Pinch me!-Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe

[fishdawg40]

Man, this album is amazzzzzzing! I can't believe I haven't heard it until today, been wanting for a long time though. I actually got a sealed vinyl copy. Bill's mandolin and Kenny's fiddle are amazing and the sound is great. I'm close to speechless, perhaps, my favorite bluegrass (instrumental for sure) album, it's like a breath of fresh air.

[Steve Cantrell]

It's probably my favorite Monroe studio performance--at least from an instrumental perspective--by leaps and bounds. A great recording.

[Mike Bunting]

It's a definitive recording, for sure.

[Rob Fowler]

Yup, I recently got this album, also a couple of months ago and it's become one of my favorite and is in constant rotation... me being a relatively new Monroe fan.

I remember recently that Cafe member Dasspunk and his band "The Squirrel Hunters" played a show where they played the whole album! It sounded really good but I can't remember where I saw that?

I got it on Itunes so I don't know what year it first came out but would like to. I'm sure somebody can chime in on that fact?

Can anybody chime in on other "essential" Monroe recordings...or point myself and others towards past posts that provides that advice. Thanks!!

[allenhopkins]

Wasn't it Baker who replied, when someone said to him that it must be wonderful to play with Bill Monroe, "Yeah, if you like playing in B"?

[grassrootphilosopher]

Apart from Baker and Monroe who´s playing what on the album?

[fishdawg40]

Apart from Baker and Monroe who´s playing what on the album?

Joe Stuart-Guitar; Vic Jordan-Banjo; Bob Black-Banjo; Randy Davis-Bass

Rob-It was recorded on March 29th & 30th 1976. Also I heard about Das Punk doing the album on Mike Compton's Taterbugmando group. I was definitely following that closely. At that time I still hadn't heard the album.

I guess I'm used to hearing only older Monroe stuff; Bluegrass Instrumentals, Bluegrass Ramble. Those are some of my favorites too but this thing just blew me away.

[evanreilly]

Other 'Instrumental' albums are:

Decca DL 4601 - Bluegrass Instrumentals
Decca DL 7-5348 Bill Monroe's Uncle Pen
Rebel of Canada REB-850 Classic Bluegrass Instrumentals
Red Clay RC CD 113 Jimmy Campbell: Pieces of Time

"Master of Blue Grass".....

plus, a big bunch more instrumentals scattered across hundreds of recordings.........

[Don Grieser]

"Baker plays Monroe" never gets old. Every time I listen to it, I discover something new. One of my desert island picks for sure.

[mandopete]

Wasn't it Baker who replied, when someone said to him that it must be wonderful to play with Bill Monroe, "Yeah, if you like playing in B"?

...and I'm still looking for "that" picture.

[jhbaylor]

Mighty fine playing by Brian (Dasspunk) on this live version they recorded of Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. Here is the link to his website that has few tunes from the show:

http://dasspunk.com/music/kenny.tribute/

Nice pickin' Brian and thanks for posting...
JB

[Mike Romkey]

Just downloaded it from iTunes on all of your glowing recommendations.

[farmerjones]

Pawfull collection of recordings. Them two's just about as crusty as each other. But there you go, mutual respect, admiration. The way i heard it was, "Hey you try playin' Bflat for nineteen years."

[MoBob]

It was at a workshop, Baker's reply to the Q was "Yeah , if you like playing in B for 25 years", only partially with tongue in cheek.

[Mike Bunting]

They had some fun together.

[Dan Margolis]

I downloaded it from eMusic.

[f5loar]

Other got to have Monroe would be any and all of his Decca recordings found on 4 Bear Family box sets plus this one.

[fishdawg40]

Ok, so what's the deal that I hear Baker wrote Jerusalem Ridge?

[farmerjones]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpzoLAwZ-gs
Imbedding is disabled today.
I've got it DVR on a classic country showcase show where Kenny introduces JR as written by "The Master, Bill Monroe."
We've talked about it quite a bit on here already, but today, from what i've seen, and you are welcome to form your own opinion, Bill Monroe wrote that tune. They may or may not, have been in the same room at the time, But there was a sub-style coming out when Kenny was a Bluegrass Boy. Kenny played swing before he played for WSM. I think Kenny's magic brought out certain things in Bill Monroe. Chubbie Wise being a more Blues fiddler, may have brought out certain things at that time too. Why wouldn't it?

[f5loar]

Most think Baker was Monore's No. 1 Fiddler. While he may have spent the most time on stage and maybe even in the studio with Monroe he was far from being his No. 1 Fiddler. More like Top 10. When you listen to all the different fiddlers Monroe went through from Wise to Campbell there are quite a few that stand out whereas Baker seemed to be the same thing over and over. To me the fiddlers that stand out beside Baker is Hicks, Terry, Taylor, Spicher, Duncan, Greene, Wise, Forrester, Martin, Clements, Berline and Campbell.
But when you get right down to it did Monroe ever have a bad fiddler?

[evanreilly]

To repeat:

[Rob Fowler]

Evan and Tom,
Thanks for the replies regarding essential Monroe albums. I'm assuming all them are still in print?

Thanks again!

[f5loar]

The Bear Family sets may not all still be in print and some of the single CDs listed may not be either but look to ebay for everything Monroe used and new. I've seen the Bear sets go for $40 which is pretty cheap for an import 4 CD box set with booklet.

[mandolirius]

The Bear Family sets may not all still be in print and some of the single CDs listed may not be either but look to ebay for everything Monroe used and new. I've seen the Bear sets go for $40 which is pretty cheap for an import 4 CD box set with booklet.

It's worth remembering that these are re-mastered recordings and really represent the best recorded sound available for these cuts. Plus it's comprehensive and very well annotated. Some great pics, too!

[Mike Bunting]

I've got 1950-59, 60-69, 70-79, and 80 till the end, are there any more Bear Family Monroe collections that I might have missed? I've got the Decca set from 1945-49, plus I have all the Decca vinyl releases and other vinyl albums including Master of Bluegrass.