Players: Tony Williamson,
Scott Vestal, Warren Amberson, Carrol Clements
SONGS:
Groundspeed (Earl Scruggs)
Mountain Girl (Tony Williamson)
Kissimee Kid (Vassar Clements)
Billy in the Lowground (Traditional)
Dark Hollow (Traditional)
Salt Creek (Traditional)
Toy Heart (Bill Monroe)
I Wonder Where You Are Tonight (Johnny Bond)
Unwound (Dean Dillon|Frank Dycus)
Lonesome Fiddle Blues (Vassar Clements)
Wayfaring Stranger (Traditional)
Wheel Hoss (Bill Monroe)
It must have been extremely
hot onstage at Randy Wood's Concert Hall that December of '04 when these
recordings were made. Those of us lucky enough to grab a ticket for this
standing room only, 2-night stand at the famed luthier's cozy 100-seat
Bloomingdale, Ga. listening room can attest to that.
This sextet of old
friends and mild acquaintances burned through a total of 4 sets' worth
of soulful acoustic music that touched on bluegrass, blues, jazz, gospel
(and even rock and roll) with as much precision, empathy and palpable
goodwill as one might expect from a lineup that ;had been gigging
together regularly for years - let alone one gathered together
specifically for this event, and afforded only a brief run-through the
night before
their engagement began.
This was high-tension wire music, played by seasoned
artists at the top of their game in front of a spellbound crowd of die
hard fans. The band members gleefully pushed their own limitations of
speed, heart and feeling. We could see it in the nervous smiles on their
faces as it all went down, and you can actually hear it from time to
time on this disc.
In retrospect, these tracks are made all the more
poignant by the realization that they document one of the final live
appearances Vassar ever made. A true gentlemanly legend of American
music, and an inspiration and fast friend to countless musicians of all
genres the world over, his celebrated spirit of generosity, acceptance
and reverence lies at the very heart of these shows and of this album.
As Bob Dylan (a noted Vassar fan himself) once wrote.
"In the fury of the moment / I can see the Master's hand".