CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS & JOE THOMPSON
''CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS & JOE THOMPSON''
MAY 26 2009
30:38
1 - Memphis Shakedown/4:09
2 - Corn Bread & Butter Beans/4:17
3 - Dona Got A Ramblin' Mind/2:23
4 - John Henry/3:53
5 - Old Joe Clark/2:38
6 - Georgia Buck/3:24
7 - I Shall Not Be Moved/2:32
8 - Old Corn Liquor/4:00
9 - Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad/3:18
Bob Carlin /Banjo, Commentary
Dom Flemons /Guitar, Jug, Vocals
Rhiannon Giddens /Banjo, Fiddle, Kazoo, Vocals
Justin Robinson /Fiddle, Jug, Vocals
Sule Greg Wilson /Brushes, Gourd, Tambourine, Vocals, Washboard
Joe Thompson /Arranger, Fiddle, Vocals
REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
As a band that based itself on the template of the old black string bands, the Carolina Chocolate Drops were mentored in such things by the venerable fiddler and vocalist Joe Thompson, himself a veteran of such ensembles and a direct link to the tradition, which is why this live set recorded at 2008's MerleFest is such a fun and valuable recording. The Chocolate Drops open things here with a couple of tunes, but then the band brings up Thompson, 90 years old at the time (Thompson died early in 2012 at the age of 93), and together they prove that tradition and the past can come alive in the present. Banjoist Bob Carlin joins in, as well, for the final five numbers, and the whole set gives off a wonderful, refreshing (and timeless) energy and spirit.
BIOGRAPHY
by Paula Carino
The three full-time members of the string band known as the Carolina Chocolate Drops (Dom Flemons on guitar, jug, and harmonica, Rhiannon Giddens on banjo and fiddle, and Justin Robinson on banjo and fiddle -- Sule Greg Wilson sometimes sits in on percussion) met in 2005 at the Black Banjo Gathering at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, drawn together by their mutual love of bluegrass, "jass," jug music, and prehistoric country and rock. The acoustic musicians play a lively combination of standards and originals in these styles, sporting tongue-in-cheek, old-timey outfits and a spirited irreverence that barely disguises their technical facility. Their 2006 debut, Dona Got a Ramblin Mind, was released on the Music Maker label to wide acclaim, and they recorded three additional independent albums before their first widely distributed album, Genuine Negro Jig, appeared on Nonesuch in 2010. The group's next release on the label, which appeared early in 2011, was a four-song EP recorded with the New York City-based Romanian Gypsy punk band the Luminescent Orchestrii. Robinson left the group that same year and multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins was added. The group augmented things further with New Orleans-based cellist Leyla McCalla and beat box specialist Adam Matta for 2012's full-length Leaving Eden, which was produced by Buddy Miller.
''CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS & JOE THOMPSON''
MAY 26 2009
30:38
1 - Memphis Shakedown/4:09
2 - Corn Bread & Butter Beans/4:17
3 - Dona Got A Ramblin' Mind/2:23
4 - John Henry/3:53
5 - Old Joe Clark/2:38
6 - Georgia Buck/3:24
7 - I Shall Not Be Moved/2:32
8 - Old Corn Liquor/4:00
9 - Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad/3:18
Bob Carlin /Banjo, Commentary
Dom Flemons /Guitar, Jug, Vocals
Rhiannon Giddens /Banjo, Fiddle, Kazoo, Vocals
Justin Robinson /Fiddle, Jug, Vocals
Sule Greg Wilson /Brushes, Gourd, Tambourine, Vocals, Washboard
Joe Thompson /Arranger, Fiddle, Vocals
REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
As a band that based itself on the template of the old black string bands, the Carolina Chocolate Drops were mentored in such things by the venerable fiddler and vocalist Joe Thompson, himself a veteran of such ensembles and a direct link to the tradition, which is why this live set recorded at 2008's MerleFest is such a fun and valuable recording. The Chocolate Drops open things here with a couple of tunes, but then the band brings up Thompson, 90 years old at the time (Thompson died early in 2012 at the age of 93), and together they prove that tradition and the past can come alive in the present. Banjoist Bob Carlin joins in, as well, for the final five numbers, and the whole set gives off a wonderful, refreshing (and timeless) energy and spirit.
BIOGRAPHY
by Paula Carino
The three full-time members of the string band known as the Carolina Chocolate Drops (Dom Flemons on guitar, jug, and harmonica, Rhiannon Giddens on banjo and fiddle, and Justin Robinson on banjo and fiddle -- Sule Greg Wilson sometimes sits in on percussion) met in 2005 at the Black Banjo Gathering at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, drawn together by their mutual love of bluegrass, "jass," jug music, and prehistoric country and rock. The acoustic musicians play a lively combination of standards and originals in these styles, sporting tongue-in-cheek, old-timey outfits and a spirited irreverence that barely disguises their technical facility. Their 2006 debut, Dona Got a Ramblin Mind, was released on the Music Maker label to wide acclaim, and they recorded three additional independent albums before their first widely distributed album, Genuine Negro Jig, appeared on Nonesuch in 2010. The group's next release on the label, which appeared early in 2011, was a four-song EP recorded with the New York City-based Romanian Gypsy punk band the Luminescent Orchestrii. Robinson left the group that same year and multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins was added. The group augmented things further with New Orleans-based cellist Leyla McCalla and beat box specialist Adam Matta for 2012's full-length Leaving Eden, which was produced by Buddy Miller.
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