The perfect setting for these master musicians
Dai Mcclurg | Seattle, WA United States | 09/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Duo is probably the best setting to allow these master musicians to stretch out and fill up the room with their incredible music. I've followed these two gentlemen for 20 years through all of their various projects and collaborations, and this disk is my favorite. I usually think of Mike Marshall as a mandolin god, and his mando talents are well featured here especially on "Big Man From Syracuse", but what amazes me most on this disk is his incredible guitar playing, and his interplay with Darol Anger. Mike's choices of chords are so beautiful, as he adds harmonic depth and interest to a tune, like "Down in the Willow Garden", "In the Pines", and "Vasen your seatbelts/The crossing", that it opens the tune up far more than usual, and gives it so much more feeling. When he returns to the essential basis of the tune, you feel like you are coming home from an amazing odyssey. Darol Anger's fiddle soars so beautifully in the duo, and the range of feelings and sounds he produces are astonishing. I love the way he constructs a solo, by slowly outlining a phrase, and then with such style, playing all over, inside, and around it, before heading out into new territory. This is a brilliant live recording of these masters at the peak of their powers. You will not be disappointed."
Bumper Crop
Joseph J. Hoffman | Murrells Inlet, SC United States | 07/24/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although Anger and Marshall have been making great music for a long time, they are a recent discovery for me. Pleasantly, I discovered them at a summer festival and was immediately impressed with their virtuosity and sense of humor. This CD contains a variety of Americana at it's best.A couple of favorites of mine are "In the Pines" and "Frogs on Ice" If these guys appear in your area, don't miss them. Live performance is better for the soul."