Tuneweek, 03-07-2009: Wintergrass Reprise

NOTE: From here on, I'll be posting copies of this weekly digest at my blog site as well as sending out e-mail copies. So if you miss or misplace one you wanted to read closer at a better time, go here:
http://musicmanna.blogspot.com/
You can also read other bits and pieces of my writing there.
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Our Wintergrass 2009 Trip was a great one, as it is each year. Not only do we get to visit old, best friends, and jam with some musical friends, we get to see/hear some of the best music in the world. And I do mean world. This was exemplified by the presence this year of Brazilian mandolim player Danilo Brito, as guest of the Bay Area's own multi-instrumental genius Mike Marshall. Marshall's group Choro Famoso was there and played both in its own right and accompanying Danilo.

The bandolim is a Brazilian mandolin. Marshall visited Brazil several years ago and became enamored with Brazil's Choro music. An article on what that is is here:
http://saintpaulsunday.publicradio.org/features/0109_choro/
The results of Marshall's explorations in that genre were well displayed at Wintergrass. So herewith some samples:
Danilo Brito:
On YouTube:
http://tinyurl.com/az2aum
Other:
http://vodpod.com/watch/44301-rosa-ricardo-herz-alessandro-penezzi-e-danilo-brito

Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso (they have a new CD due out in April):
http://www.mikemarshall.net/clips/Choro%20Famoso/Noites%20Cariocas.mp3
http://tinyurl.com/d2bfh8

Other samples of Marshall's music with other groups and individuals are at:
http://www.mikemarshall.net/listen.htm
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The Alison Brown Quartet & Joe Craven were another highlight for us. Some samples of her music:
http://compassrecords.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4604

Nothing with her with Joe Craven on video yet, but here are some vids with other personnel, including husband on bass and the incredible John Burr on piano:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OcgJcVFqyg

Joe Craven is the most amazing self-taught musician I've seen. He's great on mandolin, fiddle and any kind of percussion. He presents programs at public schools and is co-leader of the Wintergrass Youth Academy each year. He played with David Grisman's quintet for years. Here's his page:
http://www.joecraven.com/reviews.html
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Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands sparkled as always. One of the highlights of their appearances was at the newest Wintergrass venue, the old, renovated Rialto Theatre. There, the band stepped out from behind the mics and moved to the lip of the stage to perform totally acoustically. It save a real sense of what live theater music was like in the days before amplification. The amazing part was that the music was perfectly audible throughout the 700-seat venue. Some samples of Laurie and company's music:
On YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=laurie+lewis+&aq=f
Her Web site:
http://www.laurielewis.com/

Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeepers are a truly amazing and more traditonal bluegrass band with a great singer and awesome instrumentalists, including the phenomenal fiddle of Michael Cleveland:
http://www.flamekeeperband.com/
On YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT3O_2QQGI

Some other acts that were wonderful:

The Travelin McCourys on MySpace:
http://tinyurl.com/b2x2hc

Urban Monroes:
http://www.myspace.com/urbanmonroes

The Paperboys:
http://www.myspace.com/thepaperboys
http://www.paperboys.com/press.html

Scythian:
http://www.myspace.com/scythian
http://www.scythianmusic.com/bio.html
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A Personal Footnote: Hannah McQueen, daughter of a couple of our Boston Harbor, WA, friends, Scot and Annette McQueen, contributed a number of great new tunes to the chili feed and jam session this year. Here are two that I'll be putting in my own rep. Keep up the good work, Hannah and thanks!:

Noah and the Whale doing Five Years Time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8YCSJpF4g4

Ingrid Michaelson doing You And I:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvMVCHhwTPs
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Of course, my review of Winterland covers only a few of the many groups that played the four-day festival. For more, go here and click on the links:
http://www.acousticsound.org/!wg_lineup.htm
And tickets to the 2010 Wintergrass are already on sale!
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Sad News: SF Blues Festival canceled:
http://tinyurl.com/82flz2
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That's all for this week, get out and hear some live music!
Grampy Bob