Grammys Cede Best Bluegrass Album pick to Mandolin Cafe

[Mandolin Cafe]

Just kidding, of course. But we should be able to pick our own, right? And what do you suppose the qualifications are of the people making the pick?

[grassrootphilosopher]

Just kidding, of course. But we should be able to pick our own, right? And what do you suppose the qualifications are of the people making the pick?

They probably should have ceded the decision to the Mandolincafe polls.

The question is a tough one for me.

The Osborne recording is a historical one. I wouldn´t know how many more there will be...
On the other hand the Pikelny recording ought to be in the mix also.

My vote goes for either one.(NP plays KB plays BM should have received a Grammy or been Grammy nominated)

[Chanmandolin]

I know this is the mandolin cafe and the dusters have no mandolin. But the "Laws of Gravity" album is amazing from the musicians to the outstanding songwriting! If you haven't listened I would highly recommended it!

[Bill McCall]

....... And what do you suppose the qualifications are of the people making the pick?

Given where the music's been going, I'm not sure I know anymore. But I don't think a recording with pitch adjustment should be allowed, which probably lets out the Bobby Osborne recording, given how I've heard him sing on the Opry lately. I do think one of the hallmarks of the genre that I have enjoyed has been the lack of technological manipulation of the sound, knowing full well that Pete Wernick's phase shifted banjo has been around a while, let alone other tricks I'm probably not aware of.

ymmv

[jesserules]

Gotta go with Bobby, because

1) he deserves it

and

2) just might draw some favorable attention to that little guitar we play

[Ted Eschliman]

‘Bout time they wrestled this decision away from the greedy influence of those heavy-handed Bluegrass Record Label Executives and gave it to the Cafe where clear thinking and common sense prevail.

[Mandolin Cafe]

‘Bout time they wrestled this decision away from the greedy influence of those heavy-handed Bluegrass Record Label Executives and gave it to the Cafe where clear thinking and common sense prevail.

Ted, when are we meeting over beers again to decide the new and used prices of all mandolins on the market? About time isn't it?

Is Bluegrass Record Label Executive an oxymoron?

[Ivan Kelsall]

From The Mandolin Cafe - "And what do you suppose the qualifications are of the people making the pick ? ". IMHO - folk who've listened to, & seen enough Bluegrass bands over the years to understand exactly what ''Bluegrass'' really is. Of course,those type of people might already be making the decisions,we don't know who they are - or do we ?.

Over the 54 years that i've been playing & involved with Bluegrass as a musical 'genre',i've heard stuff that i thought was ''out of place'' ie. some of the old LP's recorded with drums as part of a band,& that included the very first Bluegrass recording i ever heard,'Golden Bluegrass Hits' by The Barrier Brothers. Even the very first Bluegrass LP that i bought - ''Bluegrass Music'' by the Osborne Brothers had drums on it. Even as a Bluegrass 'rookie',i thought that drums were not part of Bluegrass music.

As all of us have, over many years,i've come to understand what 'trad.' Bluegrass music is & how it should sound. I've also heard the 'other bands',the one's who don't adhere to the 'true path',& their music is just as valid - but NOT as trad. Bluegrass.

My point - there should be separate categories for those bands under a different banner - 'New Acoustic Music' or some such title. The 'real' Bluegrass awards should be for those bands who play 'trad.style' Bluegrass,albeit with their new songs.

As for the 'Stringdusters' not having a mandolin player - they did have Jesse Cobb until he decided to leave. Nevertheless,the 'Dusters' still play their new songs on trad.Bluegrass instruments - but 'stylistically' they're not a trad.sounding band & thus should be in the 'New Acoustic Music'' (or 'whatever') category along with bands such as 'Greensky Bluegrass' / 'Railroad Earth' & others.
Having said that, & also having heard some of Del McCoury's output - for instance '' Vincent Black Lightning'' & a few others,i wonder if i'm not 'guilty as charged' with accepting that type of stuff under the Bluegrass banner. If we accept that,then 'Demons' by Greensky Bluegrass is just as valid (IMHO).

