Grisman music

[Bob Simmers]

I just bought Bluegrass Experience. It is the best sounding mandolin I've ever heard. I don't know if it's the mix, the mandolin, the strings, or..........Maybe it's the picker! Grisman's break on "Are you Afraid to Die" has such a great sound. His mandolin breaks, chords, backup stuff is stellar.
The only other stuff I have by Grisman is those first 2 "Old and In the Way" projects he remastered from many years ago.
I have no dawg stuff. Any recommendations for one cd of the best dawg music?

[AlanN]

By all means, start with the first DGQ record, then travel the highway home!

[fwoompf]

The first and third discs of DGQ 20 are a lot of fun, but the recording quality varies from song to song being as they're all live recordings from different time periods/setups.

[Dan Cole]

My favorites are:
1. David Grisman Quintet
2. Garcia - Grisman
3. Dawgnation

For pure bluegrass then its "Home is Where the Heart Is".

Hell they're all good..........

[MandoSquirrel]

I'd vote for the first DGQ or "The David Grisman Rounder Album" for a less heaping helping with Bluegrass thrown in. A classic that got many into mando & Grisman.

[fwoompf]

Seconding the Rounder Album -- Waiting On Vassar is probably my favorite Grisman tune.

[SternART]

Lotsa hammer on & pull offs in that Waiting for Vassar tune......his Blues for Vassar is a beautiful melody too, from the latest CD.

I'm with Alan N you gotta start at the beginning and that first DGQ CD is a classic. I think Hot Dawg w/ Grappelli on a few cuts should
be at the top of any list. It also has Eddie Gomez, Buell Neidlinger et al.

[Rick Schmidlin]

I love Dawgnation and Tone Poets.

[fishdawg40]

Seconding the Rounder Album -- Waiting On Vassar is probably my favorite Grisman tune.
Definitley one of my top 5 Grisman tunes. #I've been listening to the Rounder album the last few days and it's blowing my mind. #Opus 38 is a really interesting song too.

I'm glad to see some calls for Dawgnation, I think it's unbelievable. #Go for the 1st Quintet album, and as like AlanN said, "travel the highway home."

[AlanN]

The Rounder Album caused quite the buzz when it came out. It was new, hip, had great pickers on it (which introduced many to the playing of one Tony Rice). Waiting On Vassar is indeed a fine tune (tabbed out in a MWN issue). One thing with that tune, and I thought it was because I had a taped cassette of the record at one time, but it actally was recorded this way - there is one spot on the track, during the 2nd half stops, that there seems to me to be a bit of either tape delay or unwanted bleed of Vassar fiddle, next time listen for it.

Anyway, a great tune on a great record. Another Grisman goodie is Dawg GrassDawg Jazz. Has Flux, Martin Taylor, Grappelli, Earl Scruggs. And you can hear Dawggy Mountain Breakdown every week on NPR's Car Talk - those guys may not know cars, but they know good music! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Peter Hackman]

It's a tie between the first album and Hot Dawg. The former is more homogenous; the CD version has two numbers that stayed in the can
for 20 years and wre re-recorded for Hot Dawg. Nice to compare the two
versions.

Dawg Jazz/grass has the only successful example of free playing
from th DGQ; on an original by D Anger. Also has Steppin' with
Stephane, the original recording with Stephane Grapelli.
The DGQ retro has Svend Asmussen on violin.

There was an LP, long since out of print, featuring strings, horns and percussion,
and some of the most intense guitar playing by John Sholle.
I forget the title.

[AlanN]

Also has Steppin' with
Stephane, the original recording #with Stephane Grapelli.
The DGQ retro has Svend Asmussen on violin.
This tune really tattooed my brain, the chord progression and voicings he gets are lovely. Great playing by all and truly a fine conceptual piece, and tribute to a great artiste.

He re-recorded it on his Dawgwood project, this time with flute as the 'other' voice. Grisman's solo is very hip, albeit full of his characteristic flurry thing.

[Bob Simmers]

Thanks, Dawg lovers! I think I will get the rounder cd, and the first quintet cd. By the way, get the Bluegrass Experience. It's not dawg music, but the mandolin is great. Grisman has a powerful right hand.

[blacksmith]

Try to get "Doc and Dawg", sweet pickin' on that one. If it had been on vinyl I probably would have worn out at least 2 by now. Enjoy.

[Wadefox]

And don't forget the albume he did with Stephan Grapelli. That's some good stuff.

[Bob Simmers]

I have the Doc & Dawg video. Anything additional on the cd?

