George Jackson - Hair & Hide [LP]

Hair and hide is literally what bluegrass and old time music is made of. Focusing on the raw materials of the fiddle and banjo, in tandem with the stripped back sound of only the two instruments, is both a classic and revolutionary choice on fiddler George Jackson's sophomore record Hair & Hide. To assemble these fourteen tracks, he enlisted seven banjoist friends-who also happen to be some of the finest players of their generation-such as Brad Kolodner, Jake Blount, Frank Evans, BB Bowness, Joe Overton, Wes Corbett, and Uma Peters. Each player recorded two tunes, a traditional and an original Jackson wrote to suit their individual playing style. Throughout the album each duo explores improvisation in traditional music and juxtaposes archaic Appalachian tunes with the progressive side of bluegrass music. You might assume the album is a niche listen, but it's quite the opposite as Jackson explores the full sonic palette of these two key roots music instruments. From trance-inducing moody original tunes to classic barnburners, the album has something for serious or casual folk music fans alike. The end result is as unique as Jackson's musical background-he was born in New Zealand but has lived in Nashville for a number of years. It's hard to tell which tunes are original and which are generations old and that's exactly how he wants you to hear them.