Track Listings (13) - Disc #1| All Artists: Fiddlers 4, Bruce Molsky, Michael Doucet, Darol Anger, Rushad Eggleston Title: Fiddlers 4 Members Wishing: 2 Total Copies: 0 Label: Compass Records Original Release Date: 1/1/2000 Re-Release Date: 3/12/2002 Genres: Blues, Folk, Pop Style: Traditional Folk Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPCs: 766397433424, 076639743342 |
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Search - Fiddlers 4, Bruce Molsky, Michael Doucet :: Fiddlers 4
 | Fiddlers 4, Bruce Molsky, Michael Doucet Fiddlers 4 Genres: Blues, Folk, Pop
Classical musicians have been pinching melodies from folk musicians since before Mozart's day, so it seems only fair that the folkies should return the favor by borrowing the idea of the string quartet from the classical... more » |
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Amazon.com Classical musicians have been pinching melodies from folk musicians since before Mozart's day, so it seems only fair that the folkies should return the favor by borrowing the idea of the string quartet from the classical world. Fiddlers 4 is a supergroup formed by Cajun legend Michael Doucet, old-time master Bruce Molsky, progressive bluegrasser Darol Anger, and Rushad Eggleston, a dazzling young cellist who was still attending the Berklee College of Music when this recording was made. As you might expect given the musicians' pedigree, the tunes include Cajun numbers like "You Little Wild Thing (La Bétaille)" and songs from the bluegrass tradition like "Man of Constant Sorrow." What's surprising is how the four musicians take these familiar melodies and create a complex harmonic and rhythmic sound that simultaneously honors the tradition while reveling in the new sonic possibilities. Doucet, Molsky, and Anger each contribute original compositions that add jazz, African, Caribbean, and blues elements to the mix. The Fiddlers 4 are perhaps unique in the world: they are a string quartet that makes you want to get up and dance. --Michael Simmons Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsWonderful fusion Pharoah S. Wail | 04/24/2002 (5 out of 5 stars) "Shortly after buying the CD, I saw the group perform in Somerville, MA. They are an energetic and highly entertaining ensemble (very funny on stage), and their musicianship is superb. I can highly recommend the CD, which roams around bluegrass, Cajun, jazz, African, and Caribbean with equal facility. There's so much to admire on this disc, like Bruce Molsky's riveting "Man of Constant Sorrow" (the best version I've ever heard), the gorgeous textures of "Chez Seychelles," or the hypnotic "African Solstice." It's all quite irresistible." SIMPLY THE BEST AMERICAN MUSIC OUT THERE!!!! Pharoah S. Wail | 04/28/2002 (5 out of 5 stars) "OK. This one's a winner!!! The Fiddlers 4 are doing great things for American vernacular music. What makes this CD so outstanding is the fiddle masters themselves and the arrangements they have collectively created from (and the original compositions like Anger's "African Solstice" and Doucet's "Danse Caribe" they've added to) the wide, wonderful spectrum of our American fiddle repertoire. (American means it comes from diverse places!) The CD unfolds so nicely from the opening Mississippi sharecropper's tune, "Pickin' The Devil's Eye," to its ending Doucet-original Cajun tune. What a JOY listening to this new quatuor's vivid musical imagination, its primal groove-based string sound, and its well-placed musical jokes (listen for "Atchafalaya Pipeline"'s finale). Thanks to Darol for just being DAROL and an unassuming genius; Bruce for just being BRUCE and for his touching tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor, "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free;" Michael for singing, composing, and playing in Cajun French (a most beautiful language); and Rushad for the host of amazing characters that climb out of his cello! This CD gets my very highest recommendation -- VIVE American vernacular music! VIVE these 4 musical musketeers!!!! (pioneers!!!!)" This one really hit me today Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 05/05/2004 (4 out of 5 stars) "Okay, so I was getting antsy waiting for my copy of Darol Anger's American Fiddle Ensemble - Republic of Strings (his newest release) to arrive, so I revisited this one. It's been quite some time since I listened to this release and I have always thought of it as an album that is uneven, but with great moments. Well, I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I was wrong. Aside from really just two tracks, this disc is excellent! I don't know how I ever thought of this as anything less than a fantastic disc. I listened to it today and literally had to get up off the couch and dance in the living room. Lots could be said about the three legends on this disc, but I want to also give a moment to Rushad (cello). This isn't just some young guy who got lucky and knew someone who knew someone and ended up getting a prime gig. Rushad is utterly brilliant! His cello playing changes the whole feel and movement of everything on which he plays. This could have been called Fiddlers 3 (just the legends) and it still would have been great, but it would have been a completely different album. Rushad's playing, and the sonority of the cello, just gives all these tunes a certain depth and a certain body that they could not have achieved without him. As was said in a previous review, yes, this is the best, most emotionally powerful Man Of Constant Sorrow I have ever heard. The number of stars to give a disc is usually the toughest part of the review. The other day I reviewed the new Garcia/Grisman album (Been All Around This World) and gave it three. I'm giving this one four, but that seems unfair to Fiddlers 4. It is head-and-shoulders better than Been All Around This World, in every possible way. I guess if I were to be more accurate, I would consider Been All Around to be a 2.7-star album, and this to be a 4.3.This disc is a must-have classic, and just one more reason to believe that Darol Anger is still the most forward-thinking "new acoustic musician" of his generation. Thank you, Darol! Keep the classics coming!"
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