Victory Music Review

“Hootenanny”

David Grier with Tim O’Brien and Dirk Powell

 

A simple and delightful recording! Eleven tunes performed by Grier on guitar, with Tim O’Brien and Dirk Powell, playing assorted banjos, fiddles, accordion, bass, mandolin and bouzouki, with no obvious overdubs. All of these are instrumentals, except for “Little Rabbit”, with a vocal by Tim, and “Lonnie and Maybelle”, one of three compositions of David’s, which features a dubious scat vocal, also by Tim. Most of the other tunes are public domain, such as “Ragtime Annie”, and “Red Haired Boy”. Two of my favorite Joes, “Old Joe Clark”, and “Have You Ever Seen the Devil, Uncle Joe” are there also. My favorites, however, are the Grier tunes, especially the beautiful “Cascade”. Grier is an extraordinary, sensitive flatpicker; he has chosen his companions well, and his arrangements are tasteful and show off the music well, whether they are contemporary or the old favorites. Good listening!

 

-Ted Briggs-Comstock, Victory Music Review, December 1999