Kenny Baker
died a couple weeks ago. His loss was fresh in the mind of those at Grey Fox Bluegrass festival, and one album that was mentioned repeatedly was Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. I try not to read or comment on other reviews of albums, but the Allmusic description of 
the album started deliciously: "Is this the best bluegrass album ever made?" I will say this: it is the best instrumental bluegrass album ever made.Much is made of Bill Monroe
's presence on the album, and hey - he's a legend, and any time you can get Big Mon to play on an record, it's a win. But let's face it - this is Kenny Baker's show. What's amazing is how tasteful he is. In a whole album of fiddling, there isn't a single self-indulgent note. Even a blistered-fingers romp like "Monroe's Hornpipe" or "Wheel Hoss" feels like Baker playing the tune rather than showing off mile-a-minute virtuosity. Gentler tunes, like "Lonesome Midnight Waltz," are almost elegant. And "Jerusalem Ridge," which features both some mile-a-minute sections and some haunting minor key passages, has for good reason come to be associated with Baker even more than Monroe.Baker is a masterful player of tunes, not an interpreter. There are no seven-minute jams here that lose the melody only to find it again; the longest track is just over four minutes and most are in the two-and-a-half range. It's professional; each song is fiddle - banjo or mandolin - fiddle again. That could be read as a criticism, but it's refreshing here; the tunes feel almost perfect the way they are, and any frills would just unnecessary. The final tune, "Ashland Breakdown," is a microcosm of the album; Baker takes a melodious break, full of long bow strokes and double-stops, then Monroe takes a typically excellent break, followed by a final Baker solo, which ends suddenly on a double stop, as the rhythm backing falls out. It feels like it ends too soon.
, his debut album, is more steeped in American rock and pop than Italian arias and German symphonies: the opening finger-picked guitar riff evokes The Replacements' "Unsatisfied"; the guitar solo in "The Dream of Falling" suggests Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues"; the various "la"s and "bop"s pay homage to pop music from Phil Spector to the Counting Crows. But the album that this ultimately makes me think of is Wilco's 
. Summerteeth is almost a lost gem, a pop masterpiece nestled between the alt-country of 
and 
and the experimental genius of 
and subsequent albums. Like Summerteeth, Sargent Egyptian Girl carries both of those influences - "Chocolate Heart" is permeated by fiddle riffs, while "French Lessons" is drenched in effects and synths. And like Summerteeth, Sargent Egyptian Girl is peopled with perfectly-crafted tunes, with the lyrics, melody, production and deliverable working together.
is one of my favorite albums of the year, and their set did not disappoint. Thile gave a sneak preview with an amazing set at the workshop tent, showing his range (from Bill Monroe tunes to Bach) and his incomporable mandolin playing. The set with Daves was the highlight of the main stage for me this year;