Bluegrass.  Okay, there, I said it.  Now before you bow to your fear of the unknown and move on, please give me a minute to explain.

I grew up in the foothills of the North Carolina mountains and have always had the influence of bluegrass music intertwined with my varied musical taste.  Although it didn’t mean much to me during my rock music dominated teen years, I have come to understand its place and influence in nearly all types of music.  Bluegrass is one of the very few true American-born creations and it has managed to stand the test of time.  Recent artists such as Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Emmy Lou Harris, Ricky Skaggs and others have helped to reintroduce bluegrass to a new generation and it seems to be enjoying new life on radio, as well as the big screen.  The box-office success of  “O Brother, Where Art Thou”, and the subsequent concert tour “Down From The Mountain” pushed this genre of music further into the mainstream. 

For bluegrass neophytes, Old & In The Way is a perfect primer course on basic bluegrass with a few twists thrown in.  Recorded live at the Boarding House, San Francisco in October 1973, this disc features Jerry Garcia (of The Grateful Dead) on banjo, David Grisman on mandolin, Peter Rowan on guitar, bluegrass legend Vassar Clements playing fiddle and John Kahn rounding out the group on acoustic bass.  Although they never formed an official band, this group of friends came together to share their love of bluegrass music.  

During a rare live collaboration, this amazing group of musicians recorded traditional tunes such as "Pig in a Pen" and “Knockin’ on your door”, as well as bluegrass-flavored versions of The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" and Peter Rowan's "Panama Red".  In all, there are ten tracks on this CD, which work together to represent several styles of bluegrass.  In addition to great songs, listeners are treated to some excellent examples of bluegrass fiddle by Vassar Clements and the largely unknown banjo talents of Jerry Garcia.  While most Grateful Dead fans may only associate Jerry with his more well-known guitar skills, they may be surprised to know that he was also a very talented banjo player.