Check out the new Digital Store, where you can buy PDF downloads of sheet music and tablature for Russ's music and more!
2008 GRAMMY and IBMA Award nominee!
It’s been a great year for Russ and When at Last, his latest release on Compass Records. First a 2008 GRAMMY nomination for his tune, "Little Monk," the CD's opening track, for Best Country Instrumental Performance. And most recently a nomination for the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Instrumental Album of the Year. You can read more about Russ and When at Last below.
2008 also found Russ in the studio with legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden on his new CD, "Rambling Boy," with actor Steve Martin on his banjo CD, due for release in 2009, and with the great singer and songwriter, Jesse Winchester, on his latest recording.
Another exciting project for Russ this past year was The Transatlantic Sessions 3, a series of music programs aired in the UK on BBC for which Russ was a member of the house band as well as a featured performer. Check out this video of Russ’s "The Drummers of England" (a tune also recorded on When at Last) as performed on one of the "Sessions." Also playing are Aly Bain on fiddle, Phil Cunningham on accordion, Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Todd Parks on bass and James MacIntosh on percussion.
When at Last--Available now at Russ's online store!
"It's been way too long since guitarist Russ Barenberg made a solo album—too long, even, since he teamed up with resophonic guitarist Jerry Douglas and bassist Edgar Meyer on the memorable Skip, Hop & Wobble. But the longtime Nashville resident has been quietly building up a stock of great original tunes, polishing his skills and deepening his musicality. When At Last offers up the results in a sweet, satisfying collection that pushes melody, lyricism and groove over gee-whiz licks." - Nashville Scene
Featuring special guests Dennis Crouch, Ruthie Dornfeld, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Viktor Krauss, Kenny Malone and Jeremiah McLane.
Guitar aficionados may be ready to hail the new display of virtuosity on Russ Barenberg’s When At Last, but for the legendary guitarist himself, the value of the collection is somewhat different. “What I maybe have to bring to the world,” he says with a kind of wry deliberation, “is some good tunes.”
Of course, When At Last does, indeed, showcase subtle, compelling musicianship—and not only from Barenberg, but also from the carefully chosen crew of players who accompany him—yet the point is well-taken. In a world filled with guitarists renowned for technique, Russ Barenberg has always stood out for his intensely melodic approach to playing and writing, and the new album shows that the years since he, resonator guitarist Jerry Douglas and string bass maestro Edgar Meyer made the widely acclaimed, supremely influential Skip, Hop & Wobble have only deepened his musicality.
Leading off with the taut groove of “Little Monk,” the set winds its way through bluegrass, Celtic and contradance-flavored tunes that frame Barenberg’s lyricism and rhythmic subtleties in intricate ensembles that feature long-time friends and collaborators. Douglas, fiddle giant Stuart Duncan and percussionist Kenny Malone, who appeared on Barenberg’s last solo album, Moving Pictures, are back for the ride, while the bottom end is held down by Viktor Krauss and Dennis Crouch.on acoustic bass.
Less familiar contributors turn up too and add a delightful new flavor to the work. “Ruthie Dornfeld is just a fantastic musician,” Barenberg notes. “I played a lot of contra dances with her up around Boston in the early 80s. She’s a great dance fiddler, but she does a lot of other things too and she has a great feel and rhythmic sense; she plays a lot of traditional music and understands it really well. And Jeremiah McLane is a very fine accordion and piano player from Vermont who plays in a wonderful trio called Nightingale; they’re one of my favorite bands.
Still, while ensemble interplay is the foundation of When At Last, its heart and soul ultimately is to be found in Barenberg’s tunes—some dating back to the early 90s, others composed shortly before recording began—and in his glistening playing. Few guitarists so perfectly blend a mastery of roots music traditions with melodic originality, or so finely balance muscularity with delicacy, and each moment of the album is shaped by these artistic dualities—and by Barenberg’s newfound energy and re-dedication to making music central to his life. “I’m at a point in my life now where I really appreciate what a gift it is to be a musician.”--Jon Weisberger
