Bluegrass with Too Much Agenda at O1C

Yesterday afternoon Old First Concerts (O1C) presented the world premiere of “Embracing Roots,” composed by Alisa Rose for string quartet and solo violin. Rose was also the soloist, joined by the members of the Americana Quartet, violinists Matthew Szemela and Nigel Armstrong, violist Alexandra Simpson, and cellist Matt Park. Sadly, this was one of those “agenda” compositions, written to celebrate the work of Bluegrass Pride. Each of the three movements was preceded by recordings of six diverse members of Bluegrass Pride discussing (according to the program note) “their experiences in and hopes for the bluegrass community.” The result was the latest disconcerting instance of agenda distracting from musicianship, leading those more interested in the latter to wonder whether this was little more than “fiddling around.”

That epithet could be applied in a more positive way to the music provided prior to the performance of “Embracing Roots.” The performers were a bluegrass trio called Fog Holler, consisting of Casey Holmberg on banjo, Tommy Schulz on resonator guitar, and Noa on bass. Most of the singing was by Holmberg and Schultz. All seven of the selections were written by members of the trio. After the first five, Rose joined the trio. The Americana Quartet then showed up for the final selection, making it an “all hands” affair.

Back when I was doing computer research for an oil services company at a laboratory in Ridgefield, Connecticut, I was invited by a few of my colleagues to play washtub bass for an impromptu bluegrass group they had formed. At the time I knew next to nothing about bluegrass, but my learning curve was a joyous one. In retrospect, I find myself amused that bluegrass could provide turf for a group all of whose members held doctoral degrees in science, mathematics, or engineering. (These were days when capitalized “Pride” had not become a proper noun. All that mattered was the breadth of the musical skill set of the group.)

The experience added to my repertoire an appreciation for both traditional tunes and those composed or promoted by professionals, such as The Country Gentlemen. In that context I have to confess that the Fox Holler originals did not do much for me. To be fair, O1C could have done a better job with microphone placement to allow the words to register with greater clarity; but it could just as easily have been that the vocalists were not articulating as clearly as one would have wished.

As I write this, “Fox on the Run” is churning away in my memory, displacing all recollection of both Fog Holler and “Embracing Roots.”