[AlanN]

And you could go back in time a bit and listen to early T. Rice records, his first one in particular. David's work on the fiddle tunes was excellent. He does this one litle move in Temperance Reel that I continue to steal today http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[fwoompf]

Second that too! Manzanita helped get me into this genre. Grisman and Bush play mandolin on it as well.

[jefflester]

I have the Doc & Dawg video. Anything additional on the cd?
They're completely different:

The live video ("Doc Watson & David Grisman in Concert" Vestapol Video): Bye Bye Blues, Shady Grove, Summertime, Sweet Georgia Brown, Hobo Bill’s Last Ride, In The Pines. Long Journey Home, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, EMD, I Don’t Love Nobody, Blue Eyed Jane, Kentucky Waltz, Will You Be Loving Another Man, Deep River Blues, Soldier’s Joy, Medley: Big Sandy/Salt Creek, Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms and Roll On Buddy.

The CD ("Doc & Dawg" Acoustic Disc) not live:
1. Doc & Dawg
2. All About You
3. Bluegrass Stomp
4. Summertime
5. Sweet Georgia Brown
6. Frankie And Johnny
7. Soldier's Joy
8. What Is Home Without Love?
9. Fiddle-Tune Medley: East Tennessee Blues/Tennesse Wagoner/Beaumont Rag
10. Kentucky Waltz
11. My Dear Old Southern Home
12. Florida Blues
13. Blue As I Can Be
14. Watson Blues

[Walter Newton]

The first DGQ CD is definitely the place to start for Dawg music, and the Rounder Album is great too - somewhat more bluegrassy. #If you're an O&ITW fan and want to check out any of the collaborations with Jerry Garcia my favorite is "Shady Grove" (it's not "Dawg Music" though!).

[Bob Simmers]

OK. So it's The Rounder, The First Dawg, and Doc & Dawg CD. I assume he plays a Loar? It sure sounds like it on the Bluegrass Experience. I notice he uses 2 different mandolins on the Doc & Dawg video.

[Walter Newton]

On the Doc & Dawg video I think he uses a mandolin and a mandola.

[Dan Cole]

Ditto all of the above. Also in my opinion don't buy "Retrograss" The singing pealed the paint of my walls!

[GDAEb]

I like the album he did with Jerry Garcia, Shady Grove. I read that the album was one in a series that was supposed to include other styles in later releases. I am not sure, however, if any other albums by the duo were completed and released by Grisman.

Don't forget about some of Dawg's albums that fall outside the bluegrass tradition. I like Traversata, where he and classical mandolin player Carlo Aonzo play Italian standards. And also Rounder, and jazzy album with Dawg on the mando and Mark O'Connor on the guitar (yes, the same Mark O'Connor who plays fiddle). There's a Jewish album too, where he plays with an oboe.

[chirorehab]

I listen to the first DGQ album every day...

[Professor PT]

There are three Grisman/Garcia CD's that I have, and I love each of them: SHADY GROVE, GRISMAN/GARCIA,and NOT FOR KIDS ONLY. The playing by each is probably not the best they have done, but the vibe on each collection is great. There is the sense that these two guys are playing for the joy of the music and being with each other. I'm not a Dead fan at all, but Jerry's vocals are great on these songs.

[Larry S Sherman]

I agree with all of the previous recomendations...amazing stuff.

But here are two recent CDs that my have failed to register on your radar:

1. "Gypsy Rumble" by the Stephane Wrembel Trio with David Grisman (2005 Amoeba Records)

2. "Rendezvous At The Nightery" by Brandi Shearer & The Robin Nolan Trio (2005 Amoeba Music)

Both are gypsy jazz with an upbeat feel. Unlike some other Dawg stuff these havn't left my playlists since I got them. The Wremble CD is more of a musical powerhouse, and the "Rendezvous" CD has vocals and really grows on you.

You should be able to find them here, (http://www.gypsyjazz.net)along with a lot of interesting music. Search on "Mandolin" to see what I mean.

Larry

[Mandoe]

My favorite Grisman BG recording is a CD called Common Chord by Grisman and violinist Daniel Kobialka. All traditional instrumentals. Beautiful arrangements and great pickin'. I keep comping back to that CD over and over again. Highly recommended.

I also come back to Bill Keith's Something Bluegrass a lot, a recording that rocked my world the first time I heard it.

As for Grisman's jazz stuff, I'd go with the first two Quintet albums, which I spent years trying to learn. Then, as mentioned earlier, to Mondo Mando, Quintet '80, etc.

