reviews

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Photo- Michael Stewart

Corbett, Chrisman and Tice – exemplars of a vibrant new sound--unclassifiable, unchained, and undeniably exceptional. If you're a musician, this production will make you wish you were part of the action. If you're a music fan, Corbett, Chrisman and Tice promises wrap-around satisfaction. Music flows like electricity through what the trio describes as a "documented and arranged jam session." What emerges out of the Patuxent studio from the encounter of Wes Corbett, Simon Chrisman and Jordan Tice is a rare, heady concoction of creative wizardry and instrumental mastery. Times three.

Each member of this dynamic trio is widely recorded and highly regarded in his own right. Wes Corbett, who brings unusual texture and insight to his banjo playing, has performed with such diverse groups as Crooked Still, The David Grisman Quintet, Tristan and Tashina Clarridge, Old School Freight Train and The Biscuit Burners. He and hammered dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman have appeared with New Old Stock and have been a performing and composing duo for years. Chrisman has forged an original approach to his instrument
that is fast gaining him recognition. Jordan Tice, whose first Patuxent CD “No Place Better,”j ump-started his reputation as “an amazingly gifted guitarist and composer” (Bluegrass Unlimited), has worked with many singers, songwriters, bluegrass bands and jazz groups, both on stage and in the studio. All in all, these are three busy men with much to offer and the gift of offering it with savvy and verve. The combination of guitar, banjo and hammered dulcimer allows for exciting innovations, extruding new possibilities through instruments generally limited to a single genre. Chrisman’s talented hands reveal the
hammered dulcimer as both a traditional melodic vehicle and one with percussive qualities that interact stunningly within this aggregation. Corbett’s banjo style is realms away from traditional while embracing the best of his bedrock influences.