Crossing Bridges

I find it enjoyable to watch (or in this case listen) to someone who is truly a master at what they do. You can always discover something new or just enjoy the beauty and revel in the ease at which something so beautiful is created. I find that this music tends to pop into my head from time to time--especially track 1 which is an exhilirating blending of familiar melodies. Appalachia Waltz is truly sublime. I was fortunate to be able to use this music in a visual piece constructed of old photographs which can be seen at 4screenslideshow dot com. As others have mentioned, don't miss the "hidden" track at the end of the CD.

Playing Time - 73:50 -- Recorded live at Spivey Hall at Clayton College & State University in Morrow, Georgia, "Crossing Bridges" features violinist Mark O'Connor's Appalachia Waltz Trio, which also features violist Carol Cook and cellist Natalie Haas. The CD's booklet provides this quote from O'Connor - "I always think that music should elevate the spirit, stimulate the intellect and strengthen the heart." If those criteria define his goal, then the consummate pro and his two sidekicks easily succeed. This album of largely original material offers much in the realms of vitality, reasoning and emotion.

His rise to fame has been noteworthy. I remember when O'Connor, originally from Seattle, was just a young pup in the 70s drawing a large crowd in jam sessions with mentor Benny Thomasson at the National Old-Time Fiddlers Contest in Weiser, Idaho. In fact, he could identify specific classical composers at age three. He began playing guitar at six and violin at eleven. Before he had fiddled for a year, Mark had won second place at Weiser. At age 12, he was on the Grand Ole Opry. By 14, he'd won various fiddle and guitar championships, and the Winfield, Ks. guitar contest rules were changed to require that contestants wait at least five years before they could win again. He did. Touring with Dan Crary, The David Grisman Quintet, and The Dregs followed. In 1983, he embarked on a solo career and journey that has him "crossing bridges" into many musical genres.

In 1991, Mark & The New Nashville Cats (featuring Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, and Steve Wariner) won the CMA "Vocal Event of the Year" Award. Mark O'Connor also won the CMA "Musician of the Year " Award consecutively from 1991-1996. He toured with Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt in 1993. In more recent times, he has focused primarily on classical music. He wrote his first violin concerto in 2000. His 2002 Nashville concert with Chris Thile, Bryan Sutton and Bryon House was captured on his excellent "Thirty Year Retrospective" album (OMAC Records 5). The "Bowtie" track from this album has been nominated for a Grammy in the Country Instrumental category.

Now, O'Connor, Cook and Haas unite to recreate, with expert technical proficiency, the original 1995 "Appalachia Waltz" repertoire and some fine new material in the same tradition. The original two "Appalachia Waltz" CDs and tours featured violinist O'Connor, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bassist Edgar Meyer. Yo-Yo Ma made a solo version of the title track his signature piece perfect for an encore.

Compared to the original sound with violin, cello and bass, the new trio's sound is more airy, fluid and light. No one should question the credential of Cook and Haas. Cook was a a member of Scott Yoo's great ensemble, Metamorphosen. She's also a champion Scottish fiddler and made her debut with the Edinburgh Symphony at age 16. Haas studied at Julliard under cello legend Fred Sherry. She also loves Scottish folk music. The album's 15-minute closer "Olympic Reel" medley is textbook string pyrotechnics. Some other technically impressive tracks include "Chief Sitting in the Rain/College Hornpipe," "F.C.'s Jig" and "Limerock." All in all, the generous 74-minute album gives us a kaleidoscope of multi-hued sound that enchants us from the first measure to the last. The sheet music is available on Mark's website. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

If you know Mark O'Connor's work, it's probably enough to say that this is up to his usual standard of musicianship. The other striking thing about him is his knack for finding superb collaborators, whether they be giants who inspired him (as in his CD "Heroes") or newer arrivals on the scene, like the young cellist Natalie Haas. She takes on (for instance) Appalachia Waltz, a work which Yo-Yo Ma had all but canonized, and comes through with an inspired performance. I recently heard her play with Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, and it's clear to me that she has a brilliant future ahead of her. As for Carol Cook, this is the first performance of hers I've heard, but it won't be the last. She disproves all the bad press violists get. By the way, this CD does include Amazing Grace, contrary to what a previous reviewer wrote. But by some glitch it's just added on as part of the tenth and last track and is not acknowledged either on the list of tracks or in the notes (which are otherwise very thorough).

I was fortunate enough to catch a performance of this trio in Columbus, GA this past February, and ever since that day I have waited for this CD to come out. Mark O'Connor is a violin/fiddle virtuoso, Carol Cook can coax mezmerizing sounds out of a viola, and the amazing Natalie Haas can make you hear cello in a whole different light. Only two things keep this from being a five-star recording. First, you can never capture the beauty of a live performance on a CD. Second, they should have included the chilling rendition of 'Amazing Grace' that they do in concert. (NOTE: As highlighted by a later reviewer, this track is indeed included as a 'hidden' track at the end. My comments on the piece still stand). At the show I attended that was one piece through which the audience sat transfixed. When the last notes faded, there were several moments of stunned silence, followed by a collective 'WOW' from all assembled there. Still, it's a great listen...give it a try and you won't be sorry.