Long before he became acknowledged as one of the greatest living mandolin players,
David Grisman produced a record featuring two greats from an earlier generation:
Tiny Moore (a veteran of the Western swing band
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys) and
Jethro Burns (one half of the humorous country duo
Homer & Jethro), along with rhythm guitarist
Eldon Shamblin (another
Wills' veteran) plus jazz greats
Ray Brown on bass and
Shelly Manne on drums. With superb arrangements by
John Carlini, the music came to together with a minimum of fuss over two studio sessions, with
Grisman joining the group on mandolin for three tracks. This is by no means a cutting contest between the two leaders, but a partnership where each man inspires the other. The interplay is lively in the jazz compositions, which include
Duke Ellington's "In a Millstone,"
Wes Montgomery's "Back to Back" (which is also known as "Bock to Bock"), the
Quintet of the Hot Club of France's "Swing '39,"
Lester Young's "Tickle Toe" and
Dizzy Gillespie's "Groovin' High." But they also add delightful originals of their own (
Burns playfully detours into the cool jazz vehicle "Bernie's Tune" in "Jethro's Tune") and offer a passionate treatment of
Bill Monroe's "Moonlight Waltz." The bonus selection is the previously unreleased "Maiden's Prayer," which features
Moore on fiddle, with
Grisman taking his place on mandolin. Not only have these performances held up extremely well over a quarter century after they took place, but this two-CD reissue adds a bonus track and a companion alternate take for every song, in addition to photos from the sessions and Dug Waggoner's priceless artwork. ~ Ken Dryden