in France. They assisted Pete Rowan on one of his European tours in the early 80's.

Gilles has worked with both Tony Trischka and Bill Keith Bill who has spoke very >highly of Gilles and said "Their playing is outstanding, mixing the bluegrass sound with jazz, classical and Irish influences. The music is progressive but incredibly stylish and well presented."

Write to russell@ednet.co.uk or phone 01316-61210

28 June 2000