The Three Kingdoms

Album review

This is the fourth recorded collaboration between acoustic guitarists John Renbourn and Stefan Grossman, and as on its three predecessors, the appeal lies in the contrast between Renbourn's traditional British folk style and Grossman's jazz and folk-blues leanings. Ideally, as on "Rites of Passage" and "Keeper of the Vine," Renbourn concentrates on an intricate, folk-based pattern that Grossman decorates with bluesy embellishments. The two have a previously expressed interest in adapting jazz classics to their two-guitar approach, and they do so here on the standard "‘Round About Midnight," then recall their earlier work on tunes by the late Charles Mingus with the mournful "Farewell to Mr. Mingus." Sometimes, as on "Catwalk," Renbourn seems to dominate; other times, as on "Cherry," it's Grossman. But since they play differently, their lines can be identified and appreciated separately even when they are intermingling.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo