Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Album: Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Label: Rounder
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.abigailwashburn.com/

Despite both having the banjo very much in common, after quite a number of years pursuing their own separate musical adventures (and to considerable acclaim too) these folks finally got it together on stage for a series of musical performances in 2013 (having gotten married just a short while previous). The success of their year-long tour as a duo has finally resulted in a duo album proper - this modest, eponymous release - which for all its plainness of titling definitely doesn't deserve to be overlooked (well, it could hardly have been retitled Duelling Banjos now, could it?!). It's described as "a front porch banjo and vocal album of new music, Appalachian murder ballads, gospel, chamber and blues" - and that in a nutshell is exactly what it is, a tag that might for the lazy journo or the column-inch-conscious editor render the task of penning a review virtually superfluous. But no - read on…

The disc's dozen tracks couldn't provide more in the way of variety, I guess. And the spirit of innovation in approaches to the banjo is everywhere right there in the forefront of these musical adventures. The album's opener Railroad starts out on a grinding, almost heavy-metal riff, over which floats in Abigail's wispy vocal which after a couple of repetitions of verse and chorus the verse ushers in a brilliantly tricksy tune-driven interlude incorporating snatches of Oh Susanna. This is a typical example of the way the two musicians' synergistic approaches to their instrument enable fresh ideas and juxtapositions and delectable inspirations to arise from what might seem unpromising and over-visited raw material. Béla and Abigail's joint vision for this project was to find a way to make every song have its own unique stamp yet (with) the whole having a big, cohesive sound with only two people. Bravely and confidently exploring the sheer versatility, the seemingly unlimited rhythmic, tonal and melodic capabilities of the humble banjo (in seven different physical guises during the course of the record). One could argue that banjos have almost never sounded more beautiful than they do on this disc, due to the staggering, consummate mastery of the players, their understanding and sympathetic practice of the hitherto undreamt-of gradations and dynamic nuances and tonal colours of which the banjo is capable (forget all those banjo jokes please!). Abigail's grounding in, and familiarity with, oriental (especially Chinese) music provides some intriguing overtones as well as imparting an air of graceful poise to the proceedings, while Béla's virtually unrivalled expertise in the fields of newgrass and bluegrass informs everything you hear in some manner or other. Little wonder that each of the protagonists has scooped multiple awards over their individual careers so far.

The disc's menu is wide-ranging in the extreme, with some surprises along the way of course. And the highlights come thick and fast - whether it be the stark reimagining of murder ballad Pretty Polly, the plangent And I'm Born To Die, the cheeky, sassy Bye Bye Baby Blues or the doomy new original Little Birdie (not the traditional old-time number, but sounding just as authentic). It may come as a surprise that the disc contains just three instrumental cuts - but they're absolute crackers, with neither a hint of patronising the listener nor of obligatory techno-wiz showoff fare, instead terrifically musical and full of amazing ideas, not to mention almost effortless display of the incredible chemistry between the two players. One of the three is even a short medley of just two movements from the first volume of good old Mr Bartók's 1909 cycle of over 80 little piano pieces For Children, here cunningly transposed for the banjo (bet you never thought you'd hear that!).

Summing up, if you ever thought you could never bear to listen to a full album of just two banjo players, albeit with captivating vocals, then prepare to eat your words, for this is riveting stuff.

David Kidman