Shifting Sands of Time

Amazon.com
These days, everyone wants to be eclectic and the mastermind of some hyphenated style, but very few fusioneers are as fearless as this new all-star acoustic ensemble led by violinist Matt Glaser and featuring Andy Statman (clarinet, mandolin), John McGann (guitar, mandolin), Tony Trischka (banjo), Bruce Barth (piano), Jim Whitney (bass), and Jennifer Kimball (vocals). The recording also includes cameos from Lucy Kaplansky, Tim O'Brien, and others. Hang onto your Stetson as "Man of Constant Sorrow," kicked off by Trischka's banjo and the craggy voice of Ralph Stanley himself, wanders into interludes of rolling jazz piano. Elsewhere, klezmer clarinet melodies rise out of the Appalachian mist, Emily Dickinson poetry soars to late-night jazz, and bluegrass classics are boldly yet gently reharmonized--a series of transformations and explorations with strong spiritual overtones. The Strangers are definitely on a quest, and listeners who suspend their expectations will be rewarded with music that's beautifully played and uniquely transporting. --Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Shifting Sands of Time,Wayfaring Strangers,Rounder / Pgd,Bluegrass,Contemporary Folk,Folk & Traditional,Pop

Average customer rating: Ralph Stanley UNLEASHED Good, but not as good as it gets Ralph Stanley and Laszlo Gardony. Great combination! Best cover ever???? Pure as a mountain stream...

Shifting Sands of Time Wayfaring Strangers Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: This Train Shaken by a Low Sound Song of the Traveling Daughter Angels Are Singing: Women's Bluegrass Gospel O Sister! The Women's Bluegrass Collection ASIN: B00005N8VS Release Date: 2001-11-06

Tracks:

1. Shifting Sands of Time (w/Jennifer Kimball and Cathie Ryan)
2. Man of Constant Sorrow (w/Ralph Stanley)
3. High on a Mountain (w/Lucy Kaplansky and Jennifer Kimball)
4. I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome Too (w/Tim O'Brien)
5. Motherless Child (w/Jennifer Kimball)
6. Cry, Cry, Darling (w/Laurie Lewis)
7. June Apple (w/Jennifer Kimball and Cathie Ryan)
8. Memories of You (w/Lucy Kaplansky and Jennifer Kimball)
9. Funeral in My Brain (w/Jennifer Kimball)
10. Working on a Building (w/Tracy Bonham)
11. Strange Bird (w/Ry Cavanaugh)
12. Rank Stranger (w/Rhonda Vincent)
13. Wayfaring Stranger (w/Lucy Kaplansky and Jennifer Kimball)

Amazon.com

These days, everyone wants to be eclectic and the mastermind of some hyphenated style, but very few fusioneers are as fearless as this new all-star acoustic ensemble led by violinist Matt Glaser and featuring Andy Statman (clarinet, mandolin), John McGann (guitar, mandolin), Tony Trischka (banjo), Bruce Barth (piano), Jim Whitney (bass), and Jennifer Kimball (vocals). The recording also includes cameos from Lucy Kaplansky, Tim O'Brien, and others. Hang onto your Stetson as "Man of Constant Sorrow," kicked off by Trischka's banjo and the craggy voice of Ralph Stanley himself, wanders into interludes of rolling jazz piano. Elsewhere, klezmer clarinet melodies rise out of the Appalachian mist, Emily Dickinson poetry soars to late-night jazz, and bluegrass classics are boldly yet gently reharmonized--a series of transformations and explorations with strong spiritual overtones. The Strangers are definitely on a quest, and listeners who suspend their expectations will be rewarded with music that's beautifully played and uniquely transporting. --Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Customer Reviews:

Ralph Stanley UNLEASHED.......2007-04-07

Ever have one of those wacky impossible dreams? 'like you're floating over the Grand Canyon, or, while preparing to make a shot on a $10,000 billiard table, you look up, and you're in a jungle?!

That's what this is.

I'll throw 5 stars in the pot merely because this is so far out there, that I can't possibly lose this hand---This is one of the most bizarre things this reviewer has ever heard.

The talent involved is first-rate, and their performances are "stellar", but, ..., But...???

Good, but not as good as it gets.......2005-12-21

True to their name, the Wayfaring Strangers are an only partially fixed group of musicians, with some wandering in and out. Even after reading a Sing Out! article about them I have trouble keeping the line-up straight. Their music is a mixture of bluegrass and traditional (now marketted as "roots") with significant swing and contemporary singer-songwriter elements, among others. This confluence makes for a fresh sound, even on well-worn tunes, yet is broadly accessible. The level of musicianship is quite high on an individual basis, and there's not a bad track on the disc.

The reason I'm only giving an average rating is that the group is not at the level on this CD that they would soon reach. The first time I heard them was in concert in NYC around 2003. They had a relaxed but bouncy rhythm, energy, and on some songs a lot of emotional force. Those qualities can be heard on this disc but they are somehow blander, like someone turned down the contrast and color controls a bit. Their follow-up CD, This Train, is more robust. So while the music is well played (or sung), creative and enjoyable, I can't give the CD a top rating because the WS have attained greater things. Still recommended, for its merits are many.

Ralph Stanley and Laszlo Gardony. Great combination!.......2004-11-14

The "Man of Constant Sorrow" sung by the great Ralph Stanley and featuring an amazing piano solo by Laszlo Gardony is without question the best track on this beautiful CD.
The music is truly inspiring on "Shifting Sands of Time". Hats off to the leader and innovative mind of the band, Matt Glaser! Bravo Wayfaring Strangers!

Best cover ever????.......2004-08-26

I probably shouldn't write a review until I get the CD, which I'm ordering now. I heard "High On A Mountain" on our local community radio station this morning (KRCL, SLC, Utah) and it knocked my socks off... this may very well be the best cover of any song by any band! Not only was the delivery on the vocals excellent, but the fiddle really pulled it together.

Then I saw the lineup... Matt Glaser, Andy Statman, Tony Trishka... it all made sense. I'm a fan of Jazz, Bluegrass, Folk, etc, so the other reviews discussing the mix of styles just intrigued me more. I can't wait to hear the rest!

Pure as a mountain stream..........2004-03-19

Imagine Diana Krall married Bella Fleck, (instead of Elvis), and moved to the mountains of East Tennessee. This collection of, dare I use the cliche "eclectic", bluegrass is what jazz should've been if if hadn't been polluted by the St Louis and Chicago "free-run but no melody" city-fication of the people's music. Not only do you get virtuoso performances on strings, you also get Lucy Kaplansky, Rhonda Vincent, Ry Cavanaugh, and more. This album is like the south... you either get it or you don't. And if you don't... please refrain from embarrassing yourself.

Music Album:

1. Shot Full of Love
2. Single White Female
3. Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits 1 & 2 [Import]
4. Slippin' Away
5. So Good Together [Enhanced]
6. Something Beautiful [Enhanced]
7. Somewhere in the Middle
8. Sound Ideas/Half Satin & Half Latin
9. Stardust [SACD]
10. Strictly Instrumental

Music Album