Search - Todd Phillips, David Grier, Matt Flinner :: Looking Back

On Looking Back, their second CD, this acoustic trio demonstrates its mastery of the three T's: taste, tone, and technique. Whether their fingers are dancing through a bluegrass standard like Bill Monroe's "Tennessee Blues" or caressing the meditative melody of jazz pianist McCoy Tyner's "Search for Peace," the three musicians fuse elements of jazz, bluegrass, and rock into intriguing new shapes. Rather than charge their way through the tunes as musicians from the bluegrass tradition sometimes do, guitarist David Grier and mandolin player Matt Flinner concentrate on laying back and playing a single perfect note rather than a flurry of almost right ones. Bassist Todd Phillips lays down a solid rhythmic foundation while balancing the brighter-sounding instruments of his partners with a mellow low end. The sound is so full and rich it's hard to believe there are only three musicians here. Phillips, Grier, and Flinner called this CD Looking Back because they chose songs that they grew up playing. The tunes may be from the past, but their musical vision is decidedly facing the future. --Michael Simmons