Search - Tony Trischka :: Dust on the Needle

Unbelievable CD

David R Usher | St. Louis, MO | 01/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of Tony Triscka's for 20 years. He is a master composer of our era, ranking in flair and brilliance with Frank Zappa. Put this into a technically-perfect bluegrass scenario, with an occasional saxaphone or synth added, and you have something totally unforgettable."The Only Way" is Tony's signature piece (in my opinion), injecting an eastern modal structure (whole steps only - going DOWNWARDS), that reminds me of the M.C. Escher drawings with waterfalls going every which way. I have listened to this tune a thousand times, and hear something new hidden in there each time.In all his tunes, Trischka does something that no other banjo player does. He never repeats himself twice, yet never lets up on the complexity or strength of his compositions either. He compositions range from delicate renditions of Scottish tunes to high-powered statements that would give the best hard-rock band serious competition.The rest of the band is just as brilliant and solid. Andy Statman is every jazzgrass mandolin players' envy. Russ Barenberg's guitar playing is slicker than deer guts on a doorknob, enough to bring tears to your eyes. The rest of the band is just as hot, but you'll have to find that out for yourself.This album is pretty much the best of their original tunes over the years, missing only a few timeless jewels such as "Serving Mankind".If anybody wants to find out where Bela Fleck got his ideas, here are the original, and still unbeaten masters of jazzgrass.We can only hope and pray that Tony puts out another compilation of his other pieces, tunes from before the Country Cooking era such as "Na Lei Hawaii", etc. (Tony, we are begging you.)If you get a chance to see Tony play, you will meet one of the nicest, most humble guys that ever walked this planet - the Mahareshi of Bluegrass for sure.If you like me, nervous about buying CDs by groups you have never heard before, this is the last one you need to doubt. It is an incredible CD -- It has my highest recommendations."