Member's Favorite CD lists

Here's a listing of our members favorite bluegrass CD's.  This page works great as a shopping list too!

Tom Kindschi - MABMA Treasurer

 Artist  Album Title  Label  Year  Comments
Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza Acoustic Disc   What to you expect from a mandolin person! 2 CD set with great "liner notes," all the greatest living mandolin players on this CD with every playing style imaginable.
The Seldom Scene 20th Anniversary Concert Sugar Hill Records   Another 2 CD set with great renditions of classic bluegrass and a few restrained newgrass selections.
Kenneth "Jethro" Burns and Don Stiernberg Swing Low, Sweet Mandolin Acoustic Disc   Kenneth "Jethro" Burns and Don Stiernberg on guitar perform 16 Jazz and 40's Standards. Not a Bluegrass CD but I still listen to this and try to figure out some of those great Jazz and Blues type mandolin licks KJB was famous for. This is probably a limited interest CD for Mando players only.
David Grisman, Vince Gill, Herb Pedersen, Jim Buchanan, and Emory Gordy, Jr. Here Today Rounder   This is one of those CD's by a "one time only" band with David Grisman, Vince Gill, Herb Pedersen, Jim Buchanan, and Emory Gordy, Jr. There are 12 selections of very traditional bluegrass classics on this CD. Needless to say there's some great mandolin work here.
  The Greatest Stars of Bluegrass Music CMH Records   I have no idea where I ever found this CD, most likely in one of those "Bargain Bins" in the music store. The CD has 30 selections of traditional bluegrass with performers such as Don Reno, Mac Wiseman, Jim & Jesse, Flat and Scrugs, Nashville Grass and others. A really great selection of straight forward bluegrass.
Bela Fleck The Bluegrass Sessions Warner Bros.   This Bela Fleck CD is a mix of classic Bela Fleck "left field" banjo picking as well as traditional flavored newgrass. Bela's playing guests, including Earl Scrugs, Vassar Clements, John Hartford, Tony Rice, Sam Bush help keep the performances in line. "Polka on the Banjo" is a highlight of this CD with John Hartford performing the vocal on the only vocal selection.
Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band   Concensus Reality   This old CD kind of bridges the gap between Folk and Bluegrass. Most of the selections are very simple arrangements with straight forward instrumental breaks. A good "play along" CD.
 Ricky Skaggs Ancient Tones Skaggs Family   I don't believe this CD won a Grammy like "Bluegrass Rules" but it's typical Skaggs "tight" bluegrass sound. Traditional selections like: Pig in Pen, Boston Boy, Carolina Mountain Home, Mighty Dark to Travel performed in a traditional way.
Jerry Garcia & David Grisman Shady Grove Acoustic Disc   Another "folkie" type CD that has a wide selection of bluegrass, folk and old time arrangements. Classic Grisman mandolin and even banjo!
  Bluegrass Blueprint MABMA   Every member of MABMA should have a copy of this for their music collection! Whenever I play this CD for friends they can't believe that it's local talent. Although I've listed this CD in the #10 spot, right now it's number one on my listening list. I think I'm going to wear out the CD, if that's possible. If you don't have a copy please order one! Check it out under Good Listenin'.

 

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