Del McCoury Band's Timeless Bluegrass
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Watching a Del McCoury Band performance -- such as Thursday's, the second of a two-night stand at the Barns at Wolf Trap -- is to witness a remarkable spanning of bluegrass past and present. The quintet essays speedy, high-lonesome tradition and easygoing, foot-tapping modern smoothness with equal aplomb. That effortless mix drew raucous hoots from the capacity crowd.
McCoury is pushing 70 (and looking more like Bob Barker than ever) but his haunting tenor is still effective, leading the charge across a broad swath of stylistic ground. Thursday's set featured the raw "Loggin' Man," the sly "What a Waste of Good Corn Liquor," a revved-up "Asheville Turnaround" and a stirring rendition of Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," quickly becoming a McCoury staple.
The real action of a McCoury set, however, is the startling interplay of his band, anchored by his sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo). Whether interlocking with the driving fiddle of Jason Carter or stepping in front of Alan Bartram's upright bass, their segues were the very model of bluegrass playing. Ronnie's solos, especially, stood out for their fiery melodic patterns accomplished with an amazing economy of motion.
The evening's only disappointment was the scarcity of selections from the group's first-ever gospel record, "The Promised Land." That disc's "Five Flat Rocks," with Ronnie and Rob on acoustic guitars, became the 90-minute show's peak: old-time harmony singing supported by tasteful yet driving playing, fired like a sleek, modern arrow at the heart of traditional bluegrass.
-- Patrick Foster
