The REVIEWABLE
** Sing Out! Fall 2008 Review of Yank Rachell Tribute CD:
The late Yank Rachell was loved and respected by those fortunate enough to know him and, even more, by those who had the pleasure of making music with him. This tribute album, long in development, reflects those feelings and was well worth the wait. The musical quality and energy throughout the album make it a treasury of fine mandolin blues, and a compliment to the memory of a fine bluesman. While he is now recognized as a giant of the blues tradition, Yank was less successful than other blues musicians of his generation. Most of his life he worked in farming and factory jobs to support his family, and so was a musician only part-time. Yet he stands with others in the center of the tradition, recognized throughout the blues world as one of its key figures. He wrote many classic country blues; his mandolin-playing is recognized as having established the mandolin as a great blues instrument. The twenty-one tribute tracks here include performances by a wide array of performers: Andra Faye, Rich DelGrosso, David Grisman, Karen Irwin, Tim O’Brien, Jim Richter, Pete Rowan, John Sebastian, Mike Seeger, and others. Songs include Yank classics (“Divin’ Duck Blues,” “She Caught the Katy,” “Texas Tony,” “Wadie Green,” etc); while others are classic blues like “Sitting on Top of the World” and “Deep Elem Blues.” As deeply enjoyable as this album is, the contrast with the charm of Yank’s own recordings is significant: excellent voices (Andra Faye, Karen Irwin), tight arrangements, and recordings with mandolin out from contrast with Yank’s appealingly rough voice and relaxed arrangements, with mandolin often in the background. You can enjoy Yank himself on YouTube, playing the “Mailman Blues” with Sleepy John Estes in 1966. If you’re a mandolin player and reinspired by this album, check out Jim Richter’s YouTube blues mandolin lessons, and thank him for his role (along with many others) in bringing out this album to benefit Yank’s family.
**Nuvo Newsweekly May 6, 2009 Review of Yank Rachell Tribute CD:
Read post to this website: http://www.jimrichter.com/?p=109
