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Peter Rowan and Tony Rice
Quartet
(Rounder)
John Metzger's #19 album for 2007
First Appeared in
The Music Box, January 2007, Volume 14, #1
Written by John Metzger
The longer that they are around, the more that rock ’n‘ roll artists seem to
struggle to retain their relevance. Although some do recover late in life, their
resurrection usually comes at the hand of learning to approach their art from a
perspective that is more mature and refined. Performers from the folk-oriented
side of the spectrum, however, typically fare worst in their youth when they
lack the wisdom necessary for delivering their tales convincingly. It’s rare
for artists to succeed in both realms, but through their collaborations with mandolinist David Grisman, the adventurous spirits of Peter Rowan and Tony Rice
were able to blossom fully. After a stint with Bill Monroe, Rowan had united
with Grisman to form Earth Opera in 1967, and the duo joined forces again during the
early 1970s in the legendary bluegrass band Old & in the Way. Rice’s progressive
tendencies began to establish themselves when he was with The Bluegrass
Alliance, and he further developed his boundary-pushing, genre-smashing ways
as a member of the David Grisman Quintet.
Working within the same circles, it isn’t surprising that Rowan and Rice had
bumped into one another on countless occasions. Yet, they never had managed to
find the time to make an album together. In 2004, however, everything changed
when Rowan and Rice completed You Were There for Me. In what proved to be
a smart move, neither musician had set lofty expectations for the endeavor.
Instead, they took a low-key approach to the album, recording it in drips and
drabs over the course of three years.
Rowan and Rice followed a completely different
path for their sophomore outing
Quartet. This time, the duo utilized the talents of bass player Bryn
Davies and mandolinist Sharon Gilchrist, the other members of their touring
band. All of the chemistry that was present in You Were There for Me is
replicated on Quartet, of course, but the arrangements are more intricately layered
and greatly improved. On an instrumental rendition of Shady Grove, for example,
the song’s melody effortlessly is tossed from one musician to the next, and with
each iteration, it is bent and twisted in a manner that is more akin to jazz
than bluegrass. Elsewhere, the ensemble transforms Patti Smith’s
country-oriented Trespasses into a back-porch waltz, while Todd Pons’
Guardian Angels carefully walks the line between dismal desperation and
spiritual bliss.
In spite of the fact that each selection is delivered with impeccable
precision, however, the pacing of Quartet is somewhat suspect. In truth,
the album peaks early when the cohesion of its opening sequence — which counters
the lost hope of Dust Bowl Children with the bittersweet optimism of
Townes Van Zandt’s To Live Is to Fly only to plunge into the lonesome
darkness of The Walls of Time — outshines the set’s less connected latter
half. Granted, there’s an attempt to bring the collection to a rapturous
conclusion, one which accepts death as a new beginning, but the bold
re-imagining of Midnight Moonlight that serves as Quartet’s
striking centerpiece is a tough act to follow. For as many times as Rowan likely
has performed the tune, he has found yet another fresh and vibrant perspective
from which to deliver it. Yet, the long shadow that it casts is nearly
impossible to escape. Even so, Quartet is a stunning endeavor, and
although its flaws keep it from being a true masterpiece, it certainly ranks
among the finest outings with which Rice and Rowan have been associated. 
Quartet is available from
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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