Grisman Thile

[lottarope]

Hi folks haven't been on here for a while. Anybody know why Thile doesn't play more Grisman stuff? Seems to me nobody owes him more for opening up the mando for other generas than him. I would love to hear his take on some of Grisman's stuff like Dawg's Bull. Seems odd they haven't corraberated or maybe they have and I don't know about it.

[Explorer]

I don't have an answer for your specific question, but here's an interview of Chris Thile done for e Fretboard Journal by David Grisman. It gives a lot of interesting perspectives from both.

https://www.fretboardjournal.com/fea...eneration-gab/

[AlanN]

Thanks for that link, a very good read.

One question:

I remember him putting the needle down on the LP and hearing Earl Taylor’s “White House Blues” for the first time, and from then on bluegrass was all I listened to. Taylor was just an amazing fast banjo player.

That is Dawg talking. I thought Earl Taylor was a mandolin picker. Who might the banjo have been?

[UsuallyPickin]

AlanN ..... Walter Hensley and Sam Hutchins are given credit on Spotify for being in a trio with Earl Taylor on a recording of this tune. Whether it is the same recording I could not say. R/

[Willie Poole]

Alan, In past years I went to every show that the Country Gents played that I could and one I remember was here in Columbia and Doyle was playing banjo that night, it was shortly after James Baily left the band, anyway they had a fellow playing mandolin named Skaggs...But as I recall they didn`t play anything very fast...

Willie

[ralph johansson]

Thanks for that link, a very good read.

One question:

I remember him putting the needle down on the LP and hearing Earl Taylor’s “White House Blues” for the first time, and from then on bluegrass was all I listened to. Taylor was just an amazing fast banjo player.

That is Dawg talking. I thought Earl Taylor was a mandolin picker. Who might the banjo have been?

Taylor played mandolin and harmonica - imitation pieces mostly. The banjo player was Walter Hensley. I saw him with his own group in Baltimore in 1969. The same year Rebel issued an album with Hensley, "Picking on New Grass".

[ralph johansson]

Hi folks haven't been on here for a while. Anybody know why Thile doesn't play more Grisman stuff? Seems to me nobody owes him more for opening up the mando for other generas than him. I would love to hear his take on some of Grisman's stuff like Dawg's Bull. Seems odd they haven't corraberated or maybe they have and I don't know about it.

Can't see any reason why he should.

[Bob Visentin]

When you can play Bach like that why settle for Grisman?

[Explorer]

When you can play Bach like that why settle for Grisman?

I've heard a few broadcasts of his weekly radio show (when the show is running) where he takes song suggestions, hoping for something they've never played, from the audience. That certainly seems like more of a fun, ongoing challenge than covering established conventional ground....

[dang]

I have seen Thile play Dawg's Bull with Grisman, it was great. Seen him play Sam Bush songs with Sammy too.

He can play it, but I have a feeling Thile respects Grisman and Bush enough not to step on their toes; they both seem to cover their own ground quite well.

Why be a clone when he can be so much more? He is doing exactly what Grisman did, and Sammy did, as Monroe did - making his own genre of music. That is the real compliment, to do as they did rather then imitate them.

Chris seems to get a lot of criticism for what he chooses to do with his talent. In my opinion he is showing his genius - not to do what others did, but what no one thought could be done.

[lottarope]

Thanks a bunch for the link, it answered a lot. If I came off as criticizing Thile I apologize, I guess it just seems odd these two geniuses have not done a project together. They both have sot out and done projects with those they admire and both seem to really enjoy taking the mandolin to places it has not been. I for one would love to see what they would come up with.

I would like to say for the record when I listen to Grisman I am not "settling" I am listening to genius. Personally I hate it when music becomes competition instead of collaboration. That's one of the things I really admire about both these artists.

[dang]

I have to agree, it would be amazing to see them do a project together!

I was thinking of other comments I have read when I brought up the criticism of Thile, pushing boundaries always brings the naysayers. And I get it, the stuff Thile does isn't everyones cup of tea.

There would be no Thile without the mandolin players that preceded him. I sure hope I didn't imply anyone was "settling" listening to Grisman, merely that Thile is walking amongst giants.

Grisman and Bush are the reason I picked up a mandolin in the first place. Dawg music and Newgrass reshaped my thoughts on what good music is. In my mind Thile builds on that legacy in a similar way to what Grisman and Bush did to Monroe. And each of them have had their fair share of criticism for it. I am sure Monroe did too, putting the drive in his music like that. How dare he?

