WINTERGRASS BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

While there were many truly astounding performances given throughout, I think it's safe to say that the 25th year reunion of the original line-up of the David Grisman Quintet on the main stage was the highlight of the festival. The prescient and wise organizers of Wintergrass warned folks to grab their seats for the Grisman show at least two hours ahead of time. Sure enough, by 8pm that convention hall was full enough to get the fire marshall's boxers all bunched up. As I sat cross-legged on the floor a mere 10 feet from the stage, I felt my simmering anticipation boil over to uncontrollable glee as Grisman (mandolin of course), Tony Rice (guitar), Darol Anger (fiddle), Mike Marshall (mandolin and guitar) and Todd Phillips (upright bass and mandolin) took their spots on stage, just as they did 25 years ago. Ok, so Marshall was not in the "original" Grisman Quintet line-up, but he joined soon after it's inception, and nobody dared complain about this most pleasant oversight. The audience's excitement from witnessing this historic reunion was certainly echoed by the players on stage. I've been fortunate to have seen the Grisman Quintet a handful of times, some shows were absolute sparkling gems, and others seemed uninspired and rather routine. Friday night's show was a Hope Diamond of shows, every player seemingly giddy with joy, no doubt reinforced by the incredible energy beaming up from the audience.

After Dawg graciously reintroduced his old friends for us, he announced they would begin the set by playing the very first DGQ album in it's entirety! Before I knew it, my jaw was on the floor as the whirling, swinging aural ecstacy of the opening cut, E.M.D., enveloped my body. Anger, always a jovial and expressive spirit on stage, certainly assumed the spirit of the late, great swing/jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli, and got the place really groovin' with fiery fiddle lines. In fact, everyone on stage was ON. Rice, despite his decline in health over the past few years, really stepped it up and played his guts out as if it was his last show. I swore I even saw him wipe away a tear or two towards the end. If you didn't let Marshall's animated facial expressions distract, you probably noticed he was ripping it up as always, proving his pedestal in the Mandolin Hall of Fame should be as tall as Grisman's. While Grisman's virtuosity on the mandolin always seemed unconscious and effortless, the huge, glistening beads of sweat on his forehead certainly suggested otherwise.

By the time they reached the last track of the album, Dawg's Rag, this vintage Quintet was firing on all cylinders. A few more songs, including the exquisite Wayfaring Stranger, dedicated to swing/jazz pioneers Django Rheinhardt and Grappelli, rounded out this magical set. Once bitten by the Dawg and his crew, the rabid audience, which included youngsters, old timers, church-goers and dreadlockers and everyone in between, would not let the magic fade so quickly. Three rousing encore numbers ensued, with Grisman's son (who didn't look a day over 13) joining on upright bass, surely making papa Dawg proud. Of course, no bluegrass festival headlining act would be complete without a grand finale all-star jam. So the Wintergrass faithful caught a glimpse of the next bluegrass generation when Nickel Creek's mandolin prodigy Chris Thile and fiddler phenom Sara Watkins (neither of whom looked a day over twenty) hopped on stage to end the show with a big bang. Phew! What an intense night!

Let me reiterate that the DGQ performance was not the ONLY highlight of this amazing four day festival. Some of the biggest names in bluegrass both national and local were there to share their interpretations of this dynamic genre of music. Other acts included a reunion of the supergroup NewGrange, featuring Marshall, Anger, Grammy award-winning banjoist Alison Brown, stringed instrument utilityman Tim O'Brien, pianist Phil Aaberg and bassist/mandolinist Todd Phillips. Dobro master Mike Auldridge of Seldom Scene fame, and the quicksilvery flatpicking guitarist Mike Bennett wowed Wintergrassers with their group Bennett, Auldrige and Gaudreau. Though I barely missed Doyle Lawson (of Country Gentlemen fame) and his group, I overheard several people describe their performance as "orgasmic!" The reunion of Tony and Larry Rice, Herb Pedersen and Chris Hillman, old chums from their early pickin' days in California was a delight and further testament to the drawing power of Wintergrass. The list of talent was deep and the schedule packed, which provided the pleasant challenge of having to carefully pick and choose which of these incredible acts to check out.

Many of these acts got to perform in the historic First Baptist Church on Market, just down the street from the Sheraton. It is truly a religious experience to see these musicians play in this simplistically beautiful old church. The balcony above, the spacious ground-level stage so close to the front row pews you might get spit on, and the incredibly divine acoustics truly enhances the special intimacy of the venue. Besides, with the strong gospel influences in bluegrass, it seems only proper to experience it in this setting. You could tell it was especially inspiring for the musicians as well. Tim O'Brien put it right when he likened it to the mythical Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Amen.

But the fun didn't stop there, no sir. Half the fun, or most of the fun if you're a picker, is checking out all the impromptu jams involving the festivalgoers themselves. Nearly every nook and cranny of the hotel lobby and convention hall foyer is filled with joyous jam circles, a true picker's paradise. Jams have been known to break out in elevators, bathrooms, phone booths, you name it, no free space is spared from the sweet sound of homespun bluegrass. Any time of day or night is prime-time for pickin' too. Friday night I ended up pickin' and makin' new friends until 2.30 AM when I had to stop from sheer exhaustion, but I'm sure the jams went "on and on," as Bill Monroe sang, until the sweet Tacoma dawn. Look, if you live in the Northwest and love bluegrass, or are just getting into it, this festival should be mandatory. If you live elsewhere and love bluegrass, give the long journey to Tacoma, the City of Destiny, some serious thought, and book your hotel room early! I'll see ya'll next February at Wintergrass 2002!

Beau Gordinier
JamBase Seattle Correspondent
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