Continuing in their now feverish quest to reissue every single thing
Moses Asch ever released on CD, the folks at
Smithsonian have pulled from the catalog a true gem, added six more tracks, and given it to listeners to marvel over.
The Country Gentlemen were the inspiration for pickers from
Norman Blake to
Clarence White to
Tony Rice and every third-generation member in
Del McCoury's band -- not to mention
the New Grass Revival and
David Grisman. The original album was a compilation of the best moments of two concerts in 1962 and 1963, respectively; the
Smithsonian added six tracks from a third concert in 1963 to round out the time and offer a further glimpse into the mysterious, passionate musicality of the band. This is a live document of the band at the beginning of their maturity, with a style already etched in stone. Here is the perfect blending of
folk music,
country music, and
bluegrass, all offered to an American public who was rediscovering its own
folk traditions musically. This obviously knocked out a young
Bob Dylan who continues to cover
the Country Gentlemen's version of
"Handsome Molly." Banjoist
Eddie Adcock, guitarist and lead vocalist
Charlie Waller, mandolin player
John Duffey, and bassist
Tom Gray worked through
folk songs like a
bluegrass band and
bluegrass tunes like an
old-timey string band full of
ballad singers. Their version of
"Long Black Veil" on this record is what made
Johnny Cash decide to cut it for himself. The instrumental
"Heartaches" is literally a fusion of
bluegrass and
gypsy swing reads through a
blues idiom, and their reading of their
"I Am a Pilgrim" is the most
bluesed-out reading that worn
hymn will ever get. It is also the finest example of the gorgeous vocal harmony between
Duffey and
Waller. There are no sharp spots in their midst, just pure vocal consonance. This record is an awesome example of the radical yet beautiful and respectful shift of
Bill Monroe's
bluegrass creation to a more expansive view of the same tradition that was just as soulful, just as pure. ~ Thom Jurek
