Tony Rice - 58957: The Bluegrass Guitar Collection (CD, 2003)

by Ben Fitzgerald, 06/01/2004

With the recent inundation of compilation and various-artist CDs making their grab for the growing bluegrass-fan dollar, Tony Rice's latest offering reminds us just how important a compilation can be. 58957: The Bluegrass Guitar Collection brings together 21 instrumentals spanning his entire career. More than just a best of, TBGC delivers a valuable history of Rice's work as one of the genre's most important instrumentalists. And as the serial number in the title suggests, it's also a celebration of his 1935 Martin D-28, inherited from Clarence White.

As always, Rice finds himself in the midst of the finest talent. The selection draws upon his steadfast and ongoing relationship with Rounder, showcasing his work with JD Crowe and Doyle Lawson in the Bluegrass Album Band, various incarnations of the Tony Rice Unit, the Rice Brothers, and his duo work with Norman Blake - as well as an aggressively fluid Bela Fleck recording of Whitewater.

As Maestro of the Martin, Rice has long been considered the benchmark for guitar pickers, and is one of the most recognized names in bluegrass. But TBGC is not a showcase for a bluegrass star. It is a presentation of a working musician, a consummate performer focused squarely on his music. Whether he's leading us through the peaks and valleys of a solo on Jerusalem Ridge, clocking in at over 6 minutes, or driving the rhythm in Blackberry Blossom, played here at a mind-blistering pace that maintains all the impact of its gentle melody, Rice is not simply playing well, he's taking us into undiscovered depths of the music.

And that's really what this collection is about. It reaffirms that Rice's success is a result of much more than his impeccable technical skills - it's his love for the music he plays, the joy and emotional foundation he rests every note upon.

The sound quality is superb, Ron Block contributes intelligent liner notes, and Rice provides his own insight and anecdotes for each track. And while it seems Rounder may have missed an opportunity for a lengthier, more encompassing anthology, they are to be commended for successfully capturing Rice's daunting contribution to instrumental bluegrass.

MP3 samples available!
Blackberry Blossom
Jerusalem Ridge
Whitewater

Songlist:
1. Tipper
2. Monroe's Hornpipe
3. Jerusalem Ridge
4. New Chance Blues
5. Blackberry Blossom
6. Medley: Fiddler's Dram / Whiskey Before Breakfast
7. Whitewater
8. Lost Indian
9. Stoney Point
10. Misty Morning
11. Gold Rush
12. Foggy Mountain rock
13. Stoney Creek
14. Home Sweet Home
15. Bill Cheatam
16. Stoney Lonsesome
17. Soldier's Joy
18. Cheyenne
19. Big Mon
20. Birdland Breakdown 21. Port Tobacco

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