Grisman is the reason I play mandolin. From the first recording I heard with Grisman, on Tony Trischka's Banjoland, to Dawg's Groove, he is the main man for me. Who else can switch so fluently from straight-ahead BG to Klezmer to Gypsy jazz to Dawg music? Only Bush comes close.

It's great the Dawg is being discussed so much on the Cafe. One of my main musical goals in life is to pick a tune with the Dawg himself. Maybe one day...

[Cedartop]

My favorite Grisman CD is, Life of Sorrow. I have borrowed a lot of mandolin off of that one. Including most of his playing on Tennessee Waltz.(Del McCoury on vocals)

The new Grisman bluegrass CD was a letdown for me. I got it from Elderly last week along with the new David Davis CD and the Rich DelGrosso blues CD. FOr me the Grisman one was the weakest of the three. There was nothing wrong that I could put my finger on, I guess it just didn't grab me.

[Ronbo]

Hey Bob! It's your old Mandolin teacher from Arkansas here. You should also Dawg 90' for some more of the Dawg's awesome mandolin tone. I was floored by the sound of his mandolin and Matt Eakle's flute on the recording. Oh and we can't forget John Carlini's killer guitar playing and the other great musicians on there. Take care and keep "Mandocizing"! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[jefflester]

I like the album he did with Jerry Garcia, Shady Grove. I read that the album was one in a series that was supposed to include other styles in later releases. I am not sure, however, if any other albums by the duo were completed and released by Grisman.
Sure they were. All are on Acoustic Disc.

Garcia/Grisman albums:
Garcia/Grisman (1991) ACD-2
Not For Kids Only (1993) ACD-9 (kids songs)

After Jerry died:
Shady Grove (1996) ACD-21 (folk songs and ballads)
So What (1998) ACD-33 (jazz)
The Pizza Tapes (with Tony Rice) (2000) ACD-41 (jamming around the pizza table :-)
Grateful Dawg ACD-46 (2001) (soundtrack to the movie)
Been All Around This World (2004) ACD-57 (wrap-up of otherwise unused tracks?)

The "different styles" theme did kind of break down after So What.

[MandoSquirrel]

The new Grisman bluegrass CD was a letdown for me. I got it from Elderly last week along with the new David Davis CD and the Rich DelGrosso blues CD. FOr me the Grisman one was the weakest of the three. There was nothing wrong that I could put my finger on, I guess it just didn't grab me.
I keep hearing some really lame sounding Bluegrass on
Mandozine Radio & Mandolin Radio, & when I look to see who it is, it always says " David Grisman Bluegass Experience". It's the singing that reallysucks, and it doesn't "feel" like there's any "spark" to it. Needless to say, I won't be buying this one. On the other hand, the Wremble & Statman collaborations are captivating, & the stuff with Garcia is probably the most listenable I've ever found from Garcia
(& yes, I was a lover of "American Beauty" with it's legendary Grismandolin guestingwhen it came out).

[SternART]

Mondoe wqrote: <<One of my main musical goals in life is to pick a tune with the Dawg himself. Maybe one day...>>

Yo Mandoe......I've choked most of the times I've played a tune with David, and like you I've been practicing those early DGQ classic tunes for years. As soon as he leaves of course I can nail it. One way I guarantee you can play with him.....live on stage even......go to the Mandolin Symposium and take his performance class. This year we did a Gypsie Medley.....what a HOOT!!!

Hey where do you live? Sounds like we play a lot of the same tunes! Hard to find Dawg pickers.....but I think it is hard to find pickers interested in Monroe instrumentals too....

[luckylarue]

Any of the Garcia/Grisman stuff. Tone Poems and, the more obscure live recording, Svingin' w/ Sven.

[Tom F]

Anyone know about the first Grisman being called "The C" ? I have heard that reference several times but never know where it came from. I read a TR interview where they worked on the Dawg music concept for a year before doing gigs or recording. Nothing like it!

Grisman's first, TR's Manzanita, Hot Rize's first, and Doc/Merle Watson "On Sage" are what tripped my trigger to OT/BG and Dawg/Jazz music.

Tom

[Dan Cole]

This thread decribes why Grisman is my favorite mandolin player. #Nothing against the rest of the pack. #But I love the wide range of styles he has been able to expose myself to with the mandolin. #

If your a bluegrass die hard, the "Home is Where the Heart Is" double disc is a classic. #The original, first "Old and In the Way" #is another good one. #"Early Dawg" is a great blend of some traditional and Dawg's "new" style.