There will always be people saying "that ain't no part of nothin" to Grisman, to Bush, to Thile... But it's all part of something awesome we are lucky to get to see

[JEStanek]

I guess maybe their styles haven't intersected for a project yet. Both of them are band leaders but both are really good at what they do. I think it's a matter of both men being in the right place creatively at the same time.

Jamie

PS I would buy that record.

[JeffD]

PS I would buy that record.

I would GoFundMe that record!

[JeffD]

Collaborations can be tricky. You don't want the two geniuses to collaborate just for its own sake, and produce a compromise that is part of each but not wholly anyone's. You want whatever is unique about each genius to contribute to making a new musical experiences that transcends both of them individually. That is a tough request.

There have been many collaborations in country music that were nice, but not as special as the individuals involved. And there have been collaborations that did indeed transcend the individuals involved and provide something new. The Highwaymen comes to mind. OMG.

[David L]

And there have been collaborations that did indeed transcend the individuals involved and provide something new. The Highwaymen comes to mind. OMG.

So do the Traveling Wilburys.

[JeffD]

So do the Traveling Wilburys.

Yes!

[JeffD]

I am not super big fan of "showcase" collaborations, where each of the superlative famous musicians gets a moment to highlight their particular genius. It might be fun to watch, once or twice, to go ooooh and ahhhh, but I am not sure it is enduring music.

This is so fraught with opinion and subjective evaluation but, for example, when Jethro Burns was on stage with Chet Atkins, it was fun, and is fun to watch, but was there really any synergy? Or that Three Pickers album, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs. It was great, and I listen to that album more than a few times. But was there anything there greater than any of them individually.

Now the stage show of Marty Stuart, Brian Setzer, and Ricky Skaggs, there is a really cool inspired moment in the playing of Mystery Train, which knocked my socks off with its spontaneity, and humor, and genius, and flawless execution. But really, the show wasn't a collaboration, it was a showcase.

Compare for example to the collaboration between Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice. Yea it was years ago before super star status, but the music created is something eternal, better than either individual could do.

[djweiss]

[CarlM]

for example, when Jethro Burns was on stage with Chet Atkins, it was fun, and is fun to watch, but was there really any synergy?

Not wishing to be rude but that is kind of a strange statement. Most of the concert video of Jethro and Chet is late in their careers, two old, dear friends and brothers in law playing together. They started picking together as young men when they were both complete unknowns and helped each other develop their styles, listening to Django and the other jazz greats, setting down in hotel rooms after radio shows jamming. It is difficult to think of two people with more synergy whether or not it comes through on a big Nashville stage at an awards show. Perhaps the reason they do not take each other above and beyond what they normally do is because each is so integral to developing the others normal style.

It is hard to tell how it would come out if it were just Chris and David with mandolins. Forty five minutes or an hour of just two mandolins might be too much of a good thing, though I was pleasantly surprised listening to Bela and Abigail in concert when two and a half hours of nothing but two banjos just flew by.

One of the best collaborations I have ever heard was a concert recording of Doc Watson and Merle Travis at Winfield in 1976. It is another one like the Pizza Tapes, but less well known, where the bootleg recordings are just so good that they got released officially later. That is one I go listen to when I need reminded of why we play the music and how it should be done.

[ccravens]

I would like to say for the record when I listen to Grisman I am not "settling" I am listening to genius.

Amen to that.

[JeffD]

Not wishing to be rude but that is kind of a strange statement. Most of the concert video of Jethro and Chet is late in their careers, two old, dear friends and brothers in law playing together.

I agree there was synergy between them as people and as entertainers on stage. Jethro's banter cracks me up.

I am talking about the music, which was great, but was side by side great. The music Chet played didn't need Jethro and the music Jethro played didn't need Chet. Had they come on the stage separately the music would not have been any different. IMO.

[FLATROCK HILL]

There have been many collaborations in country music that were nice, but not as special as the individuals involved. And there have been collaborations that did indeed transcend the individuals involved and provide something new. The Highwaymen comes to mind. OMG.

No wish to be argumentative or insult anyone's taste, but that really illustrates how differently people see (hear) things.

I've been a huge fan of each of those guys since long before it was cool to like them. Idols to me... Individually they are each masters of what they do.
Put them together on stage and (to me) they sound like four old guys who can't sing.