The Tony Rice Unit – Backwaters
This is a latecomer, not to be missed. An all-bluegrass instrumental set that’s been analog remastered & reissued from its original recording in March 1982 in Berkeley, CA. Produced & arranged by Anthony Rice for Spacegrass Productions. The 7-track album Backwaters (Dropped Sept 12/Craft Recordings/Rounder Records) contains original Anthony (Tony) Rice compositions along with 3 covers that include the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein piece “My Favorite Things.”
The music scope casts a wide, unique net & includes bluegrass through the lens of country, jazz & new wave glasses. Virginia’s Tony Rice is a master bluegrass guitarist & there are two violins featured in his showcase – “On Green Dolphin Street,” both violin players play interchanging solos. It actually reminds me a little of the work of Jerry Goodman when he played with the Chicago-based The Flock on albums “The Flock” & “Dinosaur Swamps.” Rice’s “Common Ground” composition has a progressive jazz-rock feel that’s exceptional.
The bluegrass here is not exactly of the Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, or Alison Krauss variety. It leans into a jazz-rock destination. Yet, Rice maintains the proper roots of the bluegrass proficiency tradition, adding a little more intensity than is normal for the genre. Pulling at its possibilities, showing how far this musical rubber band can stretch.
“Backwaters” is more in line with an approach that John Fahey may have taken had he explored the musical stylings of bluegrass. Rice’s guitar expertise is superb as well. The pristine recording captures his subtle performance with clarity & the strings ring out with an atmospheric tone. Then the guitar “sings” through its variations to the point where you can almost imagine what the lyrics may have been had there been words.
An instrumental that did have words originally is the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic “My Favorite Things.” A tune that even jazz giants have covered. As Rice cruises through the melody, you would have to sing fast to keep time with his playing. When the violins kick in, the tune elevates nicely as their sharp ensemble work comes into audible focus. The masterful songwriting team would probably be pleasantly surprised if they heard this interpretation. I was.
Highlights – “Common Ground,” “Backwaters,” “My Favorite Things,” & “On Green Dolphin Street.”
Musicians – Tony Rice (lead & rhythm guitar), Todd Phillips (bass), Wyatt Rice (rhythm guitar), John Reishman (mandolin), Fred Carpenter & Richard Greene (violins).
Color image courtesy of Tony’s Bandcamp site. Vinyl & Digital Album @ Bandcamp & https://craftrecordings.com/products/backwaters-lp
