All-Star Bluegrass Celebration

 (2 customer reviews)

Playing Time - 55:55 -- The high octane of bluegrass music in a live show has been captured in the "All Star Bluegrass Celebration" produced by legendary Austin City Limits architect Terry Lickona. Available on CD or DVD, the intensity of this genre is seized in this documentation of a show featuring some of the greatest performers in the business. The many moods of bluegrass range from the hard-core traditional to quick-paced contemporary, enchanting gospel to powerful mountain sounds.

Recorded on January 16, 2002 at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium for a PBS broadcast, the All-Star Bluegrass Celebration was a very popular fund-raising special. There is one primary tradeoff to the energy of a live show, and that is the audience applause which can be downright noisy and annoying, especially when it's rendered over a hot break or vocals.

The DVD version contains three bonus tracks. The show was hosted by Ricky Skaggs, and the CD begins with Kentucky...Read more

Originally taped live at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, this celebration of Bluegrass' legends and current stars has been a staple of PBS fundraising nights all across the country. Now available on both CD and DVD, the program captures highlights from bluegrass founders Earl Scruggs and Ralph Stanley, legendary players Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill and Alison Krauss, and country stars like Patty.

The program provides a good introduction to the riches of Bluegrass, including the hot-picking of Kentucky Thunder and Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley's bone-chilling a capella "O Death," and the generational interconnection of standards like Bill Monroe's "Uncle Pen." The DVD edition adds three tracks to the CD: Earl Scruggs' "Passin' Through," Ralph Stanley's "Rocky Island," and a group finale of "Little Maggie."