Track Listing

1. Dust Bowl Children
2. To Live Is to Fly
3. Walls of Time
4. Shady Grove
5. Moonlight Midnight
6. Trespasses
7. Sunny Side of the Mountain
8. Cold Rain and Snow
9. Guardian Angles
10. Let the Harvest Go to Seed
11. Perfection

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #54968 in Music
• Brand: ROWAN,PETER
• Released on: 2007-01-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Album Description
Acoustic music legends Peter Rowan and Tony Rice continue their fruitful collaboration with Quartet, which finds the pair joined by bassist/vocalist Bryn Davies and mandolinist/vocalist Sharon Gilchrist. Recorded after extensive touring, Quartet introduces a dynamic and cohesive band grounded in traditional bluegrass, yet capable of spinning out extended improvisational journeys. The band's repertoire is equally intriguing, ranging from songs by Townes Van Zandt and Patti Smith to bluegrass standards, traditional ballads ("Cold Rain and Snow"), and classic Rowan originals ("Dust Bowl Children" and a stunningly reinvented "Moonlight Midnight").

"The spellbinding synergy of Rowan's soulful serenades and Rice's masterful flatpicking ...it's almost as if the singer and accompanist are one in the same." - Bluegrass Now

"A musical marriage made in heaven." - Relix

Amazon.com
Two eclectic acoustic music veterans are better than one, as this second collaboration by singer-songwriter Peter Rowan and guitar virtuoso Tony Rice attests. Doubling their fun is the addition of bassist Bryn Davies and mandolinist Sharon Gilchrist, who provide female harmonies as well as instrumental support. Five of the eleven tunes are Rowan originals, highlighted by an almost eight-minute expansion of his "Moonlight Midnight," a favorite from his Old and in the Way days, giving Rice's guitar plenty of room to roam; as well as a revival of "The Walls of Time," written with Bill Monroe. The selection additionally ranges from the bittersweet beauty of Townes Van Zandt's "To Live Is to Fly" to a surprising dip into the songbook of Patti Smith, transforming her "Trespasses" into a tone-poem waltz with lilting three-part harmonies. Three straight spirituals bring the set to a soul-stirring close. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

The Voice
Peter Rowan has a remarkable voice. I've long thought that there but for the grace of Panama Red, he should stand where Del McCoury stands today--as THE voice of bluegrass (Ralph Stanley notwithstanding). Following his apprenticeship (over 40 years ago!) as a Blue Grass Boy, he chose an eclectic musical path by which to earn his living. But amidst the rock, the reggae, the rockabilly, the singer/songwriter, Peter Rowan has always been at his best when singing bluegrass. That's why this album--basically free of Rowan's overwrought ululating--is such a treat. Musically, the quartet is anchored by the guitar wizardry of Tony Rice, about whom enough can't be said. Sharon Gilchrist holds forth on mandolin and is severely overmatched by Rice, but her role in this band is vocal, filling out the sweet trio with Rowan and bassist Bryn Bright. The music is sharp and mature and while there is enough real bluegrass here, I still harbor hope that Rowan will some day hit the road with a full assemblage of hot pickers and singers and become Bill Monroe already.

As Good As It Gets
Hi, guys. Nice to see some positive reviews of the Rowan/Rice album, "Quartet" up here. When I play this record in my kitchen, I always hit "play" again when it finishes. It is seamless. It seems too short when I get to the end (I want to start all over again, to quote The Band!). That's a good sign. I thought I'd never find another version of "Rain and Snow" that competed for my heart after hearing Muleskinner's version, with Peter's vocals from long ago. But this is so gorgeous; Sharon and Bryn's harmonies make it more ethereal; it's a different sound (Muleskinner is still 100% precious). Shady Grove is the "big O" notewise (y'all laugh). Haha, hey, ain't they all? That's a stunning cover of Martin's & the Osborne Brothers', etc., "Sunny Side of the Mountain." Peter has good ears for well-written songs in selecting
Patti Smith's "Trespasses." It's incredibly sensitive a song, a surprise, coming from a "punk priestess" (more to punk priestess than meets the eye). Gotta love it. Vicks

Great Music
The old Bluegrass Boy, Peter Rowan and the great flat top guitar player Tony Rice have teamed up with two other musicians, mandolinist Sharon Gilchrist and bass player Bryn Davies to create some wonderful music. I love the vocals in Midnight Moonlight. Rowan cut Midnight Moonlight on the Old and In the Way in 1975 and this may be the best recording so far with a new energy that has you singing along. A great addition to your CD collection.