First published in  Lonely Goat Print Magazine Volume III - #1

Breaking the Sound Barriers
by J.D. Edwards (January, 2000)

When most folks think Jazz, they automatically visualize some gray-haired, African-American musical recluse, creating incomprehensible ramblings in a cultural vacuum solely for the appreciation of snooty art patrons and music students. The genre occupies a certain aloof niche within the musical spectrum, creating melodies that are more academic than accessible. For the average listener, Jazz is either hit or miss; it either captures fans with its uncompromising freedom or repels them with its structural idiosyncrasies.

And at the opposite end of that imaginary spectrum, Bluegrass occupies a similar quaint cubbyhole in the history of music. Spurned by commercial radio for its perceived lack of sophistication, Bluegrass still caters mainly to a select group of ravenous fanatics who aren't simply barefoot brown-gummed bumpkins but rather represent a generous cross-section of the entire Caucasian populace. So what could these two distant and culturally exclusive American cousins possibly have to do with each other?

Well, Jazz is more than just some erudite socialite walking around with their nose in the air, and Bluegrass is more than some inbred mute who doesn't possess the necessary social skills to leave his Kentucky hollow. The two share many things in terms of the purity of their expression and the loftiness of their goals, and each stands to gain greatly from the other's staunch idealistic stance. The main tenet of Jazz remains its stream-of-consciousness, spontaneous improvisation, and Bluegrass, with all its communal jamming, benefits tremendously from a more free form, interactive approach. Many bands are incorporating elements of Jazz with other unrelated styles, even the seemingly incompatible Bluegrass, to create new indefinable genres of less restrictive music.

The original introduction of Jazz to Bluegrass happened back in the seventies, and some of the pioneers of that movement returned to the Arts and Science Center in Hickory for a refresher course in musical revolution. Tony Rice, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall and Todd Phillips helped bring the open-ended improvisation of Jazz to the warm, string-centered interaction of a Bluegrass quintet twenty years ago, further solidified by The Flecktones in the eighties and nineties. They could still break it down and pick Bill Monroe, but they opted for a new twist by marrying Bluegrass to the studied theoretical approach of Jazz, focusing on Miles-n-Trane inspired instrumental explorations.

These four musical juggernauts were ultimately united around the Django-influenced swing, classical and jazz of David Grisman who helped discover them way back when. Songs like Tony's "Manzanita" and "Devlin" helped define the Jazzgrass movement in the seventies and were back on hand at Hickory, sounding as fresh and cutting the edge as ever. So it was a reunion with Dawg being the only missing piece. The November Hickory performances also marked Tony's triumphant return to the stage after hurting his hand, an injury that deprived us of his participation in Bela's roots revival, Bluegrass Sessions.

Darol Anger and Mike Marshall both employ a wide diversity of instruments and styles. Both musician's careers have overlapped beginning in Grisman's string swing ranks and then moving on together to the neo-classicism of Psycograss. In addition to mandolin and occasional guitar, they both played swing fiddle in the vein of Stephane Grappelli, fiery bluegrass breakdowns reminiscent of Vassar Clements or proper classical arrangements a la Yehudi Menuhin, and that versatility was invaluable to a style-shifting composer like Grisman.

They have all dedicated their lives towards redefining their respective instruments so their willingness to experiment makes on wonder: could banjo sonatas be that far away? Well perhaps fellow stylistic chameleon Bela Fleck, who's already taken banjo to Jazz, Pop, Funk and Raga, will oblige.

While Tony and his cronies can be credited with helping bring Jazz to Bluegrass, Jazz Mandolin Project founder Jamie Masefield can be credited with the greater feat of introducing elements of bluegrass into Jazz. Musically what JMP does has absolutely nothing to do with traditional Bluegrass. Their music has more to do with the guitar trio Jazz of Scofield, Metheny and McLaughlin than Grisman or Rice's Jazzy Bluegrass, except that in place of a guitar they substitute mandolin. What at first seems blasphemous quickly becomes logical as the instrument's light thin tone makes it ideal for soft melodious ballads or breakneck hard bop.

A recent Cat's Cradle performance showcased the continuing evolution of the band. Their new rhythm section (this time around Chris Dalhgren and Mike Masur filled the spaces) is more of a standard Jazz-trio setup: lively acoustic bass over soft skittering percussion polyrhythms. the two represent a vast departure for JMP's original rhythm section of bassist Stacey Starkweather and drummer Gabe Jarrett who seemed more befitting of a hard rock power trio. Stacey and Gabe relied less on subtlety and more on volume and power, often submerging the dainty mandolin lines in their rumbling wake. Chris and Mike have a quieter, more responsive style, listening to Jamie more and playing off his ideas as opposed to merely showcasing their own chops.

Mandolin player and chief songwriter Jamie Masefield has created a conceptual approach to music where individual notes mean less than the progression and juxtaposition of notes and tones. He creates aural portraits by splattering sounds against a dense musical backdrop much as a painter assembles colors, using MIDI magic to broaden his instrument's tonal and textural potential. Jamie doesn't pick bluegrass like Grisman or his disciples, ultimately making his sound more harmonious to the open-minded Jazz afficionado than the Bluegrass-centered mandolin fan.

Across the board, outdated barriers are being traversed; repressive rules are being snickered at, all in the name of uniting people through music. Nowadays, Bluegrass isn't all chaw and spittle and Jazz isn't just wine and cheese. Disparate elements of culture are clashing together, reforming, borrowing from each other and ultimately creating something completely new and unique. Everyone except diehard purists should be overjoyed by that.