CD Mini review: Alison Brown

Alison Brown's first-ever all-bluegrass album, Fair Weather, on Compass Records, is a star-studded gathering of some of the best bluegrass instrumentalists and singers working today, including Vince Gill, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Claire Lynch, David Grier, Stuart Duncan, Tony Rice, Mike Marshall, Tim O'Brien, Missy Raines and Gene Libbea. Also in this esteemed company are Compass recording artists Matt Flinner, Todd Phillips and Darol Anger.

Brown, one of the foremost banjo players on the music scene today, wrote eight instrumental numbers for Fair Weather and leaned on vocalist friends for a creative selection of bluegrass song adaptations. Gill sings and plays guitar on the title track, with Duncan providing harmony along with Libbea playing bass on what feels like an old bluegrass standard. Tim O'Brien sings Everybody's Talking About Me, the Harry Nillson favourite from the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack. Bush sings Elvis Costello's Every Day I Write the Book, and Claire Lynch borrows doubly from the Compass catalogue, singing Hummingbird, a song by Boo Hewerdine and performed by label-mate Eddi Reader on a recent album.

Gerald Cohail, Bluegrass News

Helsby Happenings

The Dave Verny Band visited Helsby in July. This Ohio based band had obviously picked up many friends at Conwy and the Horse & Jockey was packed to capacity. The four-piece outfit played great 'old-corn' and banjo-picking maestro Matt Inboden was in full driving mode..... this was the band for anyone liking the authentic Flatt/Scruggs bluegrass style. Dave Verny was the personality behind it all and the evening was a big success. The following week saw Irish quartet Knotty Pine entertain yet another full house at the H&J. The audience certainly enjoyed them - they played with a lot of vitality and included a great variety of music for everyone. Suffice to say the majority went home well satisfied and the popularity knock on effect was seen the next week when Marc Paflin from West New York, USA visited arrived with his talented children (Scott, 17 and his sister, 15). The gig had been literally thrown together at the last minute but there was a really goodturn out to witness some 'hot' dobro playing from Marc. It was one of the most enjoyable gigs at 'The Capital'.

21st September 2000