Best of the Vanguard Years - Alison Brown

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Reviewed by Kathy Coleman

A "Best Of" collection that really shows what the word "best" means that is what Alison Brown's The Best of the Vanguard Years is. The veteran banjo picker shows the versatility and grandeur of the simple, backwood, five-strong banjo. From the rootsy, Scruggs-style music that demonstrate her background to Celtic dances and even modern jazz stylings, Brown shows that the banjo is not just for mountain music and bluegrass.

Brown has spent time with a cross-section of musicians, including a stint with Alison Krauss & Union Station; she won a Grammy in 2000 for a version of "Leaving Cottondale" with Bela Fleck; and she spent a year on tour with Michelle Shocked. Through it all, she released four albums from 1990 to 1996, and these are the songs that are highlighted herein.

The 17 songs featured on Best of the Vanguard Years are written by Brown, and demonstrate her widely varying style. Beginning with "Wolf Moon," she demonstrates ably her bluegrass roots. Her banjo is accompanied by fine, fine fiddling by Alison Krauss. Other pickers and fiddlers sharing music with Brown include Jim Kerwin on bass, Joe Craven on percussion, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Mike Marshall on mandolin, Tony Rice on guitar, and Vassar Clements on fiddle.

But Alison is not pigeonholed to Scruggs-style bluegrass picking. "Without Anastasia" is a haunting Russian-flavored melody, the banjo cleverly recreating the eastern stylings of the balalaika. "Mambo Banjo" is a light-hearted, jazzy tune with well-used bongo and flute, but it's not the only jazzy tune presented. "G Bop" recalls the familiar music of Vince Guaraldi, and I can almost hear it backing a Charlie Brown special; while "Shoot the Dog" is purely bluegrass, "Cara's Way (The Little People)" is a Celtic jig, including penny whistle, uilleann pipes, and bodhran.

The lovely "Waltzing with Tula" is progressive, modern bluegrass in the "new grass" style; "The Dalai Camel" takes us back to the far east, this time the banjo taking on the task of impersonating the lush sounds of the sitar. For "Leaving Cottondale" she returns to bluegrass, while "Look Left" and "Hello Mendocino!" show her love of jazz.

It's a strange and eclectic disc, delightful to listen to, and pure in its simplicity while strong in a rich, grand sound. Alison closes with "Simple Pleasures," the title track of her first album. Again, Alison Krauss is on the fiddle, and this wonderful old-meets-new style of bluegrass is touching, beautiful, and rich in heritage.

While at heart I am a lyric-motivated listener, I found myself loving the many different and intricate sounds that Alison Brown brings out of herself as a banjo picker and of her accompanying musicians as a writer. This is an excellent, stirring, and wonderful collection of unique music, old-style and new, and fully worth spending a rainy afternoon and a good book with.

Song List:

1. Wolf Moon
2. Chicken Road
3. Without Anastasia
4. Manbo Banjo
5. Shoot the Dog
6. Cara's Way (The Little People)
7. G Bop
8. Waltzing With Tula
9. Dalai Camel
10. Deep North
11. Saint Geneviève
12. Leaving Cottondale
13. Lorelei
14. Look Left
15. Hello Mendocino!
16. Inspector
17. Simple Pleasures