Then there is the first DGQ.. #Nonething else need be said.

Garcia - Grisman, Not for Kids Only, Shadey Grove... Awesome.

Tone Poems 1 & 2. #

Then there are the ethnic discs like "Traversata" and "Songs of our Fathers", these two disc really expose a player to the "rest of the world" mandolin style outside our USA - Bluegrass oriented vision.

The list goes on and on.....

As for his singing. # As a wrote earlier, no offense meant Dawg, but stick to the mandolin.

His discs are really a journey to be followed.

Dan

[AlanN]

As for his singing. # As a wrote earlier, no offense meant Dawg, but stick to the mandolin.
Well, not entirely on the mark (imo).

His baritone work is very effective on Here Today and HIWTHI.

[Mandoe]

SternART, I hail from SC. Been living in NC a while now. I've even picked a tune or two with some of the guys at the Cafe, including AlanN, GaryS and Flowerpot.

I'd love to get to the Symposium. Only there I'd probably be too intimidated by all the young guns to pull the mamdo out of it's case.

I remember the first time I saw the Dawg in person, at Merlefest in '89 or so. He did a set or two with Doc. I remember trying to talk with the Dawg after a show. All I could do really was look at him. I was star struck I guess. I'm sure he thought I was stalker or something! I would have!

[SternART]

Mandoe.....I think you'd be pleasantly surprised how accessable David is, especially at an event like the Symposium.
He is pretty darn normal for a superpicker. And if you can pick some Dawg tunes with the likes of AlanN, you can pick!
But you're right...be prepared to get smoked by the youngins.....the Symposium draws the pick of the litter.

[AlanN]

Mandoe is being characteristically modest - the boy certainly can do the dawg. One time we hung out on the Reno ride and picked with the biguns, and another time I caught him doing an Alison Brown tune that Dawg played mando on, Mandoe did it note-for-note. All he needs to do is grow a raggy beard and get a decent mandolin http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[SternART]

Heeeyyyy man....how'd you know?
I've got those last two covered!

[Blueglass]

there is a third Old and in the Way CD. It's out of print now, but its way cool and has a nice drawing of the band on the cover.

[chirorehab]

My Dawg experience..

I opened a door for the Dawg backstage at a Jamgrass show in Maryland a few years ago! #He said thanks! I told him that I would open the door for him anytime!

I also, sat in between Tony Rice & Peter Rowan while eating lunch! #

That was a great day!

Eric

P.S. The new album is pretty good... I really dig the first song.... I am not the biggest fan of the full drum kit, though.....

[JVESEY]

The CD ("Doc & Dawg" Acoustic Disc) not live:
1. Doc & Dawg
2. All About You
3. Bluegrass Stomp
4. Summertime
5. Sweet Georgia Brown
6. Frankie And Johnny
7. Soldier's Joy
8. What Is Home Without Love?
9. Fiddle-Tune Medley: East Tennessee Blues/Tennesse Wagoner/Beaumont Rag
10. Kentucky Waltz
11. My Dear Old Southern Home
12. Florida Blues
13. Blue As I Can Be
14. Watson Blues
Possibly my favorite tune on Doc and Dawg is the hidden track, Bye Bye Blues. It's pretty annoying that you can't que it up, although Watson Blues is great. And it's not included in the Doc Tab book either.

[fstylemb1]

Tone Poems-Tony and David- was fortunate to see them together at Merlefest a few years ago

I also agree, the 1st DGQ is a great launching pad

I have a DGQ show from Japan that's awesome

[david blair]

I have to add that "Dawganova" is a great disc also. It introduced me to Brazilian mandolin music. The Doc and Dawg is also fun, and "Old and in the Way". The new disc with Sam Bush is really good, and Tone Poems are a must have. It's truly amazing how diverse he can sound.
In the Bluegrass experience I think a lot of the singing is done by Jim Nunally (guitar), and Kieth Little (banjo). They certainly have a unique style that not everyone may like. Grisman does play a Loar Fern, and recently also an Italian made Giacomel.
I saw the Dawg the other day, what a great guy he seems, and losing weight. Clean shaven and short hair!

[Dave Dearnley]

Any recommendations for one cd of the best dawg music?
Any of 'em, all of 'em. Get 'em all.

[luckylarue]

Any of the Garcia/Grisman stuff is worth getting. Also, the Tone Poem series w/ Rice & Taylor are amazing. For strictly bluegrass, I'd recommend Home is Where the Heart Is from Rounder.