In a way,it's not about 'who' should be making the awards decision,it's about 'what style' of music those awards should be for

Purely my opinion !,
Ivan

[dhergert]

...
My point - there should be separate categories for those bands under a different banner - 'New Acoustic Music' or some such title. The 'real' Bluegrass awards should be for those bands who play 'trad.style' Bluegrass,albeit with their new songs.
...

I voted!

It seems to me that most often traditional bluegrass is defined by music created by a limited group of original artists and/or original bands and created within a limited time span in years. And what defines that limited group and limited time span depends on who you're talking to -- there isn't universal agreement. Most of the time when someone tells me they can't define bluegrass but they can tell me what isn't bluegrass, that's what they're talking about.

Outside of that group and time span is frequently what some people in my circle call Americana or American roots music, which is "mostly" acoustic music influenced by a combination of genre including but not at all limited to bluegrass.

Bluegrass as a genre really hasn't officially been around for that long; personally I think calling it "traditional" is a little generous. But to most outsiders, bluegrass is simply defined by the instruments used to play it. Sometimes it's nice to look at it from the perspective of outsiders.

Just thoughts based on my experience... YMMV

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Don - All valid points !. Personally,i 'define' trad.as the style of Bluegrass played by Bill Monroe & the original Bluegrass Boys line up, & by Lester & Earl & the other bands that emulated that specific style. Having said that,maybe we need to look closely at 'song content'. Does 'trad.' Bluegrass always have to do with ''The Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane'' / ''On My Way Back To The Old Home'' style of lyrics ?. In a way i suppose that it does, simply because the songs with that 'subject content' are the songs that we think of as ''songs about a specific era in time''. When that era passed,we're into 'modern' song lyric content,with a whole range of other themes - regardless of 'who' plays them.

Bands using the line up of instruments used to play 'trad.' Bluegrass music are now using those instruments to play 'their own style' of acoustic music well outside of the format of 'trad.' Bluegrass music - but it's still valid as an acoustic music form, in the same way that many 'other' instrumentation line ups can be used to play many diverse forms of music.

I think that most of us who've been ''listening / playing'' Bluegrass music for a long time, 'know' what trad. Bluegrass music should sound like,but time & music moves on. IMHO music of whatever genre has to change (to a degree) or stagnate & vanish. Even bands that we think of as trad. Bluegrass bands sing songs that have nothing to do with trad. Bluegrass 'themes'. It's always nice to listen to a mix of the old & the new,just to keep the old ones going - after all,they were the foundation upon which ALL Bluegrass & it's ''associated'' music was built,
Ivan

[Grommet]

It's all good.. but I gotta give the nod to Michael Cleveland. He's a fireball for sure!

Scott

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Scott - "...but I gotta give the nod to Michael Cleveland." He got my vote - he's an awesome fiddle (& mandolin) player,
Ivan

[jesserules]

Huh.

Suggesting there's a difference between "(trad) bluegrass" and "new acoustic" ... and not a single post about what a terrible closed-minded attitude that is? Or a single "that bus sailed long ago" ( or variants thereof) post?

Who are you people, and what have you done to the real Mandolin Café?

[Charles E.]

Ted, when are we meeting over beers again to decide the new and used prices of all mandolins on the market? About time isn't it?

Sounds like a mandOpec meeting........

[Jeff Budz]

Huh.

Suggesting there's a difference between "(trad) bluegrass" and "new acoustic" ... and not a single post about what a terrible closed-minded attitude that is? Or a single "that bus sailed long ago" ( or variants thereof) post?

Who are you people, and what have you done to the real Mandolin Café?

Been there, done that. Old man Kelsall from England can think whatever he wants.

[Marcus CA]

I would have added John Reischman and the Jaybirds' On That Other Green Shore to the poll.