Ben Winship & David Thompson – Fishing Music
A collection of, as the subtitle puts it, acoustic folk, blues & swing more or less centered around a theme, this is an engaging set that leverages the presence of some familiar names to draw attention to others that ought to be, while solving the problem of what to give the fishing enthusiast who already has everything.
Kicked off by Mollie OBriens reading of the swinging philosophical treatise, The Important Part Of Fishing, the set ranges from a stripped-down version of the Doc Watson-popularized Deep River Blues, to an airy Django Reinhardt tune, Fly Fishing (Peche A La Mouche), to Hoagy Carmichaels Lazy River, to settings of traditional Celtic tunes.
All are rendered with wit and craft by a long list of pickers and singers. Among the better-known are OBrien and her brother Tim, dobroist Rob Ickes and guitarist David Grier. Standouts deserving more acclaim include bassist David Thompsons bandmates in Montanas premier bluegrass group, Kanes River notably singer Julie Elkins, who lays down her banjo to turn in a shimmering performance of Kostas Reflections Off The Water as well as Ben Winship, who shows off a wide variety of stylistic chops on the mandolin, mandola and banjo, and sundry jazz and Celtic musicians.
With a ready-made market based on its central conceit, this pleasant, good-humored anthology ought to do well; at the very least, it will console anyone whos had a fruitless day on the water.