17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
A "roots" music visionary's concept-album masterpiece.,
March 2, 2002 Bob Zeidler (Charlton, MA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heritage (Audio CD)
My eariest recollection of Darol Anger as one of the world's most unique fiddlers goes back nearly two decades, with the Windham Hill release of "Live at Montreux," featuring the Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie Quintet. To this day, I still pull this CD out, if only to play "Near Northern," a true classic of its genre. But that album had been released in the early, "good" days of Windham Hill, when the label had been the pet project and unique vision of Will Ackerman and Anne Robinson. Absent their subsequent leadership, the label veered off-base as far as my musical tastes were concerned. And, consequently, I lost track of Darol for more than a decade.
Then, about four years ago, while in the evening "commuter rush," I had the opportunity to hear samples of "Heritage," with commentary by Darol, on NPR's "All Things Considered." With those musical snippets bouncing around in my head, I couldn't find my own copy of the album fast enough. And, once I had my own copy in hand, and...Read more
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
ATour de force,
April 13, 2008 Stephen Job (Woodland Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heritage (Audio CD)
OK, it was by chance only that I came upon this album, but I knew of Darol Anger and Mike Marshall and the San Francisco contingent, including Scott Nygaard, a personal favorite. These are some of the most talented players on the planet, but they all have remained close to home and hearth, carefully picking and choosing in which project to participate.
I am not going to dwell on the who's who on this album. Bob "Z" did an excellent and comprehensive job in his review posted here. This album deserves a wider following. It is comprised of the finest musicians, playing a staggering array of instruments, recorded in an acoustically rich environment. Add to this vocals by some of the most easily identifiable talent in the business and you have the musical palette from which Darol and the others have created a series of masterpieces.
Make no mistake: This is NOT your grandmother's roots music. It started way back when, but the similarity ends there. Each of these...Read more
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