Patuxent CD-176 Jordan Tice - Long Story

Good pickers are a dime a dozen, but a great writer is a rare find. I think Jordan Tice is a great writer. He's always had a really creative sense of melody in his playing. But to be a good writer, it's not enough to have inspired melodies running around in your head - you also have to find the discipline and focus to form those ideas into a completemusical statement. At 20 years old Jordan is now releasing his secondalbum of' original music, a collection that establishes him as a musician at home with both inspiration and craft.

Jordan and I have something in common in that we both grew up in families with not one but two parents who play bluegrass music. We both also got dragged around to our fair share of bluegrass festivals as kids. This ended up-being quite a gift as we'll both always have that deep well of traditional music to draw from when we need refreshment. But we both also went to music-school, and I hear in Jordan's writing an attempt (a successful attempt, by the way) to compose tunes that sound and feel natural on bluegrass instruments while gently opening the door to a much wider world of musical influence.

Likewise, the arrangements on Long Story are gently pointing the conventions of bluegrassinto territory that we might just call "music in general". They are dynamic, interesting, and always at the service of the song. The musicians on this album are all amazing players and they go all out on this album when it's called for. But what really moves me is the band's willingness .to play with delicacy and restraint. "Chincoteague," for example, is simple and memorable in the way of the 'best old tunes we ah love to play, and the arrangement keeps that wonderful simplicity intact.

I think this record is great and I think that Jordan Tice is a great musician with lots to say. His voice is one I look forward .to listening to for years to come.

Chris Eldridge