Old Time Music

The New Lost City Ramblers were instrumental in bridging the gap between the young urban folk musicians of the early '60s, who embraced the form and feel of old-time American music, and the last of the great rural singers and players who had actually grown up with the music in its original incarnation. The Ramblers were careful to stay true to the intent and execution of this precious musical resource, and nowhere is this more evident than on this disc of highlights from their appearances at the Newport Folk Festival between 1963 and 1965. The Ramblers (John Cohen, Mike Seeger, and then newcomer Tracy Schwarz, who had just replaced Tom Paley in the group) serve as a sort of house band for a host of old-time music legends on these tracks, introducing or backing up in various combinations the likes of Cousin Emmy, Maybelle Carter, Eck Robertson, Roscoe Holcomb, Sam & Kirk McGee, and Dock Boggs. The end result is a wonderful and seamless concert of timeless American music that is as much an introduction to the music itself as it is a New Lost City Ramblers album. Highlights include Cohen's rugged solo take on "My Name Is John Johanna"; Seeger's lovely lap dulcimer piece, "Waterbound"; Cousin Emmy's romping "Bowling Green"; and Maybelle Carter's rendition of her signature tune, "Wildwood Flower." Also impressive is Roscoe Holcomb's galloping banjo and trademark keening vocal on "Little Birdie" and a huge, rumbling, and ominous version of "Oh Death" by the incomparable Dock Boggs. As a document of a time and place that will surely never come again, Old Time Music is a treasure, and listeners can be thankful that the Ramblers were there to help stitch it all together, working as a seamless bridge between the old and the reimagined. ~ Steve Leggett